Snickerdoodles

My husband is not a big sweets person, but when it comes to these tasty goodies, even he just can’t resist. Add them to your holiday baking repertoire!

½ cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar, plus 2 T, divided

1 egg

½ tsp vanilla

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

¼ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, cream butter and 1 cup of sugar with an electric mixer, until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar; slowly mix into the sugar mixture until a soft dough forms.

In a small bowl, combine cinnamon and remaining sugar. Form dough into 1-inch balls and roll in cinnamon-sugar. (Hint: Make sure dough is well-chilled or it becomes sticky) Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned. Let cool completely.

*Recipe from Taste of Home

Turkey Cookies

These little cuties have become a fall tradition in my house. Great for snacking or for sharing with friends!

1 pkg. sugar cookie dough (or homemade) 

1 pkg. candy corn

Blue or green decorating gel

Orange decorating gel

Prepare sugar cookies per directions. Let cool completely.

Use blue or green gel to create eyes in the center of each cookie; use orange to draw on beak and legs. Using either color, draw on a double arch at the top of each cookie. Secure candy corns by pressing lightly into the gel (tip side down). 

Oatmeal-Banana Cookies

Every year, I bake cookies for Operation Cookie Cutter – a community effort to send home-baked goodies to deployed soldiers. This year, I wanted to make something a little bit different than the standard chocolate chip. I had some over-ripe bananas and plenty of oatmeal, so I decided to give these a shot. With a few modifications, they turned out moist, soft, and flavorful.

¾ cup white sugar 

¼ cup brown sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ground cloves

½ tsp nutmeg

3 ripe bananas, mashed

2 cups oatmeal

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, cream together sugars and butter with an electric mixer, until smooth. Blend in eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Slowly blend into sugar mixture. Stir in bananas and oatmeal. (Tip: Try adding white or milk chocolate chips during this step)

Drop rounded spoonfuls of dough onto un-greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned and cooked through. Remove cookies from pan to cool.

*Modified from Allrecipes

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

I found this recipe on Pinterest and it was very simple to make and the cookies were very yummy!

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
½ cup rolled oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt in one bowl. In another bowl mix the butter, peanut butter, sugars, vanilla and egg. Combine the two mixtures into one bowl and add the oats and chocolate chips. Spoon out about two tablespoons of mixture for each cookie onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for about ten minutes. Let cool and enjoy!

Recipe from What Megan's Making.

Chocolate Chip Waffle Cookies

I have never been much of a baker. I think maybe I don’t have the patience for precise measurements and feel stifled in terms of experimentation. (Although my baking friends assure me there is plenty of room for creativity) When I came across this recipe for cookies made on a waffle iron, I just couldn’t help myself. While I did stick to the measurements, I was also able to add a bit of my own flare and I created something totally unique (and delicious!).

½ cup packed brown sugar 

¼ cup sugar

½ cup butter, melted

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup plus 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. cinnamon

½ cup flaked coconut

½ cup semisweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl combine sugars, butter, egg, and vanilla. Separately, combine flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon, and then gradually mix into the sugar mixture with an electric mixer. Stir in the coconut and chocolate chips.

Preheat electric waffle iron and coat with cooking spray. Drop batter by the teaspoonful, about 1 in. apart. Bake 1-3 minutes, until golden brown. (Many waffle irons will signal when they are cooked) Carefully remove and cool completely.

*Original recipe from Simple & Delicious magazine

Fudge Puddles

This is one of my favorite cookie recipes from my aunt.  She makes them every Christmas and I hide them so no one else will eat them!

1/2 cup butter softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Filling:
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla


Cream butter, peanut butter and sugars; add egg and vanilla. Add soda, salt and flour. Mix well. Drop by spoonful into mini muffin pan. Bake 325 for 14 minutes. Take out of oven and make wells in the mini muffins.

Melt chocolates, condensed milk and vanilla over a double boiler. Spoon into the centers of the cookies/mini muffins