Yummy Good Sugar Cookies

A friend of mine (Lynn O.) makes these wonderful, soft, sugar cookies. Mine never turn out as good as hers but I have included her notes below. Enjoy!

1/2 C shortening

1/2 C butter or margarine

1 C sugar

1 egg

2 TBSP milk

Mix until creamy. Add:

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

2 1/2 C flour

Mix well. Let chill for at least 1 hour. Roll out on floured board and cut out with cookie cutters. Bake at 350-degrees for 8-10 minutes.

A couple notes from Lynn. "I've tried both the butter and margarine and can't tell too much difference, so whichever you have on hand. The dough is quite soft, so quite a bit of flour while you are rolling it out is helpful. Also, the longer you chill it, the easier it seems to be to roll out, but I've done it in just the hour she recommends, too. And, as far as the baking goes...they ALMOST look like they are not done when you take them out of the oven (not brown on the edges). That's the secret to keeping them nice and soft! Oh, and I usually AT LEAST double this...usually quadruple!"

Hamantaschen Cookie

	1 stick butter, melted
	1/4 cup sugar
	1 egg
	1 tablespoon orange juice
	1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
	1 3/4 cups flour
	1 teaspoon baking powder
	1/4 teaspoon salt
	Jam or preserves

1. Combine the butter and the sugar in a large bowl. Whisk in the egg, orange juice, and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt, stirring well.
2. Add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar and blend until a firm dough forms. Shape it into a flat disk, wrap it in plastic, and chill it for 1 hour.
3. Heat the oven to 375°. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to a 1/8 inch thickness, then cut out 2 1/4- to 2 1/2-inch rounds and place 3/4 teaspoon of jam or preserves in the center of each one.
4. With your finger, dampen the edges of the dough with water, then firmly pinch together the dough in 3 places to form a triangle around the filling.
5. Bake the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges are slightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack for cooling. Makes 2 to 2 1/2 dozen.

My dad and I have always loved the jam filled Peppridge farm cookies and I think that these are a good alternative:)

Almond Joy Cookies

If you love almond joys then you will love these. These are my dad's and I's favorite cookies.

1c. butter, softened
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
4 eggs
4 tsp. vanilla
4 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
5 c. chocolate chips
2 c. flaked coconut
2 c. chopped almonds

combined butter, sugars, eggs, vanilla together. then add the rest of the ingredients. drop in round balls and bake at 375 for 8 to 10 minutes. allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes before eating.

Molassas Cookies

These cookies are the BEST gingersnaps ever! They are really soft and easy to make.

1 1/3 c. vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 c. sugar
8 Tbsp. molassas
4 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ginger
4 tsp. soda
2 Tbsp. cinnamon

Combine sugar and eggs and beat. Stir in molassas and dry ingredients. Mix well. Roll in balls and then roll in sugar. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes. Make um' big and make a lot cuz' their going to go FAST!!

Neiman-Marcus Cookie

For those of you that have had these at the store you'll know they are rather divine! The original recipe makes 112 cookies, but can easily be halved !

• 2 cups butter
• 24 oz chocolate chips
• 4 cups flour
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 2 tsp soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 8 oz Hershey Bar (grated)
• 5 cups blended oatmeal
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups chopped nuts, of your choice

Measure oatmeal and blend in a blender to a fine powder. Cream the butter and both sugars.

Add eggs and vanilla, mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder and soda. Add chocolate chips, Hershey Bar and nuts.

Roll into balls and place 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet

Bake for 10 minutes @ 375

Snicker Cookies

1 C margarine (softened)
1 C Creamy Peanut Butter
1 C sugar
1 C brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3 C flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda

Cream together margarine, peanut butter, both sugars until well mixed. Mix together dry ingredients and add to other mixture. Mix well. Spoon out enough dough to cover a small peice of snicker candy bar ( I use the bite sized ones). Place on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Drizzle glaze onto cooled cookies.

GLAZE:
1 C powdered sugar
2 Tbl. cocoa
1 T. Milk

Apple Muffins

1 egg 1 c. milk
1/4 c. salad oil 1 c. grated apple
2 c. flour 1/4 c. sugar
3 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease bottom of muffin tins.
Beat egg, stir in milk, oil and grated apple. Mix in remaining
ingredients just until flour is moistened. Batter should be
lumpy. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Sprinkle with nut-crunch
topping. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately
remove from pan. Makes 12 muffins.

Nut crunch topping

1/3 c. brown sugar 1/3 c. chopped nuts
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Mix together and sprinkle on top of muffins.