Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is a recipe of one of my old roommates from college, and it is SO GOOD!  Super gooey, super chocolaty, and super yummy!  Not only that, but they are naturally egg free, so I didn't even have to alter the recipe (which I like since altered recipes sometimes work and sometimes don't).







Combine:
1 1/2 c. flour
2/3 c. baking cocoa
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

In a separate bowl beat together:
12 Tbsp. softened butter
2/3 c. sugar
2/3 c. brown sugar

Add in:
4 Tbsp. milk
2 tsp. vanilla

Beat in flour mixture and 1 cup chocolate chips. Bake in 350 degree oven for 12 - 14 minutes.

Cookie Press Cookies

Yet another holiday cookie complements of my Mom.  This time of year is always reminiscent of baking for me, and I have tried to carry the tradition on with my kids.  I always thought that cookie press cookies were so cool!  If you don't have a cookie press, you can roll this dough out and cut it with cutters.

Ingredients

1 lb butter
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla
2 eggs, beaten (or egg replacer equivalent)
5 cups flour
food coloring (for Christmas I make green wreaths and trees)

Directions

1. Mix ingredients together and use cookie press to form cookies.
2. If you want to embellish with candies, do it now (I used red hots on the wreaths)
3. Bake at 350 degrees F until done (about 10 minutes).

Ring-a-ling

This is another recipe that I got from my Mom.  I was looking through recipes last Christmas and I picked this one to try because it didn't have eggs in it and I had recently found out about J's egg allergy.  Too bad he's also allergic to pecans now!  Oh well. I still really like them!

Ingredients

1 cup flour
dash salt
1/2 cup butter at room temp
3 Tbsp confectioner's sugar
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 tsp vanilla
your favorite jam or jelly (I used cherry jam, but I also like raspberry and apricot)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F
2. Sift flour and salt.  Cream butter and sugar.  
3. Combine parts and add pecans and vanilla.
4. Chill several hours.  Roll into balls and press hallow with thumb.  Fill with jam.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Cool then enjoy!

Gingerbread

This recipe is one that I have been eating my whole life.  For as long as I can remember, my Mom has made Gingerbread every Christmas.  She made a ton so that all eleven of her kids could decorate houses.  Sometimes we shared big houses and sometimes she made small houses for each of us.  This gingerbread always just brings back good memories for me.  When I bake it now for my kids, the smell brings me back to my own childhood.  This year I decided to make four houses so that each of my kids could decorate their own house.  We went to the candy shop in the mall to pick out candy (they each got to fill a bag with what they wanted).  They had so much fun decorating!  This recipe makes a TON of gingerbread.  I was able to make four medium sized houses, plus a whole bunch of gingerbread men (and a few gingerbread dinosaurs just because A wanted to).


 
Ingredients

1 lb margarine
2 cups sugar
1 12oz bottle of molasses
1 cup warm water
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp dry ginger
other spices that you like (nutmeg, cloves, etc)
10 cups flour

Directions

1. Cream together margarine, sugar and molasses.  Add water and mix well.
2. Sift the salt, baking soda and spices with a little bit of flour, and then add.
3. Add remaining flour or more to make a soft dough that you can kneed.
4. Roll out on ungreased cookie sheet and cut.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F.  I'm not sure exactly how long - when I'm doing cookies I do it a little shorter because I like them soft, but when I do houses I let it get a little more done so that it is more firm.

** The pattern for the houses you can make out of card-stock - simply spray your card-stock with cooking spray so that it doesn't stick to the dough - then cut around them with a knife.

Frosting

2 egg whites (or egg replacer equiviant - this works well with the egg replacer)
1 lb of powdered sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tarter

Beat until peak holds shape


** This frosting is good for putting the houses together, since it will dry very firm.  I put the houses together earlier in the day so that they are set when it comes time to decorate.  I actually use cake frosting to put the candy on, simply because it is easier for the kids to use.

Sugar Cookies

I can't take credit for the decor of these cookies, that was all the kids doing.  The great thing about sugar cookies is that they are so versatile and just so much fun!  They are also E's favorite flavor to eat.  I got this recipe from my sister who got it from a friend.  Who knows where it originated....  It is by far my favorite sugar cookie recipe.  It also works well egg free - which not all recipes do.  The recipe makes lots of cookies - I halved it and we still had plenty - but when I make them to give away at the holidays, it's nice to make the full batch.  The frosting recipe is yummy, but I didn't use it this time... sometimes store bought is just easier.

Ingredients

3/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup margarine
2 cups sugar
4 large unbeaten eggs (or egg replacer equivalent)
2 tsp vanilla
5 or 6 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt

1. Cream shortening, margarine and sugar until whipped looking.
2. Add eggs one at a time and vanilla and mix until fluffy.
3. Add baking powder, salt and flour - start with 5 cups and add more if it is too sticky.  You want the dough to be fairly firm when you are done.
4. Chill dough overnight (I don't always do it this long, just make sure to chill for a few hours at least).
5. Roll out and cut into shapes.  Put similarly sized cookies on each ungreased cookie sheet to ensure even cooking.
6. Bake at 375 degrees F for 9-10 minutes (don't let them get brown!).  Cool.
7. Either eat as they are or frost and enjoy!

Frosting

1/3 cup soft margarine
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 lb (3 1/2 cups) powdered sugar
food coloring optional

Mix together and frost cookies!

I have to say, these are absolutely the BEST oatmeal raisin cookies I have ever made!  I usually make the recipe from the Betty Crocker cookbook, but I have never been happy with the texture of the final product.  I don't know what causes the difference, maybe it's the sour cream, but these are fabulous! Christian found this recipe for me, and I'm not sure where he got it.  I know it was from some food blog somewhere.... When I find out I'll add the link.

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg (or egg replacer equivalent)
6 Tbsp sour cream
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup raisins
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp coarse salt
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Using a stand mixer, cream your butter and brown sugar.  Mix in the oil.  Add the egg and beat until fluffy.  Beat in the sour cream and vanilla, scraping the sides of bowl down, until well mixed.
3. Stir in the raisins and oats.  Add the dry ingredients and beat until fully incorporated.  Stir in the nuts.  Let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
4. Drop the dough by tablespoons (I use a mini scooper) onto ungreased cookie sheets.  Use a spatula to flatten your cookies slightly.
5. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until light brown.  Transfer to a rack to cool then enjoy!!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have all this lovely pumpkin puree that I made, and I want to make good use of it, so I made some yummy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.  So good!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg (or egg replacer equivilant)
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup (or more) chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Cream butter and sugar.  Add egg, pumpkin and vanilla - this mixture will look slightly curdled.
3. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.  Mix until well blended.
4. Add chocolate chips and mix.
5. Place by rounded teaspoons on an ungreased baking sheet about 1-2 inches apart.  Bake for 15-20 minutes until they just begin to turn golden.  Let cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes then remove to a cooling rack.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

This week I decided to make a classic.  The chocolate chip cookie.  I used to make these all the time.  Probably at least once or twice a month.  I stopped making them so often when we found out about Jacen's egg allergy.  I didn't want to make stuff that he couldn't enjoy also.  Then I found the egg replacer, and I was able to make them again!  They are pretty close to regular with the egg replacer, but they are just not quite the same.  If you aren't dealing with an egg allergy, I would totally just do it normal with the egg.  But, if you are trying to go eggless, the egg replacer works pretty well.  This is a recipe that I got from the Betty Crocker Cookbook.

3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter or stick margarine, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 large egg (or 1 1/2 tsp egg replacer whisked with 2 Tbsp water)
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 bag semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F
2. Beat sugars and butter with electric mixer until well creamed.  Add vanilla and egg and mix until blended.  
3. Stir in baking soda, flour and salt (dough will be stiff).  Add chocolate chips - I don't usually add the whole 2 cups.  Eyeball it to the desired amount of chips.
4. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.
5. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown (centers will be soft).  Cool 1 to 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire cooling rack.
6. Eat with a big glass of cold milk!