I am attending a cookie swap hosted by my sweet friend Jennifer today. The swap is one of her annual traditions and her friends all look forward to it every year. What’s not to love about a party that revolves around cookies? I’m in!
In honor of the cookie swap, I am some cookie recipes. These are recipes that I have found to be tried and true.
This year, I am taking Honey-Orange-Ginger cookies. I found this recipe in the December 2012 issue of Southern Living magazine and you can find it by clicking here. I made a trial batch last weekend and I have to say, these are fabulous cookies!
Honey-Orange-Ginger Cookies
from Southern Living, submitted by E. Leese
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon orange extract
1 large egg
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Preheat oven to 350°. Beat sugar and butter at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy. Add honey, orange extract, and egg, beating until blended. Stir together flour, orange zest, ground ginger, baking soda, and baking powder; gradually add to sugar mixture, beating until blended. Cover and chill 30 minutes to 1 hour. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets, and slightly flatten each with bottom of a glass. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely on wire racks (about 20 minutes). Makes about 4 dozen cookies.
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While we are on the subject of ginger (yum!), I’ll share a great recipe for Ginger Cookies. I got the gingersnaps recipe from my friend Emily several years ago and I believe she originally got it from Cooking Light. I recently adapted it to use agave nectar in the batter instead of white sugar. My cookies don’t turn out quite as “snappy” as gingersnaps, but they are still quite tasty while being a little more on the soft side.
Ginger Cookies
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup light agave nectar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
Turbinado sugar (aka – Sugar in the Raw)
Cooking spray
Combine flour (leveled in measuring cup), ginger, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Place agave nectar, butter and brown sugar in a large bowl and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add honey, vanilla and egg; beat well. Add flour mixture, beating at a low speed until blended. Cover dough and freeze 1 hour or until firm.
Preheat oven to 350.
Lightly coat hands with cooking spray; shape dough into 24 (1″ ) balls. Roll the balls in turbinado sugar; place the balls 2″ apart on baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cookies cool on wire rack. Yields:2 dozen cookies.
NOTE: If you want to use white sugar — omit agave nectar and use 1 cup granulated sugar and 7 tablespoons of softened butter.
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Last year for the cookie swap, I made no-bake cookies. I remember learning to make them at 4-H camp back in the 80’s. They are a nostalgic favorite. I always like letting the girls help when I bake cookies and these are certainly easy and fun for kids to make too with supervision, naturally.
No-Bake Cookies
1 3/4 cups white sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa. Bring to a boil, and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in peanut butter, oats, and vanilla. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper. Let cool until hardened.
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Oatmeal cookies are another nostalgic favorite for me. When I was a teenager, I used to go out with my Gran and her friend Mrs. Paul to visit with shut-ins from their church. Sometimes, Mrs. Paul would bring along oatmeal cookies and they were always delicious! These days, my favorite recipe for oatmeal cookies is the one that is normally inside the lid of Quaker oats. I omit the raisins because, well, I’m not a fan. 😉
Vanishing Oatmeal Cookies
recipe from Quaker Oats
1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 6 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
3 cups Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
1 cup raisins
Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium speed of electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats and raisins; mix well.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.
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Last, but far from least, are my very favorite chocolate chip cookies – the one and only Original NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Chocolate Chip Cookies. I have tried other recipes and, for me, nothing compares to this original. I like using mini chocolate chips when I bake them. These are the cookies I make the most often and, all modesty aside, I do rock them. Just ask Mickey and the girls. But, it would be hard not to rock these as the recipe is tried and true for many. I think the key is to cream the butter and sugars well to get a good base going for the cookies. Then, make sure you cool for 2 minutes once they come out of the oven, then move to cooling racks. These are no-fail for me and are a hit every time! (Oh and I love them with nuts, but I omit for the girls. If I use nuts, I use pecans.)
Original NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1 cup chopped nuts
PREHEAT oven to 375° F.
COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.