Moved Reply:

Meg,
You and I were thinking along the same line except I was going to suggest cocoa powder since the cookies are chocolate.
And if rolling the cookie dough out with the rolling pin, floured wax paper is a big help. That is what I use for sugar cookies.
Trina

Moved Reply:

Trina-

Parchment paper works well too.

Moved Reply:

well since i dusted my hands with cocoa and i did chill the dough (kept sticking the bowl in the freezer in between "rolling episodes" (next time will try dividing tho!!) - perhaps the humidity was the culprit and i should've adjust the water and used a little less . . . gonna try some more this weekend - got to make something for monday night - i'll use your suggestions!!

Moved Reply:

How did your cookies turn out?

Moved Reply:

CANDY CANE BROWNIES
Brownies
2/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup margarine
2 eggs
2 sq unsweetened chocolate
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup nuts
Mix flour with baking powder & salt. Melt margarine & chocolate over hot water (or in micro). Beat eggs and gradually add sugar. Beat in chocolate & vanilla. Mix in flour. Add nuts. Pour into 8-in sq pan. Bake 350 degrees for 25 mins. Cool.

Icing
4 tsp butter
2 tbs cream (or non fat milk)
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp peppermint flavoring
Mix & spread over cooled brownies. Let sit in fridge for several minutes.
Crush candy canes and sprinkle over top of white icing.
Melt 1 sq unsweetened chocolate &) 1 tbs margarine, drizzle over top.

BROWN SUGAR COOKIES
2 cups brown sugar
2/3 cup shortening
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder

Cream sugar & shortening until light & fluffy. Add 2 well beaten eggs and vanilla. Beat well. Sift flour with baking powder & add to creamed mixture. Roll thin. (Put a little flour or powdered sugar on dough board & rolling pin so batter won't stick). Cut cookies with cutter. Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 mins. Good with icing!

Moved Reply:

Here is the recipe that GreenDragonLady sent to me:


Hershey's White Chip Chocolate Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups (12-oz pkg.) Hershey's Premier White Chips

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2.Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until light and fluffy. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into butter mixture. Stir in white chips. Drop by rounded teaspoon onto ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake 8 to 9 minutes. (Do not overbake,;cookies will be soft. They will puff while baking; flatten upon cooling.) Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4-1/2 dozen cookies.

Trina

Moved Reply:

Here is the wonderful recipe that Nolas sent to me.

Date Nut Pinwheels
Filling
1 8 oz pkg of dates, cut up
1/2 C water
1/2 C sugar
1 TBlsp lemon juice
1/4 C chopped nuts

Dough
1 cup butter room temp
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 TBSP lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups all-purpous flour
1 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp salt

Mix together all filling ingredients iin small saucepan, cook over medium/low heat until dates are soft set aside
Make dough by creaming together butter and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy, add eggs, beat well. add lemon juice and vanilla, stir. sift flour, add baking sida and salt. sift again. add to creamed mixture mix.
Mixture will be somewhat sof. Divide dough in half, place on well floured surface. roll each half out in to rectangles, about 1/2 inch thick
spread evenly with filling, roll up as for jjelly roll, cover with plastic wrap. slice 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick with sharp knife. place on greased cookie sheets. bake at 400 for about 12 minutes or till golden brown. cool ona wire rack. these freeze well. yield 4-5 dozen.

YUM!!!!!

Moved Reply:

Donna Hutchins sent me three recipes. This one will be my son's favorite as he is crazy about anything pumpkin. She says it is her son's favorite as well. Funny thing, they have the same first name!


PUMPKIN BREAD

In a large mixing bowl, sift together:
4 C all-purpose flour
3 C sugar
2 t baking soda
1 1/2 t salt
1 t baking powder
1 t each:cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice
1/2 t cloves
Make a well in the center and pour into it:
1 C cooking oil
1 can (14 1/2 oz) pumpkin
2/3 C cold water
Blend well with beater. Add 4 eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition. Pour batter into 4 well-greased and floured loaf pans. Bake 1 hour at 350F. Cool on wire rack. Wrap the ones you wish to freeze. Serve with cream cheese or butter. Meg's note: Go to your local gourmet shop and see if they have any pumpkin butter in their fancy jame and jellies. Even plain old apple butter would be delicous!


SOFT SPICY HERMITS

Cream together:
1 C sugar
1/2 C cooking oil
1 egg
Sift together dry ingredients and set aside:
3 C flour
1 t cinnamon
1 t ginger
1/2 t nutmeg
1 t baking soda
Blend together:
1/2 C milk
1/2 C molasses
Add this mixture alternately with dry sifted ingredients.
Add: 3/4 C raisins
Spread on cookie sheet and bake 350F for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with sugar when baked. Cool and cut. You can use candied fruit instead of raisins.


MOLASSES COOKIES

Mix together thoroughly:
3/4 C soft shortening
1 C brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg
1/4 C molasses
Sift together and add to shortening mix:
2 1/4 C flour
2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 t ginger
1/2 t cloves
1 tcinnamon
Chill dough. Rollinto balls the size of large walnuts. Dip tops in sugar. Place sugared side up, 3" apart on greased cookie sheet, sprinkle with 2 or 3 drops of cold water to produce crakled surface. Bake until set, but not hard. Bake 10-12 in 350F oven.

This is essentially the same as Grandpa Fred's recipe, although he would wrap the bottom of a drinking glass with a clean, damp linen dish towel. He would slightly flatten the cookie and make a thumbprint in the center, where he would put a 1/2 t of raspberry or strawberry jam before baking. You can try it both ways!

Moved Reply:

I have a cookie recipe to offer.
A few weeks ago my youngest son called me asking for his grandma’s oatmeal cookie recipe which I hadn’t used for a long time. He said it was his favorite as it was a crisp cookie. He wondered what made it crisp so we read it over and he said “Oh it doesn’t have eggs in it.” So we decided that was it. Eggs give a dough a cake like texture.
I don’t know if any of you like crisp oatmeal cookies but I thought maybe you might like to try them. I’m going to try them again sometime soon myself.
This may not be a Christmas cookie, butit is a good cookie!

Crisp Oatmeal Cookies
1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 ¼ cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp Vanilla
½ tsp cinamom if desired
2 cups oatmeal

Ferrell aka the purple lady

Moved Reply:

Here is the recipe sent to me by Donna D.

Mom Duquette's Amish Sugar Cookies

1 cup sugar
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 cup margarine
2 eggs
1 cup oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Cream sugars with margarine until light and fluffy. Add eggs and mix well. Blend in oil and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients together and mix thoroughly.

Drop from teaspoon onto greased cookie sheet and press with fork dipped in sugar. Bake at 350 Degrees for 10 - 12 minutes.

Variation: Squeeze oblong shapes from pastry bag. Dip one end in melted chocolate. When cookies cool dip again in chopped nuts.

Betty