Bake in 400-degree oven about 10 minutes. Cool.
Melt chocolate and frost center of cookies.
Pecan Dreams
(Submitted by Cecile VanTyne)
Ingredients:
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 to 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar for coating the cookies
Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees
Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer or use a hand mixer. Mix on medium speed until combined, then mix on high speed until very light and creamy, about one minute.
Add the vanilla and mix to incorporate. Add the flour and pecans and mix just until the flour is incorporated.
Using a small cookie scoop, place a scoop of cookie dough in your hand and roll it into a ball, then place the ball onto a large, ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat until all of the dough is rolled into balls.
Bake for 30 minutes or until the cookies are just lightly browned on the bottoms. Remove from the oven.
Allow the cookies to cool for 2 to 3 minutes, then roll the cookies, one at a time, in the powdered sugar and transfer to a piece of waxed paper.
Once the cookies have completely cooled, reroll the cookies one more time in the powdered sugar. If you like a generous coating, you might need more powdered sugar.
Store cookies in an airtight container using waxed paper to separate the layers.
Aunt Shirley’s Oatmeal Cookies
(Submitted by Nana Fields)
Ingredients:
1 cup of raisins
3/4 cup of hand broken chunks of walnuts
Boiling water
1/4 cup of reserved liquid from drained raisins ( a little more if desired)
1 small bowl to put raisins and boiling water in
3 cups of oats, instant or regular
1 cup of flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
3/4 cup of shortening
1 egg
2 teaspoons of real vanilla extract
1 cup of firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease cookie sheet or use parchment paper; set aside.
Put raisins in small bowl and cover with boiling water; let stand for 5 minutes, then drain. Reserve drained liquid from raisins for later use.
In a bowl, mix together oats, flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat together brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, 1/4 cup of reserved liquid drained from raisins, vanilla until very creamy. May do by hand or use a mixer.
Slowly stir in dry ingredients until thoroughly mixed. Stir in raisins and nuts until evenly mixed.
Drop mounded teaspoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheet and bake for about 12 to 15 minutes or until done but still soft. Don’t overbake.
Let stand for 2 minutes and transfer cookies to wire cooling rack. Ovens may vary so check on cookies the first time you make them.
Lone Ranger Cookies
(Submitted by Cinda Unruh)
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
3/4 cup wheat germ
3/4 cup cornflakes
1-3/4 cups crispy rice cereal
1-3/4 cups oatmeal
Directions:
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Mix together shortening, sugar, and brown sugar. Add vanilla and eggs.
Add flour mixture and then mix in wheat germ, cornflakes, crispy rice cereal and oatmeal.
Drop by rounded spoonful on a greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes.
Mystery Bars
(Submitted by Micki Kremenak Jordan)
Ingredients:
2 cups finely crushed graham crackers
1/2 cup coarsely-chopped pitted dates
1/2 cup coarsely-chopped pecans
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray either 8x8x2 or 9x9x2 pan.
Combine all ingredients and mix evenly. Spoon mixture into pan.
Bake about 30 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack.
Cut into bars.
**Alternate combinations:
*Use 1/2 cup chopped marshmallows instead of dates.
*Leave out chocolate chips and increase dates and pecans to total of 1-1/2 cups.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Snowfall at Moonglow would not exist without help from a great team. Heartfelt thanks go to D.A. Sarac at The Editing Pen for her expertise in polishing the manuscript. Sincere gratitude goes to Keri Knutson of Alchemy Book Covers for cover design, as well as to Tara Meyers and Lego Normarie for formatting. Jay Garner, Karen Putnam, and Carol Anderson all deserve a round of applause for beta reading and plot suggestions.
Betty's annual cookie exchange may be fictional, but the recipes are very real. So get out those holiday aprons and mixing bowls, and enjoy a few sweet treats. Thank you to the wonderful readers and authors who contributed: Kim Davis, Petrenia Etheridge, Jan Knight, Betty Escobar, Robyn Seitzer, Jean Daniel, Faith Creech, Wendy Matchett, Taryn Lee, Sue Powers Hampshire, Angela Sanford, Micki Kremenak Jordan, Shelia Hall, Dawn Moore, Cecile VanTyne, Nana Fields, and Cinda Unruh.
Above all, it is the support of family, friends, and readers that allows stories like this to come to life. I send a soft flurry of snowflakes and thanks to each and every one of you.
For more information on Deborah Garner's books:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deborahgarnerauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaigeandJake
Website: http://deborahgarner.com
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Snowfall At Moonglow (The Moonglow Christmas Series Book 5) Page 10