Theresa's Favorite Spice Cookie

I made these cookies last year, and Theresa wanted me to make her 10 or 12 dozen.   When Theresa came back from China to visit I made some more for her.

Spice Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup shortening

3/4 cup molasses

1 large egg

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger ( I make this a heaping half teaspoon)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cloves

Sanding sugar. (I mix regular granulated sugar with larger crystal sugar. Very pretty)

Combine butter, brown sugar, shortening, molasses and egg in mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed. Scrape the bowl often, beat until creamy.

Reduce speed to low

Mix remaining ingredients in bowl.  Add this to the creamed mixture.

Cover and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour. I usually let it sit over night

Preheat oven to 375

Use a medium cookie scoop to make 1 1/2 inch balls of dough.  Roll into sanding sugar. Place 2 inches apart on parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Slightly flatten cookies with a glass dipped in sugar.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

Cookies for Tigers

I found a recipe on line for those big bland sugar cookies from the grocery store. These are not bland, I added some flavoring to them. They are good. The recipe makes 3 1/2 dozen I had 1 dozen left after the first den meeting of Tiger Scouts. 

TIGER MEETING COOKIES

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon princess emulsion or almond extract
1 cup milk
6 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and flavoring.  Mix flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg in a separate bowl.  Add alternately with milk. Starting and ending with the flour.

Refrigerate at least one hour or over night

Preheat oven to 350

Roll out dough a little thicker than normal sugar cookies, a little over a quarter inch thick.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until bottoms are a little brown. The tops will stay really white. 

When cool ice with a butter cream frosting.  They are soft, but with a little flavor. !

Easy Butter Cream

 6 tablespoons butter, softened

4 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

5 tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream butter, add powdered sugar, sifted with the salt.  Add enough milk to make of spreading consistency. Add any coloring you wish.  Beat until smooth.

You could use juice instead of the milk, and add some grated peel too. 

The Joy of Coconut

The joy of coconut, almonds and chocolate!

The Joy of Coconut

6 cups of coconut

4 1/2 cups sugar

3 cups flour

6 large eggs

1/4 cup melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 1/2 cups sliced almonds

1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips

Mix flour, sugar and coconut.  Add almonds and mini chips.

In a small bowl, mix the eggs, flavorings and butter

Add all at once to coconut mixture beat until just mixed

Cover and chill for an hour.

Preheat oven to 375

Line baking pans with parchment.



Bake cookies for 12 to 15 minutes.  Until the edges are just brown

Cafe Viennese Crinkles

How can you go wrong with chocolate, coffee and cinnamon?

Cafe Viennese Crinkles
1/3 cup softened butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup good quality cocoa powder
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 large egg whites
1/3 cup vanilla yogurt
1 1/2 cups flour
cinnamon sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream butter till soft in the mixer, about 3 minutes. Add brown sugar. In another bowl, mix cocoa powder, instant espresso powder, baking soda and cinnamon.  Add to butter/sugar mixture.  Mix egg whites and yogurt with a whisk in a small bowl. Add to mixture in mixer.  Add flour and blend in well.

Using the medium cookie scoop, scoop out dough and roll in the cinnamon sugar and place 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes.

Makes about 2 dozen.

These are soft, cake like cookie. They are not crunchy.