Simplified Kolacky

I'm mostly mutt, but I'm a quarter Polish with a bit of Scandinavia floating around in there, too, and I've been making these for as long as I can remember making things.  They were a Johnson family Christmas staple growing up.  I've only ever made "Simplified Kolacky."  Maybe someday I'll be industrious enough to make a more traditional dough, but until then, "simplified" it is!  (I like things simple. I really do.)

The dough is mildly sweet with a cream cheese base and is light and flaky when cooked.  It's the perfect balance for the rich nut filling.  Traditionally, these can also be filled with apricot preserves or jam, but I always make the lemony walnut filling because...yum.  

*Note: I always make one and a half times the filling amount listed below because it's my favorite, and I don't want to run out.  When there's extra, I bake it in a small, greased, ovenproof container until cooked through and then eat it late at night while the house sleeps and I'm frosting the gingerbread children.  (Now you know one of my dirty secrets!)

Simplified Kolacky  (source: my mother's recipe box)

Dough

1/2 lb. (1 cup) cream cheese, softened

1/2 lb. (1 cup) butter, softened

2 cups flour

Cream butter and cream cheese together and add 2 cups flour. Mix until flour is incorporated.

Divide dough into 3 balls and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.  Meanwhile, prepare filling.

Filling

Mix 2 cups very finely chopped walnuts (or other nut, if you prefer), 

1/2 cup brown sugar (packed), 

1/4 cup softened butter, 

1/4 cup milk, 

1/2 tsp. vanilla, 

1/2 tsp. lemon extract, 

and one beaten egg.

*Remember, I always make one and a half times this amount.  Munch. Munch.

Sprinkle flat surface liberally with equal amounts of flour and confectioner's sugar and roll the dough out thinly. Cut into small squares and spread with filling (not near edges), and then roll the dough squares up from corner to corner.  Place seam side down on ungreased cookie sheets and bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 17 minutes or until puffy and lightly golden.

Something Good Abigail Cookies, Or, Gluten-free Chocolate Dreams

  

Elizabeth graciously responded to my request for the lost cookie recipe with this comment:

"I named them "Something Good Abigail Cookies". How do you like that?"

I like it.  The only problem is that if I don't make up a recipe by my lonesome, I like to give credit for it in the post.  I didn't make this recipe up, as much as I wish I had, so somewhere out there in the culinary ether of the internet is a clever, happy baker who created this cookie.

Thank you, Unknown Baker.  Your Cookie is most marvelous.

_______________________________________________________________





Something Good Unknown Baker Cookies-- Gluten Free!

Grease a baking sheet and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups chocolate chips, separated

3 egg whites

2 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar, separated

1/2 cup baking cocoa

1 tbsp. cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

1.  Melt one cup chocolate chips and set aside until they cool to lukewarm.

2. Beat the egg whites to soft peaks and gradually beat in 1 cup powdered sugar.  Keep beating until they reach a marshmallow consistency.

 3.  In a mixing bowl, whisk 1 cup powdered sugar, the baking cocoa, cornstarch, and salt. 

4.  Fold/mix the egg white mixture into the dry ingredients and then fold in the lukewarm chocolate.  Gently stir in the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips (dough will be stiff) and then roll balls thickly in the remaining powdered sugar.  

5.  Place about 2 inches apart on cookie sheets and bake until puffed and tops crack.  Eat and eat and eat and eat.

(And Elizabeth even documented me taking the above pictures of these cookies during their visit 2 summers ago.  I was taking pictures of cookies when I should have been making us supper from those garden vegetables.  What a dork I am.)

Blast from the Past: Chocolate Toffee Bars

 


I usually make these at Christmas.  They've a rich, buttery cookie crust, toffee-flavored, chewy and soft, topped with chocolate.  What's not to like?  I dare you to find something.

This cookie uses the same make-ahead base as these almond butter sticks, so it's handy to make a full batch of the mix to have on hand.  If you just want to make one kind of cookie, though, here are the odd amounts.

Make-Ahead Cookie Mix (cut into fourths for the purpose of this recipe)
6 tablespoons butter
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 and 1/2 cups flour
In very large bowl, combine butter, salt, and baking powder and blend well. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup and level off. Add flour to butter mixture; blend until fine crumbs form, scraping bowl often. Store tightly covered in refrigerator for up to four weeks, if desired.

-2 cups mix (LOOK! You just made exactly 2 cups!)
-1 cup brown sugar
- 5 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 egg

- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup chopped nuts, if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of a 15" x 10" or 13" x 9" pan.  In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients and blend until smooth.  Spread dough evenly in greased pan and bake 15 x 10- inch pan for 12 -18 minutes and 13 x 9- inch pan for 17 - 24 minutes until the top springs back lightly when touched.  Immediately sprinkle with the chocolate chips and let stand 2-3 minutes until they begin to melt.  Spread over the top evenly and sprinkle with nuts, if desired.  

Blast-from-the-Past Apple Bars

  
 

I took these pictures over three years ago with my non-fancy camera, and now they've surfaced to nobly serve the people.  Apple desserts are always noble, but this one is especially so.

 

I've been gobbling these since childhood, and they're actually called "Apple Pizza," but the name is misleading, and I feared readers might gloss over a recipe that deserves their closest attention and is a 100% Absolute Keeper. Hence, I changed its rightful name to a dull (but safe) "Apple Bars."  When John and I were first married, I naively would make entire batches of this, and we'd spend a week eating nothing but apple pizza.  We still both love it, which I think says something for its yummy, noble nature.

My in-laws prefer this to apple pie, and it's easier to make than apple pie.  Win-win!  It has a buttery bottom layer that's a marriage of shortbread and pie crust, a soft, apple-packed center layer, and a thick, sugar-crumb topping.  Every person to whom I've served this has professed love, the reason for which will be perfectly clear when you see how much butter it contains. 

 

Classic Apple Pizza or (if you're cautious) Apple Bars

Crust:
- 2 and 2/3 cup flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 cup butter
- about 6 tablespoons cold water*
*If you're crazy, you can slightly decrease the water and slightly increase the butter.

Filling:
- about 8 large apples, peeled and sliced
- 1 tsp. cinnamon (I always dump in lots more; nutmeg and/or orange peel are optional, and I don't usually add them)

Topping*:
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 and 1/2 cups flour
*I one-and-a-half times this, 'cause the topping is so stinking good.  (so 3/4 c. butter, 3 c. sugar, and so on)

1. For crust, cut butter into flour and salt.  Mix in water with a fork just until moistened and pat evenly onto ungreased jelly roll pan or large, rimmed cookie sheet.

2.  Mix sliced apples with cinnamon and layer in a single layer over the crust.

3.  For topping, cut butter into sugar/flour mixture and sprinkle evenly over the entire sheet.

4. Bake at 375 degrees until apples are soft and crumb topping is golden brown.

5.  Eat five all in a row!

Re-resurrection. A Gift of Chocolate.

The new witching hour for buildabelly seems to lie somewhere between 10:30 p.m. and 12 o'clock midnight. I don't know why this is, and I wish it were not so. I should be sleeping! I like sleeping! I don't sleep enough.

Since the grand re-opening of buildabelly three months ago, I've posted two recipes. Yes, you read that right.

(Two.)

I was given a Fancy Camera for my April birthday but have yet to take a single picture of buildabelly food with it, so the lackluster posts to come will be illustrated by the Not-As-Fancy Camera of the last four years.

Without further ado (trumpets, please):

Recipe... Number... THREE!

Courtesy of Christmas Afternoon Dessert-- The Best Brownies Yet

I purposely added "Yet" because there's always room for improvement. I've said this before, but brownies and cheesecake are two foods that please me eternally. Even when botched, they're still good. These brownies have five essential ingredients:

#1. Chocolate
#2. Fudgy-ness
#3. Chocolate
#4. Cream cheese
#5. Yet more chocolate

Oh.
#6. And heavy cream.

Not so difficult, eh?

But for the sticklers among us, I offer an extended recipe list:

Brownie Layer
- 1/2 cup butter (BUTTER), cut into slices
- 4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped (I always substitute baking cocoa and oil for baking chocolate because I'm cheap resourceful, with no ill effect)
- 1 and 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/4 tsp. salt

Cream Cheese Layer
- 8 oz. cream cheese, room temp. (I use neufchatel- light cream cheese- because I'm...something, with no ill effect)
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 egg

Chocolate Ganache Layer
 1/2-3/4 cup heavy cream
 12 oz. semisweet chocolate

I always wing the ganache topping. More cream and less chocolate makes for a thinner ganache. More chocolate and less cream makes for a more solid ganache. Take your pick!

For brownies, melt butter and unsweetened chocolate together. (If you're cheap resourceful, stir melted butter & oil together and add baking cocoa to the flour mixture). To butter mixture, add sugar and vanilla. Stir well before adding eggs, one at a time. In a small bowl, stir together flour and salt (and baking cocoa, if using) before beating into the butter mixture. Stir until smooth and glossy and spread into a 13" x 9" baking pan.

For cream cheese layer, mix cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and egg until well-blended. Spread evenly over the brownie batter.

Bake in a 325 degree oven for about 25 minutes or until brownie just begins to pull away from the edge of the pan. (Do your brownie a favor and don't overcook.)

Meanwhile, place semisweet chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Then heat heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until boiling. Pour hot cream over chocolate and let sit for a minute. Stir until smooth and glossy and spread over cooled brownies.

Let the ganache layer cool before eating. (Put the pan in the freezer already!)

I triple-dog dare you to eat just one.

Smurtles is a Silly Name

But, please, please, please don't turn your nose up at these because of their silly name. SMURTLES simply means HEAVENLY. You heard it here first.

Don't let the funky orange tinge of these pictures turn you away, either. There's no way that piece was going to last until the sun provided natural light the next morning.

My niece Cassie made these last week, and because my sister wants me to remain happy and chubby, she brought one over for me to sample. Oh. My. Galoshes.

They are marvelous, to die for (hypothetically), delectable, and all the other flattering adjectives, too. Christine Boren of Provo, Utah, created this recipe. (I'm sorry that I think "Smurtles" is a funny name, Christine. Thank you for giving these to the world.)



1 and 1/2 cups quick oats
1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter (no substitutes), melted
1 package (14 oz.) vanilla caramels
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 and 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (but who's gonna care if you use 2 cups, eh?)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13" X 9" pan. ('Cause those two sticks of butter won't be enough...)

Combine oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Add melted butter; stir until well combined. Press half of the mixture onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

Combine caramels and whipping cream in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until caramels are melted and mixture is smooth. Sprinkle morsels over baked crust. Drizzle caramel mixture evenly over the chocolate morsels. Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture over caramel layer.

Bake 18-20 minutes or until top is light brown. Cool in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.

*Since I didn't actually make these, I can offer no tips or suggestions but one: EAT THEM HOT. EAT THEM WARM. EAT THEM COLD.
(Eat them with your trousers rolled.)

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Cookies-- To make gluten-free: see note**

These are outrageously good. If you like your cookies to punch you in the face with peanut butter, then these are for you. I made them for the first time for a church meal last week and have been on the lookout for an excuse to make them ever since. Since they contain only peanut butter, as opposed to butter and peanut butter, the flavor is undiluted. (Well, it's undiluted by anything but the chocolate, but who's complaining?)

Still warm, these cookies are soft and yummy. Cooled, they're crisp on the outside, soft on the inside, and still yummy. If I hadn't been bound to bring them to church, I would have eaten a dozen myself. (Okay. Maybe two dozen.)

1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 egg
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, beat peanut butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and baking soda until combined. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Stir in flour and chocolate pieces with a wooden spoon.

Shape the dough into 1 and 1/4 inch balls. Place balls on an ungreased cookie sheet (don't use an insulated cookie sheet). If desired, flatten slightly.

Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until cookies are puffed and lightly browned around edges. (Centers will be soft.) Do not overbake. Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 24.

*Recipe credit goes to an unknown magazine from which I ripped this several years ago.

**I've since made a gluten-free version of these substituting 1/4 cup cornmeal for the flour. I actually prefer it this way because it adds a likable twist to the texture.

Brownies with Brown Butter Frosting

A.K.A. "I Just Ate Three Sticks O' Butter!" Brownies



If you like the toffee twist of brown butter frosting, like this ponderous baker does, give these squares a try! The brownie layer may not have been the best homemade brownie recipe I've ever tried, maybe a bit less moist than I like, but I wouldn't know because after topping them with brown butter frosting, I thought that maybe, just maybe, my brother and his family wouldn't like the toffee twist of brown butter frosting. In a stroke of heart-clogging genius, I topped the topping with a layer of chocolate fudge frosting. Crazy. Who even cares about the brownie underneath?

Now, I know there are a million recipes out there claiming to be The Best Brownies EVER, and I'll make no such claim for these. It's not because they're not yummy; truly, they're deliciously rich and full of fudgy goodness. No, I make no such claim because I don't trust my ability to objectively judge brownies. I love them ALL.



Brownies
*from Jeannette Haley's recipe

1 cup butter, no substitutes, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons baking cocoa
1/8 tsp. salt

Brown Butter Frosting
1/2 cup butter (no substitutes)
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tsp. half and half (I used heavy cream leftover from truffle-making mixed w/milk)
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Fudgy Chocolate Frosting
*No pun intended, but I totally fudged this. The amounts below are approximate.
Melt about 1 cup chocolate chips together with 1/2-1 tablespoon butter and some heavy cream. Stir until smooth and glossy.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour, cocoa, and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Spread into an ungreased 13" x 9" pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Do not overbake (although, if you do, perhaps layering on a THIRD topping would offset your mistake...). Cool on a wire rack.

For brown butter frosting, cook and stir butter over medium heat in a heavy saucepan for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown. Pour into a mixing bowl; beat in the confectioners' sugar, cream, and vanilla. Frost cooled brownies. Prepare Fudgy Chocolate Frosting, if desired, and spread on top of brown butter frosting.

Eat ten or so and then blame me for your bellyache.
(It's okay. I give you permission.)

Almond Butter Sticks

Yes, more butter. I decided to do a themed posting tonight.


Growing up, these cookies are something I would have passed over on the cookie platter, and I would have totally missed out. I first had them several years ago at my mom's house and have thought of them ever since. Her recent birthday was the perfect excuse to make them (for her, not for me, though of course I had to eat a few just to make sure they weren't poison).



The taste is delicious, but the texture is what really makes them stand out in a crowd. The cookie itself is quite soft, but the layer of almond sugar in the middle hardens into a wonderful crunch. Biting into one goes something like this: Soft yummy cookie-- yummy CRUNCH!-- soft yummy cookie. And if you can't understand that technical baker's jargon, then you don't belong here.


They are so good. I can't praise them highly enough, and the only disclaimer I'll give is that you shouldn't try them if you don't like almonds or almond flavoring. There, now the rest of you can have at 'em.

Also, the ingredient amounts are kooky because this recipe is one of many cookie recipes that you can make using make-ahead cookie mix. The original amounts for the mix itself are normal, but it makes 8 cups of mix. Since this recipe only calls for two cups of the mix, I had to cut it in fourths. (I really should just post all the other cookies one can also make with this mix, 'cause they're all good, but I'm pressed for time.)

Make-Ahead Cookie Mix
6 tablespoons butter
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 and 1/2 cups flour
In very large bowl, combine butter, salt, and baking powder and blend well. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup and level off. Add flour to butter mixture; blend until fine crumbs form, scraping bowl often. Store tightly covered in refrigerator for up to four weeks, if desired.

Almond Butter Sticks
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. almond extract
1/3 cup butter (plus one separate tablespoon butter), softened
one 6-oz. package cream cheese, softened
2 cups mix (voila! That's the exact amount you have, thanks to my cutting it in fourths!)
1 egg, separated (reserve white for glazing)
1/4 cup sliced almonds, if desired

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet. In a small bowl, stir together sugar and almond flavoring; cover and set aside. In medium bowl, combine 1/3 cup butter, cream cheese, and egg yolk. Blend until smooth. Stir in the cookie mix, and knead on floured surface about 25 strokes or until pliable. (The dough is quite sticky, and I used a dusting of confectioners' sugar instead of flour.) Roll or press out to a 12 by 12-inch square. Spread with the 1 tablespoon of butter. Cut dough in half; place one half on greased cookie sheet. Spoon sugar mixture to within 1/2 inch of dough edges. Place remaining dough half, buttered side down, over sugar.* Press edges tightly together to seal, and brush top of dough with slightly beaten egg white. Sprinkle with almonds and bake 22-30 minutes until golden brown.
*My dough was very sticky, and I used a metal spatula to help get the dough off the table in one smooth piece.

Cool at least 30 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet, if desired. Cut pastry in half lengthwise, and then in 1/2-inch strips crosswise. 48 cookies**

**I cut mine in more generous 1-inch strips because I'm such a generous person, which makes 20-25 cookies.

Molasses Spice Cutouts

*Recipe from The Complete Guide to Country Cooking

I promised some ladies from church this recipe at the end of 2007. Egads! Is it 2009 already?! I did take a picture of these week-old gingerbread people after they asked, but it's taken me a bit longer to actually post it.

They-- my friends from church, not the gingerbread people-- requested the recipe after exclaiming over the glorious, soft texture of these little cookies. I think the trick is the frosting, though. Any cookie will remain soft if it's frosted and then stored in an airtight container. If you want them to stay soft without frosting, you can try placing a piece of bread in the container with the cookies. The moisture from the bread will keep the cookies soft as the bread dries out.

I love molasses/gingerbread cookies, and these are no exception, but I usually cut the recipe in half because it makes so many.

Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
1 and 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup light or dark molasses (I use unsulphured blackstrap molasses, which is healthier*, dark, and has a very strong flavor)
1/2 cup cold coffee
6 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
-I add the spices to taste, and I usually put in a pinch or two of ginger, too

*It makes these cookies healthy! (Or at least that's what I tell myself.)

Frosting
I use a basic butter frosting recipe, like this one.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar; beat in molasses and coffee. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and spices; gradually add to molasses mixture and mix well. Chill dough for 1-2 hours or until easy to handle (I always cheat and put mine in the freezer so it's ready faster). If needed, add additional flour before rolling. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with 2 and 1/2-inch cookie cutters dipped in flour. Place 1-in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes or until edges are firm and bottom is lightly browned. Do not overbake. Remove to wire racks to cook.

Yield: 7-8 dozen

Lemon Bars

This is another food I never thought I would love so well. I first made lemon bars from this recipe a couple of years ago, and, without fail, a few times every winter I'm struck with a sudden and undeniable hankering for them. I don't make dessert regularly for our family, and most dessert recipes on buildabelly are due to company or get-togethers, but these lemon bars usurp the norm. I usually ONLY make these for us.

We prefer them completely cooled.




Crust:
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour

Update: I always add more lemon juice to the topping now, in order to increase the lemon punch, and then a tad more flour to keep the consistency similar.

Topping:
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 tsp. lemon extract
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
cherry flavoring oil, if desired (*this comes in an eensy bottle and is usually used for flavoring candy, so it's highly concentrated)

Additional confectioners' sugar

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add flour; beat until crumbly. Press into an ungreased 8-in. square baking pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, for topping,. combine eggs, sugar, flour, lemon juice, extract, baking powder, salt, and flavoring, if desired, in a mixing bowl. Beat until frothy. Pour over the hot crust and bake at 375 degrees for 18-22 minutes or until a light golden brown. Cool. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Eat until there are none left to eat (I just may be endorsing gluttony here...).

* I began adding a few drops of cherry flavoring oil, to taste, when I first made these because I had no lemon extract. Now I add it in addition to the lemon extract and it makes these bars even better.

Snickerdoodles

Yes, I know. Snickerdoodles are easy and everyone knows how to make them. But they're good! This recipe is for Mitzi, in case you needed your grandmother's cookies from time to time. And for the lone person among the readers who may have never eaten snickerdoodles, they're a soft, chewy, sugar cookie laced with cinnamon.

1 cup shortening (Egads!)
1 and 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 - 1 tsp. salt
2 and 3/4 cups flour

Mix together 4 tablespoons sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.

Cream shortening and sugar. Add remaining ingredients and mix just until combined. Roll into balls, and roll the balls in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake until lightly brown but soft in a 400-degree oven, about 8-10 minutes.

Reese's PB Bars

The only catch is that they're not really Reese's bars, but they're a great home-made version of the same. I've made it half a dozen times in the last few years; in every case I had to prepare a dessert for a church meal or family get-together in a hurry, and it's not failed me. I got this recipe from a Houghton cookbook given to us by Joel and Sonya (soon-to-be) Dunham for our wedding. Its real title is Libby Falk's Peanut Butter Bars. Thank you, Libby Falk, whoever you are or where'er you may be.

2 sticks butter, melted
1 and 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup creamy p.b.
2 and 1/3 cup powdered sugar

12 oz. chocolate chips

Combine first four ingredients in a 13 X 9- inch pan. Melt the chocolate chips and carefully spread over top. Cut into bars when chocolate is slightly firm but not yet entirely hardened.

Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

These are soft, chewy, chocolate-y goodness all on their own, but smushed a little bit flatter before baking, they double as excellent sandwich cookies.

1 stick plus 4 tablespoons butter
2 large eggs
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour
3/4 cup baking cocoa
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda

additional sugar

Cream butter and sugar together in mixing bowl, beat in eggs until combined and add vanilla. In a separate bowl, sift flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda. Add to the butter mixture, beating only until combined. Chill dough until easy to handle, and then roll into one-inch balls (or bigger or smaller, depending on what size you want your cookies). Roll the balls in additional granulated sugar, place on cookie sheet three inches apart, and flatten with a level tool (bottom of glass, etc.). Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes and let cool before assembling sandwiches.

Adjust the baking time as needed for smaller or larger cookies and for fatter or thinner cookies. We made giant sandwiches the first time we made these and then miniature, oreo-sized ones the second time.

Fill with your choice of frosting. We made a peanut butter filling (recipe here), a mint, and an orange (recipes here), and we even had the foresight to write down the ingredients we used!

Peanut Butter Filling

1/4 cup butter, softened
@ 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup evaporated milk (I used this because I had some sitting in my fridge. Feel free to substitute an alternative dairy liquid, as long as it's creamy.)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners' sugar
@ one additional tablespoon evaporated milk

Cream butter and peanut butter together, then mix in the milk and vanilla. Beat in the confectioners' sugar, beating until creamy, and add additional milk as needed for the proper spreading consistency.

Peppermint/Orange/Etc. Filling

We used peppermint and orange extracts, but any other flavoring could be used, as well.

4 tablespoon butter, softened
@ 1/4 cup evaporated milk (again, substitute milk, cream, half-and-half, etc.)
1 tsp. peppermint flavoring or other flavoring, to taste (And please do! Taste, that is...)
@ 2 and 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Mix all together until smooth and creamy. Add additional milk or sugar, if needed, for proper spreading consistency.

Chocolate Cloud Cookies

In our neck of the woods, these are also known as "Cow Patties," but don't let that turn you away...

These are a fudgy, chewy cookie, kind of like the marshmallow brownie king of the cookie world. All hail the king! (And all hail Becky for bringing me the cookie pictured above.)

3 cups flour
2/3 cup baking cocoa
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
8 oz. frozen mini marshmallows

Combine flour, cocoa, soda, adn set aside. Cream butter and sugar; add eggs and vanilla, beating until combined. Add the flour mixture, mixing just until combined, and stir in the semisweet chocolate chips. Batter should be stiff. Scoop by tablespoons, flatten in palm, and place 4-5 marshmallows in the center. Wrap the dough around the marshmallows and bake cookies on ungreased cookie sheet for @ 9 minutes at 400 degrees. Just as with brownies, take care not to overbake.

Cheryl Mack's Chocolate Chip Cookies

I grew up eating chocolate chip cookies that were crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. I still prefer this type of chocolate chip cookie, but I love these softer cookies fresh from the oven, too. So, for you soft cookie lovers (BEN), here's your recipe.


This recipe surpasses other soft chocolate chip cookies for several reasons.
1. It uses only butter (no nasty vegetable shortening) but still remains high and fluffy.
2. Fresh from the oven, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, with a tall glass o' milk, even chewy cookie lovers rave over them.
3. The original recipe calls for them to be scooped out in HALF CUP mounds, which makes for a dazzling cookie that also doubles as a meal.
4. Mrs. Mack is one of the sweetest ladies I know. She was the lunch lady when I was in high school and a partner in crime; I would sneak out of classes and bring back freshly made cookies for my cohorts to eat in the hall while they were supposed to be "going to the restroom." I was on the honor society, so I didn't need a hall pass at any time, but my chocolate-smeared mouth was probably noted by more than one teacher over the course of the year.

Here they are.

1 pound butter
1 and 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 and 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 tbsp. baking soda
1/2 tbsp. salt
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
3 eggs
5 and 1/4 cups flour
3 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix butter and sugars until light and fluffy; add baking soda, salt, vanilla, and eggs, beating eggs in one at a time just until combined. Add flour and then stir in chips. Form into 1/2 cup balls for giant cookies, or about 2-3 tablespoon's worth for moderate cookies. Bake on ungreased cookies sheets for about 15 minutes or until lightly browned on top.

This recipe makes about 2 dozen giant cookies, 4 dozen moderate cookies, or the corresponding number of normal-sized cookies. Make sure there are several gallons of cold milk waiting.

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

These are some of the best cookies I've ever tasted. They're a Johnson tradition at all times of the year, but no Christmas is complete without untold dozens stacked in Tupperware bowls. The picture above isn't completely accurate, because we hadn't yet spooned the rich, fudgy topping on the cookies, but you get the idea.
Soft chocolate cookie bottom
Cherry in the middle
Fudgy chocolate on top

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 10 oz. jar maraschino cherries (reserve some juice)

Cream together butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla. Add remaining ingredients and blend for one minute. Shape into one-inch balls and place one inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Make a thumbprint indentation in each ball. Cut cherries in half and place one half in each indentation, cut side up. Prepare frosting and use immediately.

Frosting
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup sweetened, condensed milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1- 1 1/2 tsp. reserved cherry juice

Mix together and carefully melt in microwave or on stovetop, stirring often to avoid scorching. With a teaspoon, generously spoon a heaping swirl of frosting over each cookie, and then bake at 350 degrees for about 8-10 minutes.