I need cookie ideas.

Some ideas, but no recipes...

A few years ago I had the idea of giving someone in the family (that was hard to buy for) a couple of dozen different cookies each month. I had so much fun planning what I'd make (lacey cookies for May, sandies for July, sunflowers for September), but the idea never became a reality!

Maybe one of the weeks of the month could be something along these lines... from what I can remember I was going to do, have fun with it:

Jan - Coconut snowballs
Feb - Linzer hearts
March - Creme de menthe butter cookies
April - Anise flower cookies
May - Lace roll-up cookies
June - Peanut butter with jam thumbprints
July - Pecan sandies
August - Watermelon slices (sugar)
September - sunflowers
Oct - Pumpkin drop cookies
Nov - Oatmeal-Cranberry
Dec - Snickerdoodles

 
Sara's aunt- Ruth Moulton Spice Balls

I don't know why they're called spice balls. They're flat and round, see photo. They're chewy and delicious.

Ruth Moulton's Spice Balls

* 12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 ¼ cups sugar
1 large egg
¼ cup molasses
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon table salt

Combine the butter and 1 cup of the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in the egg and molasses.

Sift the flour, soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and salt together onto a piece of parchment. Add to the butter mixture in 2 batches, beating just until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 2 to 3 hours.


Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a pie plate. Shape the dough into walnut-size balls and roll in the sugar to coat. Arrange 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets and bake until cracked and dry but still soft, about 10 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to cool on wire racks.

The dough freezes very well. Unfreeze it and bake your cookies whenever you like. Like chewy gingerbread without all the ginger.

http://homepage.mac.com/colleenfischer/cc_recipe_box/all_recipes/Ruth_Moulton_s_Spice_Balls-214.html

 
Cinnamon Cookies

CINNAMON COOKIES

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup margarine (I used unsalted butter)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon (I used 1 tsp Penzey's Korintje and 1/2 tsp Penzey's China Cassia)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
cinnamon sugar (I mixed 1/4 cup sugar with 4 tsp Penzey's Korintje cinnamon)

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a mixer bowl, cream together sugar and butter.
2. Beat in egg and vanilla.
3. Combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt.
4. Add to butter mixture. Blend well.
5. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or till firm enough to roll into balls.
6. Shape dough into small balls about 3/4 inch in diameter. (For most batches, I did heaping teaspoons)
7. Roll in cinnamon sugar to coat.
8. Set cookies 1 inch apart on lightly greased cookie sheets. (I lined cookie sheets with parchment paper, and set cookies about 2 inches apart).
9. Bake at 350 F for 10 minutes or till the edges are lightly browned. (I baked about 15-16 minutes, using heaping teaspoon-size cookies). (note: rounded teaspoon-size cookies take about 12-13 minutes).
10. Cool slightly on pans, then remove to racks to cool completely.

48 servings

http://www.recipezaar.com/48241

 
Hazelnut Crisps

HAZELNUT CRISPS

These cookies had a great texture - light and crispy. I found them a little bland as written, (although my husband loved them), so I added some orange zest to the last batch, and they were really good. I dropped them by rounded teaspoons, and baked some of them 9-10 minutes and others about 12 minutes.

From the poster "...I like to use them as accompaniments to custards and ice creams, or as a part of a cookie tray."

INGREDIENTS:

13 ounces granulated sugar
9 ounces unsalted butter
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
10 ounces flour, all-purpose
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
5 ounces hazelnuts, toasted, skinned and chopped fine

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line your baking sheets with parchment.
Cream sugar & butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, mix until incorporated.
Sift flour, soda and baking powder. Fold into egg mixture. Fold in nuts.
Drop by spoonfuls onto baking sheet, leaving space for spreading.
Bake about 8 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from baking sheet and cool on a wire rack.

NOTES: Dough freezes well; chill it down, form into logs, wrap and freeze up to 3 months.
Slice and bake.

36 cookies

http://www.recipezaar.com/27840

 
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES

The dough was a little crumbly, but that could be because I added an extra 1/4 cup peanut butter. I dropped the first batch by rounded tsp and the second batch by very rounded Tbsp - I preferred the rounded Tbsp - they were thicker and moister.

The last time I made these, I used less granulated sugar (7 Tbsp) and more brown sugar (1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp).

*(Note: If using unsalted peanut butter, add about 1/4 tsp salt).

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
3/4 cup chunky peanut butter (I used 1 cup creamy, lightly salted natural peanut butter)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips OR bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chunks (I used 6 1/2 oz Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheets with parchment.
2. Cream the butter and peanut butter together until fully incorporated.
3. Add the sugars and cream on medium speed.
4. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until completely incorporated.
5. Add the flour and baking soda; mix until no white remains, then add the chocolate and mix on low just until everything comes together.
6. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheets. (I preferred using rounded Tbsp, and pressed the cookies slightly to flatten).
7. Bake 9 minutes or until golden brown. (I did one sheet at a time. For the rounded Tbsp, I baked about 12 minutes - for the rounded tsp, about 10 minutes. I let the cookies sit a minute or so before removing to a wire rack).

36 cookies

http://www.recipezaar.com/48532

 
Amazing!!! Thank you all so much. This gives me so many recipes to make.

I will let you all know what I make each week. Thanks so much!

 
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