Treasure Cookies

These cookies are pretty much candy.  Also the dough was life changing.  I am in love.

However, at 375 (at least in my oven) they only needed 7 minutes to cook.  Take them out when they are starting to firm up and let them finish on the pan if you need to (which is what i did) because they burn really fast.  I only got three dozen out of this recipe, but I ate a lot of dough and I made them the size that Dad tends to make oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

Oh and Danielle, you will hate this.

From : http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Treasure-Cookies?pmcode=IMEDT02U&_mid=2361733&_rid=2361733.956338.309022

Ingredients

• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1-1/3 cups flaked coconut
• 1 cup white baking chips
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

• In a large bowl, beat milk and butter until blended. Combine the cracker crumbs, flour and baking powder; add to milk mixture and mix well. Stir in the coconut, chips and walnuts.
• Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks. Yield: 4 dozen.

Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies

These are amazing and life changing and wonderful!  I made them for a friends birthday slash she had unit exams that week.  Anyways, they were so worth it and they stay so soft!!

1 chocolate cake mix (we prefer Duncan Hines)
1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening
2 eggs
12 large marshmallows
1/2 c. melted butter
1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 c. evaporated milk
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350. Combine cake mix, eggs, and shortening in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer and mix until well combined. Drop dough by the tablespoon onto a baking sheet and bake for about 8-10 minutes or until the cookies appear done but are still soft in the center.

While the cookies are baking, use a pair of kitchen shears to cut each marshmallow in half. When the cookies have baked, remove the pan from the oven and place a marshmallow half on each cookie, cut side down. Return the pan to the oven for about 2 minutes. Remove from oven and very gently push each marshmallow down. Allow to cool completely and repeat with remaining cookie dough.

When the cookies have cooled completely, combine the powdered sugar and cocoa powder in a large bowl. Add melted butter, vanilla, and evaporated milk and beat on high until smooth, light, and fluffy. Transfer the frosting to an icing bag fitted with a large tip and swirl onto the cookies. Makes 24 cookies.

Lime Macadamia Nut Cookies

I made these to go with all of the Mexican food that I posted this week.  They are really good, but they are pretty much a shortbread cookie (like pecan sandies or snowballs) and there are other kinds of cookies that I would prefer to eat.  However, these are at hand, they are tastey and they are super addicting!

THe recipe calls for key limes, but walmart didn't have key limes, so I used normal limes and I think they are still good.  I also have no idea what size a one inch ball is apparently, so mine are significantly smaller.  Therefore, I cooked them for less time, the ones that I didn't burn.

Oh and we added something to the glaze to make it runnier.  I was actually cooking other things and Holly was making the glaze so I don't know if she added more lime juice or just a little bit of water.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Key-Lime-Bites

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 teaspoons key lime juice
• 2 teaspoons grated key lime peel
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts
• ICING:
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup key lime juice
• 1 teaspoon grated key lime peel

Directions

• In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in lime juice and peel. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in nuts.
• Shape into 1-in. balls. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets; flatten slightly.
• Bake at 400° for 8-10 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
• In a small bowl, combine the icing ingredients. Dip cookies in icing; allow excess to drip off. Place on a wire rack; let stand until set. Store in an airtight container. Yield: 2-1/2 dozen.

3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

Yes, three ingredients. I am in college and therefore love recipes that I have everything for, and these cookies are always able to made in my apartment and they taste surprisingly good.

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the three ingredients. Form into balls, squish down with a fork or with sugar dipped cup. Cook for about 7-9 minutes. Let them cook on the pan for a few minutes. Enjoy!

Yes, I know 2 posts in a day. I hope no one has any medical complications from this.

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

So I decided recently that one of the girls I vt needed some cookies before her text on Friday.  However, I know she is lactose intolerant so I didn't know if she could have chocolate...still need to ask her that.  And then I remember this recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.  It was awesome!  However, don't bake it for nine minutes, mine burned.  I tended to cook them for 7 minutes, but it could just be my oven

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2012/01/lemon-crinkles.html

*Makes 2-3 dozen cookies

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, from about 1/2 lemon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheets with silpat liners, parchment or lightly coat with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, egg, lemon zest and juice and mix well, scraping down the sides as needed. Add the dry ingredients (except the powdered sugar) and mix until just combined. Place the powdered sugar on a large plate or shallow pie dish. Roll tablespoon-size balls of dough in the powdered sugar to coat. Place on the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.

Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes. The cookies will not be browned on the edges but they will have lost a bit of their shininess on top. Don’t overbake! Cool the cookies on a cooling rack and store in an airtight container or eat immediately.

Molasses Cookies

So I needed to make something for the Institute Christmas party...ok, I didn't need to, I volunteered to because I like making treats.  But then, my life started getting busy (because let's be honest, I have been pretty much playing all week!).  So, on Monday, I spent sometime trying to figure out what to make.  Many fabulous cookies and brownies passed before my eyes, but I didn't have time to go to the store for the ingredients that I didn't have.  (Which I am currently working on fixing so that never happens, but I had forgotten about the existence of bakers chocolate and I don't regularly buy nutella because then I just eat it.)   Anyways, these were the only cookies that I looked at that I had all of the ingredients for at home, although I did use regular crisco instead of butter-flavored.

At the institute party, these cookies got compliments, so it wasn't just me that liked them.  My favorite compliment: "Don't tell my mom, but your ginger cookies are totally better than hers."  And then I felt like a success :)

If you have never used molasses before or it has been a while, remember the following: (1) pour vegetable oil into your clean measuring cup to fill it up, (2) pour oil back into original container (3) measure molasses and dump into the recipe.

Also, it says in the tutorial, but don't over cook these...if you think they are done, they are done.  Don't let them get brown, or they will be hard the next day and that is sad.

Well, here is the link:
http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/10/ginger-spice-cookies/

Ginger Spice Cookies
recipe from Paula Deen

Ingredients:
3/4 C Butter flavored Crisco
1 C sugar, plus more for rolling
1 large egg
1/4 C molasses
2 C flour
2 t baking soda
1 t ground cinnamon
1 t ground ginger
1/2 t ground cloves
1/2 t salt

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or a silpat.  Or don’t line them at all :)

With an electric mixer, combine shortening and sugar and cream until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add the egg and the molasses and beat until completely incorporated.

Sift or whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt

and then add to the mixture. Stir until combined. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and roll in sugar.

Place on cookie sheets.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until just set around the edges and you start to see “crackling” on the top.

Don’t overbake! You want to keep them nice and chewy-soft in the middle.

Yield: about 4 dozen (thanks to a reader for counting for me!)

-anna