Nan's Molasses Cookies
with Strawberry Jam

1 egg
1 C sugar
1 C shortening
1 C molasses
1 C hot water
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. cinnamon
6 C flour

     Cream egg and sugar, then add shortening and mix well.  Add molasses, continue mixing.  Pour in hot water and continue mixing until well blended.  Add flour to which the spices have been added.  Roll out on a floured board.  Cut with a round cookie cutter.  (You may need to add more flour to be able to roll out well.)  Place on greased cookie sheet.  Drop a table spoon of strawberry jam in the middle of the cookie and bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes until done.

Nan Roberts
Sharon Springs, NY

2 eggs
1 1/2 C sugar
1 1/2 C molasses
1 C shortening
1 C sour milk (milk w/1 tsp vinegar)
3/4 C cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
5 C flour (may need a little more)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

   Add ingredients in order.  Drop by tablespoons onto greased cookie sheets.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.  Frost with favorite frosting.  I usually bake one cookie first to see if there is enough flour, if it flattens out to much, then I add more flour.

Nan Roberts
Sharon Springs, NY

Tollhouse Cookies With Oatmeal

This recipe is from a Methodist Church “Favorite Recipes” that my mom had, the book is dated 1950.

(Cathy said this is a favorite recipe that she grew up with.  Her mom used to make them for her and her brother.)

1 1/2 C sifted flour
1 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
1 C shortening
3/4 C Brown Sugar, Packed
3/4 C White Granulated Sugar
1 tsp hot water
1 C nutmeats, optional
1- 6oz pkg chocolate chips
2 C uncooked quick oatmeal
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs, beaten

   Sift Flour, salt, soda together. Cream shortening. Add sugars gradually until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each. Add hot water to creamed mixture. Then add sifted dry ingredients. Add nuts, chips and oatmeal and mix thoroughly. Drop by teaspoonfuls on greased cookie sheets. 

   Bake at 375°, 8 minutes. Amount, about 100 (very small cookies).

NOTE: Cathy said this recipe is best baked in a gas oven.  Try it with your electric oven but have the heat set at 350°, that seemed to help and make sure you pre-heat the oven for 20 minutes (I know, what a waste of electric, but it does help).

Cathy Didas
Springwater, NY

   This is MY favorite Sugar Cookie recipe.  I have sold dozens and dozens of them decorated with my decorator cake icing.  For that recipe, go to my wedding cake recipes page.  I have to fight Troy to keep him from eating all the cookie dough!  This was also one of my Mom's very favorites.  They really are good!

Holiday Sugar Cookies

1 C. margarine-2 sticks(I prefer Parkay) 
1 C sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 tsp water
3 C flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
sprinkles or colored sugars (optional)

   Thoroughly cream margarine, sugar and vanilla.  Add egg and water.  Beat until light and fluffy.  In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt.  Blend into creamed mixture.  Chill 1 hour, or over night.
   On lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8" thickness.  Cut out shapes using various shaped cookie cutters.  Lay on ungreased cookie sheet.  If using colored sugars, brush the cookies with milk, then sprinkle with sugar.  If icing cookies, omit brushing on milk.
   Bake at 375 degrees for 6-8 minutes until edges turn slightly brown.  Cool slightly and remove from cookie sheet. 
  

Brenda Brazell
Dumas, TX

Oatmeal Cookies

1 1/2 C shortening
2 C brown sugar
1 C sugar
2 eggs
1/2 C water
2 tsp vanilla
6 C rolled oats
2 C flour
2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 C raisins

Mix together and drop by spoon onto greased cookie sheet and bake for 12-15 min. at 350 degrees.

Nan Roberts
Sharon Springs, NY

Caramel Pecan Blondies

2/3 C vanilla caramels (12 caramels)
1/3 C butter
2 tsp milk
3/4 C sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 C all-purpose flour
1/2 C chopped pecans
Cinnamon and sugar mixture

   In a 2 quart saucepan combine the caramels, butter and milk.  Heat and stir over low heat just until caramels are melted.  Remove the saucepan from the heat.  Stir in the sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla; stir until well blended.  Set aside.

   In a mixing bowl combine flour and baking powder.  Add to saucepan mixture, stirring until blended.  Stir in pecans.  Turn into a greased 9x9x2 pan.

   Bake in 350 degree oven for 20-25 min. or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture (optional).  Cool in pan on a wire rack.  Cut into bars.  Makes about 20 bars.

Helen Wegner
Abilene, Texas

Birdnest or Thumbprint Cookies

(I have certain friends that BEG me to make these for them!  They are really good!)

1/2 C Parkay margarine
1/4 C brown sugar
1 egg yolk (save egg white)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 C flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 C. crushed English walnuts (I use pecans)

Cream margarine and sugar.  Beat in egg yolk, vanilla and salt, plus flour. Chill.

Roll into small balls and roll in egg white, then in crushed nuts.  (I used the small Pampered Chef scoop for this and made uniform balls.) Bake for 5 minutes, then press a hole in the middle and bake the remaining 9 minutes until slightly browned. 

NOTE: I made this a double batch.  By using the scoop to make uniform balls, it made 37 cookies. (Right at 3 dozen)  One batch made 19 cookies. Four recipes made about 7 1/2 doz.

There are two icing alternatives.  Both are very good.  Here's the first one:

Icing
Melt 1/2 C butter or marg., 1 tsp vanilla, cake coloring and enough powdered sugar to make it thicken.  Pour into the hole in the cookie and let set up.

MY Favorite is to use "Aunt Margie's" Icing Recipe.  Click on the link to go to that recipe.  One batch of icing will fill about 4 recipes of cookies. I piped it in with a shell decorator cake tip.

Billie Brazell and Brenda Brazell
Dumas, TX

1 Duncan Hines Yellow Cake Mix
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1/3 C sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
2 eggs
1/3 C oil

Mix dry cake mix, 1 egg and oil until crumbly.  Reserve 1 C of this mixture.  Pat remaining mixture lightly in an ungreased 9x13 pan.  Bake 15 minutes.

While the above is baking, beat cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and one egg.  Beat until light and smooth.  Spread over baked layer.  Sprinkle with rest of mixture.  Bake 10-15 minutes longer (be sure to watch this so it won't get too brown).  Cool and cut in squares.

Brenda Brazell
Dumas, TX

Peanut Butter Fingers

1/2 c. butter or margarine
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. peanut butter
2 eggs
1 c. flour
1/2 t. soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 c. quick cooking oats
1/2 t. vanilla

Cream margarine and sugars.  Add peanut butter, vanilla and eggs.  Beat by hand till smooth.  Add dry ingredients.  Mix until smooth. Spread in a 9X13" pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes.  Do not
overbake.  When done, top with 12 oz. pkg. of milk chocolate chips, let melt and then spread to edges.
Top with peanut glaze. 

Glaze:
3/4 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. peanut butter
Add milk till glaze consistency.

I double the recipe for the cookie part and still bake in 9X13" pan.  The key to this is not to overbake.

They are best when soft and eaten while still warm
with a glass of milk!!

Kay Pickering
Elmore City, OK