Cinnamon Chip Oatmeal Cookies

These are one of Laura's favorite cookies! We hadn't been able to find the cinnamon chops for over 2 years but this fall they came back out in the stores. Just in time for baking season.
Ingredients:
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
• 1 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2-1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1-2/3 cups (10-oz. pkg.) HERSHEY'S Cinnamon Chips
• 3/4 cup raisins
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F.

2. Beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in bowl until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Combine flour and baking soda; add to butter mixture, beating well. Stir in oats, cinnamon chips and raisins (batter will be stiff). Drop by heaping teaspoons unto ungreased cookie sheet.

3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes on until lightly browned. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. About 4 dozen.

Lemon Sugar Cookies

2 cups sugar
1 cup softened butter
Zest of one lemon
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 eggs
3 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tarter
Granulated sugar to roll dough in

•  In large bowl, combine sugar, butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, and eggs. Blend until smooth.
• Stir in combined remaining ingredients; blend well.
• Chill 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 325°.
• Grease cookie sheets.
• Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in sugar and place on greased cookie sheets (I like to line sheets with Parchment instead).
• Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until lightly golden edges. (Cookies will be soft in center.)
• Cool slightly, remove from cookie sheet onto racks to cool completely.

Serve plain or make a glaze out of

• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon softened butter

Stir together and drizzle over the top of the cookies. If glaze is too thick, you can add a bit of water to thin it out.

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

• 1 cup butter
• 2 egg
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 2 Tbs cherry juice
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Ganache for topping
• 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

• 2 (10 ounce) jars maraschino cherries

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
2. Beat butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Add dry ingredients and stir until smooth.
3. Roll into balls about the size of the cherries (larger if desired). Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Drain cherries and reserve juice. Press center of each ball with thumb. Place a cherry in indentation.
5. In a saucepan, heat condensed milk and chocolate chips until chips are melted. Stir in 4 teaspoons of cherry juice. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of mixture over each cherry and spread to cover cherry. (More cherry juice may be added to keep frosting of spreading consistency.)
6. Bake for 10 minutes.
7. Spread a bit more topping over them while still warm to smooth out the tops.
These cookies spread out a lot and grow so to keep the cherry to cookie ratio good don't make the cookie part to big. These freeze well.

S'MORE BARS - No Bake

If you  like S'Mores, you will love these quick and easy bars.

8 Cups graham flavored breakfast cereal like Golden Grahams
6 Cups mini marshmallows- Reserve 1 cup
1 1/2 Cups chocolate chips- milk chocolate or semi- sweet
5 TBS butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

• Grease a 9x13 baking pan with some butter
• Pour cereal into a large mixing bowl
• In a 3 quart saucepan over medium low heat melt the butter, chocolate chips and 5 cups of the marshmallows together until the ingredients are melted and smooth. Stir constantly and watch carefully so that the chocolate doesn't burn. 
•  Remove from heat and add the vanilla
• Pour the melted mixture over the cereal in the large mixing bowl and stir gently until the cereal is evenly coated.
• Stir in the reserved 1 Cup of  mini marshamallows
• Press the mixture into the greased baking pan. The mixture is very sticky so use your greased (clean) hands or grease the bottom of a mixing cup and use it to press the mix in.
• Let cool completely and then cut into squares.
• Store in a sealed container. These will stay good for a few days they won't last that long if sealed well.
  

Butterscotch Brownies or Blondies

These are the moist delicious Blondies that remind me of my grandma. Chewy and delicious!

1 ½ sticks of butter
2 cups light brown sugar packed
1 ½ cups flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
3 large eggs
1 ½ tsp vanilla
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
• In a medium saucepan, heat butter over medium heat until almost melted. Add brown sugar and stir. Increase heat slightly and cook mixture until bubbly. Pour into a mixing bowl. Cool for 5 minutes.
• While the mixture cools, grease and flour a 9x13 baking pan and
  
• Sift or combine dry ingredients.
• Beat eggs one at a time into the sugar and butter mixture, beating well after each addition. 
• Add vanilla and beat until well mixed.
• On low speed, add dry ingredients to the sugar and egg mixture and beat on low just until combined. Add coconut and pecans and mix to combine. Do not over beat!! 
• Spread batter into your prepared pan.

Bake for 22-25 minutes until toothpick comes out clean and they are golden brown. These are wonderful once cooled or serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Baby Ruth Bars- No Bake!!!

These are so quick and easy to make. No baking!!! They take about 15 minutes to whip up and then ready to eat in another 30, best of all they taste just like the candy bar with this name.
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup white corn syrup
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
6 cups cornflakes cereal
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

 2/3 cup peanuts

  In a large saucepan over medium heat combine the peanut butter, corn syrup, brown sugar and white sugar. 
Cook over medium heat stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and quickly mix in the cornflakes, chocolate chips and peanuts  stirring until the dry ingredients are evenly coated.
Press the entire mixture gently into a buttered 9x13 inch baking dish. 
Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars.

You can also do this in a microwave:
In a large microwavable bowl combine the peanut butter, corn syrup, brown sugar and white sugar. Heat on 80% for one minute, stir, continue heating in 30 second increments, stirring after each cooking time until mixture is smooth. Pour in the cereal, chips and peanuts stirring until the dry ingredients are evenly coated.
Press the entire mixture gently into a buttered 9x13 inch baking dish. 
Allow to cool completely before cutting into 12 to 18 bars.

Coconut Cookies- Chewy

My kids love this cookie and so do I. They are chewy and sweet.

•  2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup of softened butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C.)
Cream together the butter and the sugars until fluffy on medium high speed. 
Add eggs in one at a time combining between additions. 
Add the vanilla
Combine the dry ingredients.
Reduce mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients all at once. Beat on low just until combined. Don't overbeat or the cookies will be tough.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until the cookies are lightly golden. Remove from oven and cool.
These freeze well.

Ginger Biscotti

Spicy Ginger Biscotti

Makes about 65 biscotti

1 ¼ cup whole almonds
4 ounces crystallized Ginger
½ cup sugar
3 large eggs
½ cup honey
2 ½ cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp finely ground pepper
1 tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground cloves

• Toast almonds in a 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes until lightly colored, stirring once during toasting. Set aside to cool and reduce oven temp. to 300 degrees.

•  Place crystallized ginger and  ½ cup of sugar into a food processor bowl and pulsing until pieces are the size of whole peppercorns. You can also chop crystallized ginger by hand until pieces are the size of whole peppercorns and add it to the 1/2 cup of sugar. .
• Beat the eggs and honey in a small bowl and set aside.
• In a large bowl sift together the remaining ingredients, 2 ½ cups all purpose flour,¼ tsp salt, 1 ½ tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp finely ground pepper, 1 tsp. ground ginger, ½ tsp. ground cinnamon, and ½ tsp. ground cloves
• Stir in the ginger and sugar.
• Add the whole toasted nuts, add the honey egg mixture and stir until the dry ingredients are completely moistened. Mixture will firm but sticky

Divide the dough into 2 parts. Form two 14” long logs and place onto a parchment, silpat, or greased foil lined cookie sheet. Leaving space between the logs, gently flatten out the log until it is 3-3 ½ inches wide and ¾ inches thick ( NO thicker).

Bake at 300 degrees for 50 minutes. Reduce oven temp to 270 degrees and remove sheet from oven and immediately peel the parchment foil or silpat off of the flattened log.

Place the flattened log onto a cutting board and with a very sharp or serrated knife, slice on an angle a scant ¼”- 1/3” inch wide slices.  The larger the angle the longer the biscotti will be. Place slices cut side down onto cookie sheets touching each other. Gather up the chunks that break off and bake them too.

Bake at 275 degrees for 30 minutes turning slices once after 15 minutes. Bake until very light golden brown and crisp when cooled. You may need to cool one in the freezer as a test to see if they are done. You need to watch carefully the last 10 minutes as it's easy for them to get to browned and be over done.

Remove from oven and cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
Save the pieces to top vanilla ice cream with.
If you really want to splurge, dip  or drizzle with dark chocolate