Food Friday: Vanishing (Raisin or Cranberry) Oatmeal Cookies

This oatmeal recipe is one of my mom's cookie recipes that we used to make for Christmas cookies. This recipe not only tastes great but you can make a large quantity of dry ingredients ahead of time and add the wet ingredients when cookies are needed. That is exactly what we did as my brother and I mixed up the lump of real butter into the dry ingredients. Then on another day my mom would pull out the , add the egg and vanilla, and finish the baking.

Cream together in a large bowl:
1 cup margarine or butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated white sugar

Add:
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla

Set aside.

Sift together:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)

Add:
3 cups of oats
1 cup of your choice of raisins, cranberries and white chocolate chips, or chocolate chips

Store dry ingredients in cool, dry place for up to several weeks. When ready to bake, combine dry ingredients with creamed sugars and eggs. Then drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool 1 minute before removing to a rack. Makes 3-4 dozen.

Food Friday: Snickerdoodles

Need another batch of Christmas cookies and clueless as to what to make? Try these mouth watering, family favorites. From my experience, I guarantee you will not be able to eat just one cookie. So roll up your sleeves, get out your baking gear, and team up with the family to make a batch while listening to Christmas music in the background.

Ingrediants

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix thoroughly butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups of sugar and the eggs. Blend in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Shape dough by rounded teaspoonfuls into balls.

Mix 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon; roll balls in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Immediately remove from baking sheet.

Makes about 6 dozen cookies.

Food Friday: Peanut Butter Bars!

Peanut butter cookies are my favorite. A good spin off of those include these peanut butter bars. If you need to whip something up tomorrow for your church Christmas Cookie Walk, try these. Guaranteed you will not be able to eat just one! Happy Baking!

Frosted Peanut Butter Bars

½ cup crunchy peanut butter

1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened

¾ cup sugar

¾ cup packed light brown sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups unsifted all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, stir together peanut butter and butter until creamy. Gradually beat in sugars. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Sift in flour, baking powder and salt. Stir into peanut butter mixture. Spread batter in a greased 13 by 9 inch baking pan. Beat in a preheated 350 oven for 30 minutes. Cool in pan.

Peanut Butter Frosting

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup milk

2 ½ cups confectioners sugar

For frosting, beat together creamy peanut butter and vanilla. Beat in two tablespoons milk and 1 cup sugar until smooth. Gradually beat in remaining sugar and milk until smooth and of spreading consistency. Use to frost cooled peanut butter bars. Cut into 24 equal pieces.

Food Friday: No Bake Cookies!

In spite all this yummy food from yesterday, I am craving my mom's homemade No Bake Cookies. Easy to whip up. So bring some apple cider and join me curled up in a front of a Christmas classic movie nibbling on some of these.

No Bake Cookies

2 cups sugar

½ cup margarine

½ cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 cups oatmeal

6 tablespoons cocoa

Mix together sugar, milk, margarine, and boil (rolling) 1 minute over medium heat. Add vanilla. Put oatmeal and cocoa in a bowl. Blend well. Pour hot mixture over dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly and drop teaspoonfuls on wax paper. Cool completely before storing.

Option:

3 cups oatmeal

½ cup coconut

½ cup nuts

Could use 8 tablespoons cocoa for real chocolate taste.

Make Monday: Happy Valentines Day!

Flying Kiss

First I hold my hand like this.
Then I send a flying kiss
Will you catch it?
I won't peek.
I think it landed on your cheek!

Happy Valentines Day! Hope your day is filled with red, love, and candy (will maybe)!

This morning Judah and I started celebrating by making Valentine Cookies. I actually bought a package of Nestle Toll House ready-made cookie valentines. All Judah had to do was punch out the heart-shaped pictures and place them on the cookie sheet. Judah definitely liked his first taste of cookie dough! Then we baked them and shared with our neighborhood friends for our Valentine party this morning!

If you have older kids and are looking for something to do later today, try mixing up a batch of heart-shaped cookies and decorate them for Valentines Day!

My mom's cookie mix is a great recipe for holidays. You can actually mix the dry ingredients ahead of time and store in a cool place, using these Christmas leftovers and adding eggs and vanilla, for Valentines cookies! Plus, you have a large quantity of dough to use up. If you do not want sugar cookies, then try Almond Cherry Drops! Afterall, these are already red!

Combine:

12 cups all-purpose of flour
6 cups of sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
4 cups of shortening (I use real butter)

In large bowl combine ingredients. Cut shortening till mixture resembles fine crumbs (great for the kids to mix with their hands). Spoon into large canister. Seal tightly and store at room temperature for up to 6 weeks. For longer storage, place in freezer. Makes 23 cups of mix.

Later Combine:

2 cups of cookie mix
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut with 2 1/4 inch heart cookie cutters. Transfer to ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for about 8 minutes or until light brown. Cool on wire rack. Decorate with icing and sprinkles if desired. Makes 3 dozen.

Cherry-Almond Drops:

2 cups of cookie mix
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup chopped maraschino cherries

Drop from teaspoon onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes or just until the edges are lightly browned. Cool on rack. Makes 2 dozen.

After you are finished, curl up for a cuddle together with My Heart is Like a Zoo or The Cuddle Book!

Better go find my own leftover mix for some serious baking! Happy Valentines Day!

Food Friday: Cocoa Brownies!

Don't get me wrong, I love salty snacks, especially chips and dip. Most often you will see me going straight for the salty snacks over the sweets as cheese is my absolute favorite food. With all those salty snacks we are making for the Super Bowl though, you need a little chocolate, just enough for a sweet taste.

Normally, I am not a huge brownie person, probably because most brownies are made from a box.

But when my friend and cousin (by marriage) gave me this recipe, I knew it had to be good as most of her stuff is. And sure enough it was the best brownie recipe ever invented. My husband is so thankful to her because now I make brownies, one of his favorite desserts, and it is surprisingly so easy from scratch. By the time you figure out the box mix, you can whip up some of these. Serve warm with a little French vanilla ice cream and chocolate or Carmel syrup on top and you are good to go!

Mix
1 2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons water
2 large eggs beaten
2 teaspoon vanilla

Add
1 1/3 cup flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Bake in 9 by 13 inch greased pan at 350 degrees. Top with powdered sugar. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Tip Tuesday: Mom, I need cookies for tomorrow!

If you are a mom with school aged kids, I am sure you have heard those words the night before their school party. It is bed time and they remind you as you tuck them in that they were supposed to take snacks or cookies to the Christmas party the next day.

I like to keep things on hand for these moments in life when you are surprised. You know the unexpected company that forgets to call or a commitment you totally forgot to even put on the calendar. We all have those moments.

So for these particular moments in life, I make sure to always have an extra, new toothbrush in the guest bathroom, a spare light bulb for the living room lamp, and a hidden away toy for that last minute birthday party your child has been invited too.

For whatever reason, here is a cookie recipe I like to reserve for those last minute cookies you need for the Christmas party you forgot.

At the beginning of holiday season when I have more time, I make these large batches of cookies, storing the mix in a cool place (like fridge or garage) for the rest of December. If I need a plate of cookies for a party or one for a gift, I can pop out the mix, add the wet ingredients, and bake them.

Oatmeal Cookies Mix

Mix by hand in a very large bowl:
1 1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
3 cups sifted flour
2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 cups of oats

Make a well and add:
2 cups of oil

Mix very well. Store in covered and sealed container in cool place for several weeks.

LATER:

Combine in a large bowl:
4 cups oatmeal mix (already prepared)
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoon vanilla

Variations:
2 cups of raisins
1 cup of dried cranberries with 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips/nuts
1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips

Mix well. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Makes approximately 4 dozen.

Hope this helps. Feel free to double the mixture for even more batches of cookies later. In the meantime, you will need to provide the toothbrush, the light bulb, and the birthday present.

Happy Baking!