Monster Cookies- Gluten Free

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• From Mel's Kitchen Cafe
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• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups (9.25 ounces) packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup (7.5 ounces) granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) creamy peanut butter
• 1 stick butter (8 tablespoons, 4 ounces), softened
• 4 1/2 cups (18 ounces) quick cooking oats (double check oats are gluten-free if making gluten-free cookies)
• 1 cup (8 ounces) M&Ms
• 1 cup (6 ounces) milk chocolate, semisweet, or bittersweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper, silpat liners or lightly grease with cooking spray.
2. In a large mixing bowl with a handheld electric mixer (or in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), add the eggs, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Mix well.

1. Add the salt, baking soda, vanilla, peanut butter and butter. Mix until creamy and well combined, 1-2 minutes.
2. Stir in the oatmeal, M&Ms, and chocolate chips until combined. The dough will be sticky.
3. Scoop the dough into heaping tablespoon-sized balls (see note above) and place about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. If you want the cookies thinner, flatten them slightly with the palm of your hand.
4. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes. Don’t overbake – the cookies should just be set and very lightly golden around the edges.
5. Let the cookies sit for 1-2 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in a airtight container for 2 days (the baked cookies freeze well, also).

NOTES:

Keep in mind that if you want the cookies to be safely gluten-free, make sure your oats are certified gluten-free (it will say on the package if they are). Speaking of oats, several commenters have successfully used old-fashioned oats (the cookies may spread a bit more). Or you could take your old-fashioned oats and process them lightly in a blender before using (measure after they have been blended a bit). 

Also, lots of times when I make these, I sub in different kinds of chips. Peanut butter chips are dreamy (in addition to or in place of M&Ms or part of the chocolate chips). Finally, many of you commented you’ve gotten a lot more than 2-3 dozen cookies out of this batch and that’s because you make your cookies small and I make mine not-small. Sometimes, I use my #40 medium cookie scoop which is about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons but a lot of time, I grab the #20 scoop which is 3 tablespoons or more. I mean, we’re going for monster cookie here, right?

2026: Did giant cookies, 1/3 C scoop, 5 /cookie sheet, 325 degrees for 13-14 minutes, rotating half way. Made 20.  - Em

Old-Fashioned Sour Cream Cookiees

This recipe is from Betty Crocker's Cooky Book, p 79.

1/2 c shortening (part butter or margarine, I used all butter)
1 c sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla
2-2/3 c all-purpose flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t soda
1/2 t salt
1/4 t nutmeg
1/2 c commercial sour cream

Heat oven to 425 degrees (I heated my convection oven to 400 degrees).  Mix shortening, sugar, egg, and vanilla thoroughly.  Measure flour by dipping method or by sifting.  Blend dry ingredients; add to sugar mixture alternately with sour cream.  Divide dough; roll out to 1/4 inch thick on well-floured pastry cloth.  Cut with 2 inch cutter; place on greased baking sheet (I use parchment paper).  Sprinkle with sugar.  Bake 8 to 10 min or until lightly browned.  Makes 4 to 5 doz. 2 inch cookies.

Alfajores

This is how I make the alfajores that I remember eating in Argentina way back in '72 and '73.

Overview:  Make 2" round sugar cookies, fill with thickened sweetened condensed milk (dulce de leche), roll edges in finely chopped coconut (you may have to add some dulce de leche to the edges before rolling).  Remember you're making two cookies for each alfajore.

Ethel's Sugar Cookies - from Betty Crocker's Cooky Book (makes about 4 doz. 3" cookies)
3/4 c shortening (part butter or margarine)
1 c sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
2 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 t baking powder
1 t salt

Mix shortening, sugar, eggs, and flavoring thoroughly.  Measure flour by dipping method or by sifting.  Stir flour, baking powder, and salt together, blend in.  Chill at least 1 hr. (I never chill the dough).

Heat oven to 400 degrees (mod. hot).  Roll dough 1/8" thick (I roll it thicker, a scant 1/4") on lightly floured board.  Cut with cooky cutter. Place on ungreased baking sheet (I use parchment).  Bake 6 to 8 minutes (these bake quickly so watch carefully) or until cookies are a delicate golden color.

Dulce de Leche
Place one can of sweetened condensed milk in a medium sized pan sideways and cover with water by 1/2" or so.  Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer.  Cover and let simmer about 2 hours. Check the water lever periodically to make sure the can is always covered with water.

Sweetened Coconut
Finely chop coconut in food processor or with a knife.

I store them in a Tupperware to soften up, that's when they're the best and don't crack when eaten.

Enjoy!

Caramel Apple Cookies

1 cup softened butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 box (7.4 oz) Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Instant Original Drink mix -not sugar free- all 10 packets (I only used 8 because my friend told me to. I thought it was great with eight!)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 cups all purpose flour

1 bag Kraft Caramels (14 oz)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line cookie sheets with parchment. (You really need the parchment!) (You really shouldn't preheat this first step because you're supposed to refrigerate your dough for an hour or so)

In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon.

With your mixer (or an energetic spoon) cream together butter, sugar, salt and all 10 packages of apple cider drink mix powder, until light and fluffy.

Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix well.

Gradually add flour mixture to butter/egg mixture. Mix until just combined.

Refrigerate for about an hour. (If you're really impatient you don't have to do this, but it makes it so much easier to work with.)

When you are ready to bake, unwrap your caramels.

Scoop out cookie dough ball about the size of a walnut. (I used a rounded cookie scoop-full. My scoop holds about a Tablespoon.)

Flatten the ball of dough slightly in the palm of your hand. Press the unwrapped caramel into the center of your dough and seal the dough around it, covering it completely. Place on parchment covered cookie sheets 2 inches apart.

Bake 12-14 minutes, or until very lightly browned around the edges. Please don't over-bake! Once the cookies are done, slide the parchment off of the baking sheet right out onto the counter. Allow cookies to partially cool on the parchment. When cookies are cool enough to be firm but still slightly warm, carefully twist off of parchment and allow to finish cooling upside down (either on the parchment or on a rack.) If you forget about them and they cool too much and stick to your parchment, put them into the freezer for a few minutes and they'll pop right off. *just a note, if you are twisting the cookies off and the caramel keeps making a big mess and you're cookie is falling apart, you probably need to wait longer for the cookies to cool more. (10-15 min)

Yield: about 4 dozen, depending on how large you make your cookies (or how many caramels have been snitched out of your bag before you begin.) Store in an airtight container.

*They are so good warm. If they're not warm, heat them up for 10 seconds in the microwave.

Here's the blog I got the recipe from:

http://scrambledhenfruit.blogspot.com/2010/11/caramel-stuffed-apple-cider-cookies.html

Mexican Wedding Cookies/Russian Teacakes

Mom came over tonight during priesthood session and we decorated some cookies.  She brought Betty Crocker's Cooky Book from who knows what year that she always made cookies from.  Since the book was here, I thought I'd see if the Mexican Wedding Cookie recipe was in it that I used to make as a girl, and it is!  Instead of writing it on a card, I'll just jot it down here and print it!

1 C butter
1/2 C confectioners' sugar
1 t vanilla
2 1/4 C flour
1/4 t salt
3/4 C finely chopped nuts

Mix butter, sugar, and vanilla thoroughly.  Mix flour and salt together; blend in.  Mix in nuts.  Chill dough.

Heat oven to 400.  Roll dough in 1" balls.  Place on ungreased baking sheet.  Bake 10-12 minutes, or until set but not brown.  While still warm, roll in powdered sugar.  Cool.  Roll in sugar again.  Makes about 4 dozen 1" cookies.

Whoopie Pies (from Family Fun magazine)

"No one is certain who invented the whoopie pie, folks in both Pennsylvania Amish country and Maine have claimed it. As for the name, one theory is that it comes from children saying "whoopie!" upon finding the moist, chocolaty sweets in their lunch pails. Your kids can experience the same glee after baking their own - and with pink tinted-filling, the pies will elicit cries of joy on Valentine's Day."

• CAKES
• 2 cups flour
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup softened butter

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• FILLING
• ½ cup softened butter
• 1½ cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup marshmallow crème
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Red food coloring (optional)

1.Heat the oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. (or spray)

2.In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a glass measuring cup or small bowl, stir together the buttermilk and vanilla extract.

3.In a large bowl with a hand mixer set at medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until evenly blended, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the egg, increase the speed to high, and beat until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute more.

4.Pour half the fl our mixture into the butter-sugar mixture, and beat at medium speed until combined. Add the buttermilk mixture and continue beating until just blended. Add the remaining fl our mixture and beat again.

5.Use a cookie scoop or spoon to place a heaping tablespoon of batter on a prepared cookie sheet. Add more mounds of batter, evenly spacing them, until there are nine on each sheet. Slightly flatten each mound with a spoon.

6.Bake the cakes one sheet at a time for 10 minutes (they should be moist and spongy). Let them cool on the sheet for 2 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a rack to cool completely. Reline the sheets and scoop, shape, and bake the remaining batter.

7.Using an electric mixer at medium-high speed, beat all the filling ingredients except the coloring in a medium bowl until evenly blended, about 2 minutes. If you want to give the filling a Valentine hue, fold in drops of red food coloring until the desired tint is reached.

8.To make each pie, spoon and spread a heaping tablespoon of the filling onto the bottom of a cake, then gently press another cake on top.

These are really yummy! We made them twice because they were so good. (And because we ended up giving half of them away because Jane came)

Oatmeal Crisps

I got this recipe from Evan's Aunt Karma when we first got married.  I haven't tried it until now -- and boy, have I been missing out!

Cream:
1 C butter
1 C brown sugar
1 C sugar

Add & beat:
1 t vanilla
2 eggs

Stir in:
1 1/2 C flour
1 t baking soda
1 t salt

Add by hand:
3 C oats
3/4 C coconut

Bake at 350 10-15 min.

I used 1/2 C WW flour.  I ran out of coconut, so I used about a cup of chocolate chips and an additional 1/4 C oat bran.  I couldn't stop eating the cookie dough!  This would be really good with the coconut AND chocolate chips!

No (Bake) Cookies or Annie's Oatmeal Munchies

The reason I put parenthesis around "Bake" in the title is that as you can see in the picture, there are No Cookies -- we ate them all (mostly)!  These are a family favorite!  In college I ate many, many delicious no bake cookies, but I could never reproduce them until Annie shared this recipe from school with me.

In a saucepan combine:
1/4 C butter
3/4 C sugar
1/4 C brown sugar
1/4 C milk
1T+1t cocoa powder
Dash of salt

Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat for one minute.  Remove from heat and add:
1/4 C peanut butter
1 1/2 C quick oats
1/4 C flour
1/2 t vanilla

Scoop by spoonfuls quickly onto waxed paper and let cool.

This recipe is doubled from Annie's Home Ec. class, you should probably double it again!

Also, we have noticed these cookies work better with Skippy or Jiff rather than a natural peanut butter. With natural peanut butter, they turn out dry.

Peanut Butter Cookies

I was amazingly impressed by this recipe!! It's from the "Set for Life" cookbook, which has healthier recipes in it. Look at the ingredients...! (yes it still has lots of sugar though) But Chad and I really liked the cookies (esp. the dough!) Chad doesn't even know that they're made with whole wheat flour or oats!! I've learned not to say anything, or else he'll say they'd be better with just white flour.

1/4 c. margarine
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 Tbs. water
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. quick oats
1 tsp soda

Cream margarine, sugars, egg, peanut butter, vanilla, and water. Add dry ingredients, and mix well. Drop by spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Press thumb or forks into center of each cookie. Bake in a 350 oven for 8-10 min. or until starting to get a little brown, but still soft when you touch the middle. Cool for a few min. on pan, then move to wire racks.

Makes about 22 cookies