Soft Sugar Cookies

via Six Sister's Stuff

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup of butter, softened
• 3/4 cup of granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 teaspoons McCormick Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 1/4 teaspoons of baking powder
• 2 1/4 cups of all purpose flour

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and granulated sugar. Mix in eggs and vanilla until combined. Then add your salt, baking powder and flour. Mix until the batter is lump free.
2. Cover and chill for at least one hour.
3. Preheat oven to 350°F.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Roll cookies into balls and flatten a little. Try and make your cookies all the same size. (You could use a medium size cookie scoop also.)
5. Bake for 10-11 minutes (check at 8 minutes and watch them) You want them a little golden brown on the bottom. Remove from cookie sheet about 1 minute after cooking them.

Lemon Sandwich Cookies

via Martha Stewart

Made for Sarah O's epic bridal shower.

INGREDIENTS
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for rolling
2 tablespoons granulated sugar, for sprinkling

Creamy Lemon Filling

1 package (4 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
1 to 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

In a small bowl, mix cream cheese and zest until smooth. Gradually add 1 cup confectioners' sugar, mixing until smooth. Mix in remaining sugar as necessary to create a firm but spreadable filling.

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl using an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter, confectioners' sugar, lemon zest, and salt until combined. With mixer on low, add flour (dough will still be stiff); finish mixing with a wooden spoon.

2. Turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap, pat into a disk about 1/2 inch thick. Wrap, and chill until firm, about 1 hour (and up to 3 days).

3. Unwrap dough; place on a lightly floured piece of parchment or waxed paper. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough about 1/8 inch thick (if dough cracks, let it warm up slightly).

4. Cut out cookies with a 1 1/2-inch round cutter (reroll scraps once, chilling of too soft). Place 1 inch apart on two baking sheets; sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake until barely beginning to brown, 15 to 20 minutes; transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

5. Form sandwiches: Place about 1 teaspoon Creamy Lemon Filling between two cookies, sugared sides facing out; squeeze gently.

Raspberry Lemon Thumbprint Cookies

via Martha Stewart (I think)

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup raspberry jam or jelly
1 tablespoon Chambord or kirsch (I left this out)
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter 2 large baking sheets.

In a small bowl, combine the jam and Chambord. Stir to combine.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk to blend.

In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in the egg yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla. Add the flour mixture in 2 additions and beat just until moist clumps form. Gather the dough together into a ball.

Pinch off the dough to form 1-inch balls. Place on the prepared baking sheets, spacing 1-inch apart. Use your floured index finger or 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon to create depressions in the center of each ball. Fill each indentation with nearly 1/2 teaspoon of the jam mixture. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Rolo Cookies

via The Sisters Dish

I make these for my students every year, which we eat while watching Dead Poets Society on the day before Christmas break. Last year, Mark saved my bacon by baking the dough for me while I did some other nonsense.

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cocoa
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Bag of Rolo candies, unwrapped
Sugar (for rolling the cookie dough balls in)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat. Set aside.

2. In a medium blow, sift flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa. Set aside.

3. With a mixer, cream butter and sugars together until smooth. Add in eggs, one at a time. Next, add in vanilla extract. Mix until blended.

4. Slowly add flour mixture to sugar mixture and blend well. Take a spoonful of chocolate cookie dough and wrap around one Rolo candy. Make sure Rolo is completely covered with cookie dough. Roll dough ball in sugar and place on prepared baking sheet. Continue until you run out of cookie dough.

5. Bake cookies for 7-10 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit on cookie sheet for 3-5 minutes. Move to a cooling rack and cool completely.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

Mer's Chocolate Chip Cookies

My favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe from one of the coolest people I barely know, but who I admire from afar via her blog. :)

Apparently, she adopted the recipe from someone else, too. A favorite variation: Trader Joe's mini peanut butter cups.

Christina's Chocolate Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS

¾ c. Butter

2 ½ c. Flour

1 c. Granulated sugar

1 tsp. Baking soda

1 c. Brown sugar

1 tsp. Salt

2 eggs

12 oz. Milk chocolate chips

2 tsp. Vanilla

6 oz. Semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Cream butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla together until well blended (about 1 minute). Mix flour, baking soda, and salt together, then add to wet mixture. Add chocolate chips. Bake at 375º for 10 min. Watch closely and don’t burn. (In my high altitude oven they take 8 min. 15 seconds.)

To make chocolate cookies, substitute ½ c. cocoa for ½ c. of flour. Then substitute a 6 oz. bag of butterscotch or peanut butter chips for one of the chocolate chip portions.