Cookie Swap 2014 Part 2: The Cookie Recipes!

(see Part 1 from yesterday on why I’m about to give you a whole bunch of cookie recipes…)

Lemon Iced Cookies!

You can enhance the flavor of these cookies by adding 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest to the icing. This dough can also be rolled out on a lightly floured board or pastry cloth and cut into shapes.

3 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup (one stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Lemon Icing
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
3-4 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
(About 68 lemon flavored jelly beans or yellow decorating sugar for garnish)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease or spray cookie sheets
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt – set aside
3. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat together the butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until light, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and lemon juice. On low speed, gradually beat in the flour mixture just until mixed. The dough should be smooth and slightly stiff.
4. Drop the dough by teaspoons onto the prepared cookie sheets, spacing them about 1 ½ inches apart (Or, roll between your palms into 1 inch balls.) Lightly flatten each cookie with the bottom of a drinking glass.
5. Bake in the center of the oven until firm to the touch and golden brown on the bottom, about 10 minutes. Let cool on the cookie sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely
6. Prepare the icing. Sift the confectioner’s sugar into a medium bowl. Whisk in enough lemon juice to make smooth, spreadable icing (Or you can use a food processor to make the icing, omitting the sifting and processing until smooth and spreadable.)
7. Using a pastry brush, brush the tops of the cooled cookies with the icing. Set a jelly bean on top of each cookie, or sprinkle with the icing with the yellow sugar. Let the cookies stand on the wire rack until the icing sets

Brown Butter Salted Caramel Pretzel Thumbprints!

Find the recipe: HERE

Eggnog Cookies!

• Cookies:
• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 tsp rum extract
• 1/2 cup eggnog
• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp nutmeg (preferable freshly grated)
• 1 tsp allspice
• 3/4 tsp ground cloves
• Glaze:
• 1/2 cup eggnog
• 1 lb. box powdered sugar, *remove 1/2 cup
• 2 tsp rum extract
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp allspice

Spoon glaze over cookies. If glaze begins to thicken, heat gently and stir well again.

Adapted from http://www.willcookforsmiles.com/2014/12/spiced-eggnog-cookies-eggnog-glaze.html

Chocolate Nutella Macadamia Cookies!

½ cup and 1 tablespoon all purpose flour

1 large egg

1 cup Nutella

½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

½ cup chopped macadamia nuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Combine flour, egg and Nutella in a large bowl and mix together with a spoon until dough comes together and no flour lumps remain. Stir in chocolate chips until evenly mixed into the dough.
3. Make dough balls, about 1-½ inch in diameter. Place on cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart.
4. Press down slightly on dough so the dough balls are more like very thick round disks rather than perfectly round balls. Smooth edges that may have cracked from the pressure of pushing down on the balls, so that you have thick round smooth disks.
5. Bake for about 10 minutes. Cookies should be mostly set, but might be still slightly soft in the middle. Let them cool on rack until completely set. Enjoy while still slightly warm or after completely cooled.

Espresso Shortbread Cookies!

Makes 3-4 dozen cookies

1 ½ cups (3/4lb.) butter, at room temperature

1 ¼ cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons finely ground espresso-roast coffee beans (I used instant)

3 tablespoons Kahlua

3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup cacao nibs (I used the chocolate covered espresso bits from TJ’s)

1. In a large bowl, use a mixer to beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla,

salt, espresso grounds, and Kahlua. Beat to combine. Add flour and cacao nibs and mix until well

blended.

2. Form dough into two 1 ½ in thick logs. Cover with plastic wrap or wax paper and chill at least 2

hours or overnight.

3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

4. Cut chilled dough into ¼ inch thick slices and lay slightly apart on ungreased or parchment lined

baking sheets. Bake until cookies are browned on the bottom but not the top, 15-20 minutes.

Transfer to rack to cool.

5. Dip in chocolate if desired (duh!).

White Chocolate Craisin Cookies!

Recipe found: HERE

Gooey Cookies & Cream Double Chocolate Cake Bars!

1 egg

1 Devils Food Cake Mix

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (milk chocolate used here), softened

14oz can sweetened condensed milk

14 oreo cookies, broken into pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a 9×13 baking pan with foil sprayed with nonstick spray.

2. Place cake mix, butter, and egg into a large mixing bowl, mixing to combine.  (Use your hands, it’s much easier!)  Press into prepared baking pan.  Top with broken cookie pieces.

3. Pour sweetened condensed milk over cookies and top with chocolate chips.  Bake 23-25 minutes, until cooked through.  Remove from oven.

4. After 5 minues of cooling, run a plastic knife around edges to loosen.  This makes it much easier to remove foil.  Let cool completely, remove foil from pan and cut into squares.  Enjoy with a cold glass of milk!

Huckleberry Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies!

1 cup butter

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 cups flour

1/2 cup jam of choice

Cream butter and sugar and extract, then add the flour.  Refrigerate dough for 1 hour or longer.  Roll into 1 inch balls and put a divot in them with thumb.  Put 1/4 teaspoon jam in each divot, don’t overfill.  Bake at 350 for 14-18 minutes.  

Glaze: 1 cup powdered sugar, 2-3 teaspoons water and 1.5 teaspoon almond extract.  Mix and drizzle on completely cooled cookies.

Peppermint Brownies with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting!

Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add white chocolate ganache in several batches, scraping bowl and beating smooth between each addition. 

Adapted from http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/peppermint-bark-brownies-170878.aspx

Almond Roca Bars!

Yield: 1 pan to cut into bars

Ingredients:

1 cup softened butter

½ cup sugar

½ cup brown sugar

1 egg yolk

1 tsp vanilla or almond extract

2 cups flour

Pinch of salt

1 package chocolate chips

Slivered almonds (opt)

Directions:

Cream butter, sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla

Add flour and salt

Pat mixture into jelly roll pan

Bake for 15 minutes at 350F

Sprinkle choc chips and put back in oven until shiny – spread with spatula

Top with almonds if desired

Funfetti Cookies!

Recipe found: HERE

Eggnog Cookies!

Recipe found: HERE

Cherry White Chocolate Cookies!

Recipe found: HERE

Mocha Crackle Cookies!

1/2 cup butter

5 squares (1 ounce each) unsweetened chocolate

1 tablespoon instant coffee granules

4 eggs

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar

1. In a microwave or saucepan, heat butter, chocolate and coffee until chocolate is melted; cool slightly.  In a mixing bowl, combne eggs and salt.  Add sugar and brown sugar.  Stir in chocolate mixture; mix well.  Combine flour and baking powder; gradually add to egg mixture to form a soft dough.  Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or until easy to handle.

2. Roll dough into 3/4 inch balls.  Roll in confectioners’ sugar; place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets.  Bake at 350F for 12 minutes or until set.  Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

Italian Teraloots!

Mix the ingredients below with an electric mixer.  Mix in the following order, adding one ingredient at a time:

6 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cube butter (melted)

1 cube margarine (melted)

3 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons vanilla

Stir in:

5 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

Continue to add as long as electric mixer can handle the stiff dough, then stir with large spoon.  Do not overmix.

Refrigerate 1 hour or more.

Pinch off piece of dough and roll into a ball.  (Cookies will grow while baking.)

Bake at 350F for 10 minutes.

When cookies are cooled, frost with powdered sugar icing:

2 cups powdered sugar

4-6 tablespoons water (possibly less, use judgement on consistency for dipping cookies)

1-2 teaspoons vanilla

A couple drops of food coloring (optional)

Colored sugar can be sprinkled on wet icing to dress these up for the holidays (optional – but is shown in photo above)

1 batch is approx 8 dozen cookies

The Best Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies! (seen here with m&m’s ;) )

Recipe found: HERE 

Gingerdoodles!

Recipe found: HERE Note from Jennifer who made these cookies for the party: “I went a little over on the spices and molasses because I like them that way. Also I rolled them in cinnamon and sugar.”

I’ll have those last couple recipes to you ASAP, I’m bugging those peeps til I get them ;)  – DONE!

In the meantime, there are plenty of recipes here to keep you occupied!  Get baking!  And Enjoy!

Sam