Joanna Pruess's Molasses Spice Cookies

from Carole Walter's Great Cookies cookbook

¾ c (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
2 c all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
¾ tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 c sugar, divided
¼ c dark molasses
1 lg egg

Melt butter in a heavy duty saucepan over low heat. (This cookie is mixed by hand in the pot). Cool to tepid.
Strain together 3 times- flour, soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and cloves. Set aside.
Using a wooden spoon, stir 1 ½ c of the sugar, molasses, and egg into the butter, mixing until smooth.
Add dry ingredients, ½ at a time and blend well.
Cover with wax paper and chill for 30-45 minutes until firm.
Position shelves in upper and lower third of oven. Heat to 375. Moderately butter cookie sheets.
Shape dough into 1 in balls between palms of hands.
Place remaining ½ c sugar in a shallow dish and roll the balls of dough in sugar.
Place balls 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes or until tops begin to crack. Toward end of baking time rotate pans from top to bottom and front to back.
Remove from oven and let stand 2-3 minutes.

Datenut Pinwheels

These have always been one of my favorites at Christmas time. I realize the dates might scare you off if you've never had anything with dates (I haven't had anything else with dates so I am not sure how they are in other things) but these are great. I've had them every year since I can remember and as I said above, they're one of my very favorites!


Mix thoroughly:

½ c shortening
1c brown sugar
1 egg
½ tsp vanilla

Add:
1 ¾ c flour
½ tsp baking soda

Divide dough into 2 equal parts.
Tear off a piece of wax paper for each half. Roll each piece on top of the wax paper into rectangle 11 in x 7 in. (you will be rolling the dough up in the wax paper so don't skip this)

For the Filling, cook ingredients below in a saucepan until thickened, stirring constantly:

¾ lb moist pitted dates cut up (I get the already cut dates that come in a purple box, way
easier than trying to cut sticky dates!)
1/3 c sugar
1/3 c water

Once thickened, stir in:
1/2 c finely chopped nuts (I like pecans)

It will look like this when thickened:


Spread 1/2 of the filling on each dough piece and spread out. Roll up the dough.



Next roll the wax paper around the dough to enclose it. Twist ends of wax paper and refrigerate for several hours.


Heat oven to 400 and cut into 1/4" slices.
Place on lightly greased baking sheet and bake 10 minutes or until lightly golden.


You can bake as many as you want and store the rest in the wax paper. It also freezes very well in the wax paper.

Sugar Cookies

The nutmeg and sour cream in this recipe makes it my favorite for sugar cookies!

3 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. sour cream

Sift together first five (dry) ingredients. Cream together remaining five ingredients. Mix dry ingredients into wet. Chill in refrigerator for 3-4 hours. Roll out to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into shapes. Bake at 350 ° F for 9 minutes.

These cookies are even more amazing with cream cheese frosting, but any kind will do!

I'm not sure where the recipe originates, but I received it from my friend, Melissa Landon.

Mexican Wedding Cookies

Recipe from Creative Cooking Collection.

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar, divided
2 cups flour, divided
2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup pecans, ground

Beat butter and 1/2 cup powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Add 1 cup flour, vanilla, and salt. Stir in remaining flour and nuts with spoon.

Form dough into ball, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 1 hour or until firm.

Preheat oven to 350 ° F. Roll tablespoons of dough into 1-inch balls; place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until pale golden brown. Let cookies stand on cookie sheets 2 minutes.

Place 1 cup powdered sugar in 9X13 dish. Transfer hot cookies to dish and roll in sugar, coating well. Let cookies cool in sugar. Sift remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar over sugar-coated cookies before serving.

Store tightly at room temperature or freeze up to 1 month. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

A Christmas twist on Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is my Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, and the main reason Dalyce invited me to be part of this blog. :)  Anyway at Christmas I like to replace the chocolate chips with chopped up candy cane kisses.  I have actually never done nuts with the kisses so I don't know how that would be. I hope you like it!

1 ½  C shortening                                          

¾ C sugar                                                         

1 ½ C brown sugar                                            

1 ½ tsp vanilla                                                  

3 well-beaten eggs                                            

3 1/2 C flour

 1 ½ tsp soda
 1 ½ tsp salt 
 3 C chocolate chips
 ½ C nuts, chopped (Optional)

Cream together shortening both sugars, add vanilla.  Beat until light and fluffy.  Fold in eggs and mix well.

Sift together flour, soda, & salt.  Add to first mixture and stir in chips and nuts.  Mix well, drop 1 spoonful on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 for 10 min.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Source: Pillsbury cookbook

This recipe was requested so here it is. I think this is my most requested recipe and is the most requested/baked in our home. We love them! They should turn out soft and chewy like chocolate chip cookies, not so much like the normal peanut butter cookie texture.

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 c margarine or butter, softened

1/2 c peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1 1/4 c flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven 375.

Combine sugars and margarine. Beat until light and fluffy.

Add peanut butter, vanilla, and egg. Blend well.

Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.

I add the small Reese's Pieces (the ones that look like M&M's.) I've tried out regular cups and Peanut Butter M&M's and found these are the very best! It really brings out the peanut flavor. Stir in Reese's Pieces. Shape into cookies and bake until just setting up. I take them out of the oven before they turn golden (they might have slight golden spots but not dark) and let them finish baking/setting up, on the sheet out of the oven.