ISO: ISO recs for cookie cookbook

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audball

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I have Nick Malgieri's "Cookies Unlimited," but I'm looking for something that's a little more for everyday baking with the occasional few for special occasions. I prefer baking with butter vs. shortening. Thanks for your help.

 
REC: Cream Wafers

This was our favorite cookie as children. I always make it for tea parties (mini-size).

Cream Wafers

Makes 5 dozen

1 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup whipping cream
2 cups flour
Filling (below)

Blend butter, cream and flour. Chill dough for 1 hour. Heat oven to 375 deg. Roll dough to 1/8” on lightly floured board. Cut into 1-1/2” rounds (I make 1” size for tea parties). Put a little sugar on a plate and coat one side with the sugar. Place on ungreased baking sheet; prick 4 times with a fork. Bake 7-9 minutes. Put 2 cookies together with a little filling (see note at end).
Filling:
1/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp. vanilla.
Food colorings

Blend first 3 ingredients. Separate into bowls and tint each accordingly.

NOTE: I put the filling into a sandwich bag, clip the corner, and use it to run a bead of icing at the outside edge of one cookie, then place the other on top. The filling is very sweet and a little goes a long way!

 
REC: Chocolate Caramel Cookies

This one always goes in my holiday baskets:

Chocolate Caramel Cookies
from Quick Cooking Magazine, Nov/Dec 1998

Makes about 5 dozen

1 cup butter, softened (no substitutes)
1 cup plus 1 tbl. sugar, divided
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup baking cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup chopped pecans, divided
1 package (13 oz.) Rolo candies

In a mixing bowl, cream butter, 1 cup sugar, and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Combine flour, cocoa and baking soda; add to creamed mixture and beat just until combined. Stir in 1/2 cup pecans. Shape dough by tablespoonfuls around each Rolo candy. In a small bowl, combine remaining pecans and sugar; dip each cookie halfway and place nut-side up on an ungreased baking sheet.
Bake at 375 degrees for 7-10 minutes or until top is slightly cracked. Cool 3 minutes then remove to racks to cool completely.

 
REC: Gramma Winnie's Yummies (another holiday basket favorite)

Makes about 4 dozen

1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
1 tbl. vanilla
1 tsp. almond extract
2 cups oats (regular or quick)
2 cups Wheaties cereal
1 cup coconut
1 cup chopped nuts
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs and mix well. Add flours, baking powder, salt and soda; mix well. Add flavorings and rest of ingredients and fold carefully. Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in preheated 350 deg. oven for 15 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool.

 
REC: Coconut Drop Cookies

Coconut Drop Cookies

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 eggs
2 cups sifted self-rising flour
OR: 2 cups flour + 1 Tbs. baking powder + 1/2tsp. salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/3 cups coconut
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease cookie sheets, set aside.

Cream sugars and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour and vanilla; blend well. Stir in coconut and pecans. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Makes about 4 dozen.

 
now that christmas is approaching, check out the mags, martha stewart usually does a whole mag on

cookies each year - i have a couple and use them again and again year 'round.

 
some questions re this recipe

can I form the cookie dough first then place the rolo on top? And do i dip the pecan/sugar mixture only on the top of the cookie since the recipe says to place the cookie nut side up? This recipe sounds intriguing.

 
Bravo Angie! Do you think they would work with Crisco? I know,

I hate the idea too since butter's the main ingredient, but I'm trying to hedge my bets time-wise for the soldier's boxes.

Oh, how about if I make one batch with Crisco and one batch with butter and send them both in the same box? We can lets GI Joe decide.

 
I think Crisco would be fine. Lots of Amish recipes for this type of cookie use Crisco. Chill the

dough a bit for firmer handling and maybe use 1/2 butter flavor crisco and 1/2 plain crisco. The butter flavor may be too strong. I'm now "famous" among my DH's office cronies and mine, so now they all ask "where are the cookies?" so, guess I'll be making a quad batch tonight, icing with a very light coating of vanilla icing and halloween sprinkles. Also plan to make a batch of the tarantula cookies for the grandkids. Have to send those to Seattle and am coming up with creative ideas for packaging them so the pretzel legs don't all break off. Will tell DIL to melt some choc chips to glue back the legs if they do break off.

 
Good questions...yes, you can form it into a ball first if that's easier-

Then poke the Rolo into it. It's going to mush up your 'round' shape, though. I just take a little glob of dough, cover the Rolo, then roll it around in my palms to get the round shape. Then, holding the ball, you 'dip' it in the pecan/sugar mixture to cover just one half of the cookie.
These are DELICIOUS and are almost always included in my Christmas baskets.
Thanks for the questions - I'm putting together cookbooks for my girls for Christmas, and I'll be sure to add those directions for them.

 
Just a note that I chill the dough for a few hours before baking and when I double the recipe,

I use just 2 cups of butter, not 2.5. It works out just fine. make sure to use a VERY large bowl when doubling the recipe. Also, using a bit of almond flavoring is nice and coating with cinnamon/sugar makes them large snickerdoodles.

 
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