by Joanne Fluke
Add the sugars and let it cool a bit. Then add the beaten eggs, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and vanilla extract.
Mix in the flour and then the butterscotch chips. Add the rolled oats and mix it in thoroughly.
Let the dough rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes to allow the butter to solidify.
You can either drop this dough by rounded teaspoons onto a greased cookie sheet, 12 cookies to a sheet, or roll the dough in balls with your hands and place them on the cookie sheet, pushing them down just a bit so they won’t roll off on their way to the oven. (I prefer rolling the dough balls – the cookies turn out nice and round.)
Bake at 350 degrees F. for 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes and then remove the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
These cookies freeze really well if you roll them in foil and put them in a freezer bag.
Yield: This recipe makes approximately 8 to 9 dozen cookies, depending on cookie size.
Hannah’s Note: Mother’s friend Carrie just loves these when I use one cup of butterscotch chips and one cup of milk chocolate chips.
CANDY CANE COOKIES
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
THE TOPPING:
½ cup hard peppermint candy, crushed34
½ cup white (granulated) sugar
THE COOKIE DOUGH:
1 cup softened butter (2 sticks, 8 ounces, ½ pound)
1 cup powdered (confectioner’s) sugar
1 beaten egg (just mix it up in a cup with a fork)
¼ teaspoon salt
1 and ½ teaspoons almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 and ½ cups flour (pack it down in the cup when you mea-
sure it)
½ teaspoon red food coloring
Hannah’s 1st Note: Lisa and I prefer to use the big round peppermint candies that practically melt in your mouth because they’re a lot easier to crush.
To make the topping, place the peppermint candies in a sturdy plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin or a mallet. You’ll need ½ cup to top your cookies.
In a small bowl, mix the half-cup crushed peppermint candies with the half-cup white sugar. Set the bowl aside for now.
To make the dough, you’ll need two bowls, a small and a medium-sized.
In the medium-sized bowl, combine the softened butter, powdered sugar, beaten egg, salt, and extracts. Stir until they’re well combined. Then add the flour in half-cup increments, stirring after each addition.
Round up the dough and divide it in half. Put one half in the small bowl and cover it with plastic wrap so it won’t dry out. This will be the white part of your Candy Cane Cookies.
Blend the red food coloring into the other half (the dough in the medium-sized bowl.) Mix it until it’s a uniform color. This will be the red part of your Candy Cane Cookies.
Lightly flour a breadboard or rectangular cutting board and place it on your counter. You’ll use this surface to roll the dough.
Remove a teaspoon of white dough from the small bowl and roll it into a four-inch long roll by pushing it back and forth with the palms of your impeccably clean hands.
Remove a teaspoon of red dough from the bowl and form a similar four-inch long roll.
Place the two rolls side by side on the board, hold them together, and twist them like a rope so that the resulting cookie resembles a candy cane. Pinch the ends together slightly so they won’t separate.
Place the cookie on an UNGREASED standard-size cookie sheet and bend down the top to make a crook. You should be able to get four Candy Cane Cookies in a row and three rows to a cookie sheet.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: The first time we made these, we rolled out a dozen white parts first and then we rolled out a dozen red parts. Our dough got too dry sitting on the board and the red and white twists we formed came apart. Now we shape these cookies one at a time and keep the dough bowls covered with plastic wrap when we’re not rolling. I’d really recommend forming these cookies one at a time.
Once you’ve completed twelve cookies, cover your bowls of dough with plastic wrap. You don’t want them to dry out between batches.
Before you put your first pan of cookies in the oven to bake, spread out a length of foil and place a wire rack on top of it. This will hold your hot cookies when you decorate them with the peppermint candy and sugar topping. Once the cookies are completely cool, they can be transferred to a foil-lined box or a platter and you can round up any topping that’s fallen through the rack to use again.
Bake your cookies at 375 degrees F. for 9 minutes. (They should be just beginning to turn golden when you remove them from the oven.)
Immediately remove the cookies from the baking sheet and place them on the wire rack. Sprinkle them with the mixture of candy and sugar while they are still very hot.
Continue to roll, shape, bake, and top your cookies until you run out of dough.
Yield: Approximately 4 dozen cookies, depending on cookie size.
CAPPUCCINO ROYALES
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
2 cups melted butter (4 sticks, 16 ounces, 1 pound)
¼ cup instant coffee powder (I used Folger’s)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons brandy or rum extract35
3 cups white (granulated) sugar36
3 beaten eggs (just whip them up in a glass with a fork)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups milk chocolate chips
5 and ½ cups flour (don’t sift – pack it down in the measuring
cup)
Melt the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl at 3 minutes on HIGH. Or melt it in a saucepan over LOW heat on the stovetop, and then transfer it to a mixing bowl.
Mix in the instant coffee powder, vanilla extract, and rum or brandy extract. Stir until the coffee powder has dissolved.
Add the sugar, beaten eggs, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix well.
Stir in the milk chocolate chips. Mix until they’re evenly distributed.
Add the flour in roughly one cup increments, stirring after each addition. Mix until the flour is thoroughly incorporated.
Form walnut-sized dough balls with your fingers. Roll them in a small bowl with granulated sugar if you decided you wanted them sweeter.
Place the dough balls on a greased cookie sheet, 12 cookies to a standard-size sheet. (I used Pam to grease my cookie sheet, but any nonstick cooking spray will do.)
Flatten the dough balls with the back of a metal spatula or with the palm of your impeccably clean hand.
Bake the cookies at 350 degrees F. for 9 to 11 minutes. Let them cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, and then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to complete cooling.
Yield: 12 to 14 dozen cookies (depending on cookie size.)
Hannah’s Note: These cookies freeze well if you have any left over.
CASHEW CRISPS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
1 and ½ cups melted butter (3 sticks, 12 ounces, ¾ pound)
2 cups white (granulated) sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
cup molasses (2 Tablespoons)
1 and ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 and ½ cups finely ground salted cashews (grind them
up in your food processor with the steel blade –
measure AFTER grinding)
2 beaten eggs (just whip them up with a fork)
3 cups flour (no need to sift - pack it down in the cup when
you measure it)
Microwave the butter in your mixing bowl to melt it. Add the sugar, the vanilla extract, and the molasses. Stir until it’s blended, then add the baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix well.
Grind up the cashews in your food processor. Measure AFTER grinding. Add them to the
bowl and mix. Pour in the beaten eggs and stir. Then add the flour in one-cup increments, stirring after each addition. Mix until all the ingredients are thoroughly blended.
Let the dough sit for a few minutes to firm up. Then use your fingers to form the dough into small walnut-sized balls. Arrange the dough balls on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard sheet. (These dough balls spread out so make them fairly small. If the dough is too sticky to form into balls, chill it for twenty or thirty minutes in the refrigerator and then try again. Chilling it overnight is fine, too.)
Flatten the balls slightly with a spatula or the palm of your impeccably clean hand, just enough so that they won’t roll off when you put them in the oven. (Don’t laugh — it’s happened!)
Bake at 350 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges turn golden brown. Cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then remove the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.
These cookies freeze well if you roll them up in foil and place them in a freezer bag.
Yield: Approximately 10 dozen delicious cookies, depending on cookie size.
CHERRY WINKS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
1 cup melted butter (2 sticks, 8 ounces, ½ pound)
1 cup white (granulated) sugar
2 beaten eggs (just whip them up in a glass with a fork)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 Tablespoons cherry juice (from the maraschino cherries
called for below)
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 and ½ cups chopped pecans (measure AFTER chopping)
2 cups all-purpose flour (not sifted – pack it down in the
cup when you measure it)
4 cups corn flakes
1 small jar of maraschino cherries for a garnish
Melt the butter and add the white sugar. Stir well.
Mix in the eggs, vanilla extract, cherry juice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the chopped pecans.
Add the flour in one-cup increments, mixing after each addition.
Crush the corn flakes and put them in a small bowl. 4 cups of corn flakes will yield approximately 2 cups of crushed corn flakes. (I put them in a plastic bag, seal it, and then crush them with my fingers.)
Form walnut-sized dough balls with your impeccably clean hands. (If the dough is too sticky, chill it for a half hour or so and then try it again.) Roll the dough balls in the crushed corn flakes and place them on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard sheet. Smush them down a bit so they won’t roll off on their way to the oven.
Cut the cherries into quarters and place one on the top of each cookie. Press the cherry down with the tip of your finger.
Bake at 375 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes, or until nicely browned. Cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, and then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Yield: 6 to 7 dozen pretty and delicious cookies, depending on cookie size.
Hannah’s Note: These cookies freeze well. They also hold up well for packaging and shipping.
CHIPPERS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
1 and ½ cups softened butter (3 sticks, ¾ pound, 12 ounces)
1 and ½ cups white (granulated) sugar
2 egg yolks
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 and ½ cups all-purpose flour (no need to sift – pack it
down in the cup when you measure it)
1 and ½ cups finely crushed plain salted potato chips (mea-
sure AFTER crushing)
1 and ½ cups finely chopped pecans (measure AFTER
chopping)
½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (optional) (zest is just
the colored part of the peel, not the white)
cup white (granulated) sugar for a topping
approximately 5 dozen pecan halves for decoration
Hannah’s 1st Note: Use regular potato chips, the thin salty ones. Don’t use baked chips, or rippled chips, or chips with the peels on, or kettle fried, or flavored, or anything that’s supposed to be better for you than those wonderfully greasy, salty old-fashioned potato chips.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar, egg yolks, salt, and vanilla until they’re light and fluffy. (You can do this by hand, but it’s a lot easier with an electric mixer.)
Add the flour, one cup or so at a time, mixing after each addition.
Mix in the crushed potato chips, chopped pecans, and lemon zest (if you decided to use it). Mix thoroughly.
Form one-inch dough balls with your impeccably clean hands and place the dough balls on an UNGREASED cookie sheet, 12 to a standard-sized sheet.
Place the cup of sugar in a small bowl. Spray the bottom of a glass with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray, dip it in the sugar, and use it to flatten each dough ball. (Dip the glass in the sugar for each ball.) Place a pecan half in the center of each cookie and press it down slightly.
Bake at 350 degrees F., for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies are starting to turn golden at the edges. Let them cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes and then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Yield: Approximately 5 dozen yummy, crunchy cookies, depending on cookie size.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: Mother loves these when I use orange zest instead of lemon zest. Since the orange flavor isn’t as strong as the lemon, I use one whole teaspoon of orange zest when I bake Chippers for her. I also substitute one teaspoon orange extract for the vanilla.
CHOCOLATE ALMOND TOAST
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
1 and ½ cups melted butter (3 sticks, 12 ounces, ¾ pound)
1 cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)
2 and ½ cups brown sugar
5 large eggs, beaten (just whip them up in a glass with a fork)
4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 cups flour (not sifted – pack it down in the cup when you
measure it)
1 cup slivered almonds
Melt the butter and mix in the cocoa until it’s thoroughly blended. Stir in the brown sugar. Let it cool slightly and then mix in the beaten eggs. Add the soda, salt, and vanilla. Stir until well blended. Add the flour and slivered almonds, and mix thoroughly.
Pat the dough into free form loaves, one inch high, 5 or 6 inches long, and 3 inches wide. Place them on a greased cookie sheet and bake them at 350 degrees F. for 40 minutes.
Cool the loaves on the cookie sheets for approximately 5 minutes and then slice them (just like bread) into one-inch-thick pieces with a sharp knife. (The end pieces don’t need more baking — save them to dunk in your coffee while the rest are baking.) Place them on their cut sides on the greased cookie sheets. Bake the slices an additional 5 minutes, flip them over to expose the other cut side, and bake them for an additional 10 minutes. Let them cool on the cookie sheets for 2 minutes and then remove them to a wire rack to complete cooling.
These are great dunking cookies. If you want to make them look like frosted biscotti, just dip the tops in melted chips (I used milk chocolate), set them on a piece of wax paper, and refrigerate them to set the chocolate.
Yield: Approximately 3 dozen, depending on cookie size.
CHOCOLATE CHIP CRUNCH COOKIES
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
1 cup salted butter (2 sticks, ½ pound – melted)
1 cup white (granulated) sugar
1 cup brown sugar (pack it down in the cup)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 beaten eggs (you can just beat them up in a cup with a fork)
2 and ½ cups flour (not sifted – pack it down in the measuring
cup)
&nbs
p; 2 cups corn flakes
1 to 2 cups chocolate chips
Melt the butter, add the sugars, and stir them all together in a large mixing bowl. Add the soda, salt, vanilla, and beaten eggs. Mix well. Then add the flour and stir it in. Measure out the corn flakes and crush them with your hands. Then add them to your bowl, along with the chocolate chips. Mix everything up thoroughly.
Let the dough sit on the counter for a minute or two to rest. (It doesn’t really need to rest, but you probably do.)
Form the dough into walnut-sized balls with your fingers and place them on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard sheet. (I used Pam to grease my cookie sheets.) Press the dough balls down just a bit with your impeccably clean hand so they won’t roll off on the way to the oven.
Bake at 350 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then remove the cookies to a wire rack until they’re completely cool. (The rack is important — it makes them crisp.)
Yield: Approximately 6 to 8 dozen, depending on cookie size.
Hannah’s Note: If your cookies spread out too much in the oven, either chill the dough in the refrigerator before baking, or turn the dough out on a floured board and knead in approximately cup more flour.
CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRY DELIGHTS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
1 cup melted butter (2 sticks, 8 ounces, ½ pound)
2 cups white (granulated) sugar
2 eggs, beaten (just whip them up in a glass with a fork)