Best Cookies Ever!

An Elfwich Kind of Cookie

2009-10-22T12:48:00.000-07:00

I have not tried these yet but I'm going to! Soon! Don't worry though, I know they are good. This recipe was found on Dinner's For a Year and Beyond, one of my very favorite blogs of all time! If you don't know what to make for dinner, or what kind of dessert to make just check out this blog and question no more! I have tried a handful of her recipes and have loved every one.

Makes about 2 dozen sandwich cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt

for the fudge filling -
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons cocoa
3 tablespoons milk
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Put butter and sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer. Beat on medium speed until pale and light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in egg and vanilla. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add flour, cinnamon, and salt. Mix until combined.

Divide the dough in halve and form into a rectangular shaped log about 3 inches by 1 1/2 inches. Roll in parchment paper and chill in refrigerator for about 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. remove the cookie logs from the refrigerator and remove parchment paper. Cut into 1/4 inch slices and place about 1 inch apart on the baking sheet. Bake until the edges are slightly golden brown, about 12 - 14 minutes. Remove from sheets and cool on wire racks.

To make fudge filling, in a small saucepan combine the butter, cocoa, and milk and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and whisk in confectioner's sugar and vanilla extract until smooth. Put filling in a bowl and cool to room temperature. Then refrigerate for about 2 hours.

To assemble cookies, remove the filling from the refrigerator and stir. If it is too stiff to spread on the cookies, let it sit out for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. When filling is spreadable, place a rounded teaspoonful on one of the cookies and top with another cookie forming a sandwich. Continue spreading the filling on the rest of the cookies until all the sandwich cookies are made.

Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3 - 4 days.

**This recipe was found, word for word, at Dinners For a Year and Beyond**

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

2009-10-21T21:18:00.000-07:00

Yep, now you all know... Pumpkin cookies are probably my favorite. Just can't get enough of them!!! This recipe was my first introduction to Pumpkin cookies and I personaly find it quite amazing!

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

2 cups (12-ounce bag) milk chocolate chips, not semisweet

Nonstick cooking spray or parchment paper

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray or line them with parchment paper.

Using a mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Beat in the white and brown sugars, a little at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Slowly beat the flour mixture into the batter in thirds. Stir in the chips. Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let them rest for 2 minutes. Take the cookies off with a spatula and cool them on wire racks

**This recipe was found on the Food Network**

Iced Pumpkin Cookies

2009-10-21T21:07:00.000-07:00

YUMM!!! Pumpkin cookies a sure sign it's fall!

1 c. (2 cubes) unsalted butter, softened

1 c. sugar

1 c. canned pumpkin

1 egg

2 c. flour

1 ts. baking soda

1 ts. cinnamon

1/2 ts. salt

1/2 ts. pumpkin pie spice (I used 1/2 ts. freshly ground nutmeg instead)

1 c. chopped pecans (+ more for garnish)

Preheat oven to 350.

In a mixer, combine butter, sugar, and pumpkin and mix until combined. The mixture will look lumpy. Add egg and mix well.

Sift dry ingredients together, then add with pecans to pumpkin mixture and mix until just combined, making sure to scrape down the bowl as you go.

Drop by tablespoons onto lightly oiled (or parchment-covered) cookie sheets and bake until barely golden, 10-12 minutes. You don’t want them squishy in the middle (like chocolate chip cookies) but you don’t want to overbake them, either.

Let the cookies cool for a couple minutes, then ice them when they are still warm (not hot, not cold).

For icing:

1/2 c. packed brown sugar

3 Tb. butter

4 ts. milk

1/2 ts. vanilla

1 c. sifted powdered sugar

In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter, and milk over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool a bit.

Whisk in powdered sugar until smooth.

With a knife or spreader, spread about a teaspoon of icing over each cookie. It should run down the sides a little bit, but not be runny. If you want to garnish with chopped pecans, do this right away while the icing is still warm, otherwise the nuts won’t stick. So I usually ice 2 or 3 cookies, sprinkle with nuts, then keep going.

If the icing stiffens up before you’ve had a chance to ice all the cookies, you can gently rewarm it on the stovetop for a minute or two so it’s spreadable again.

**This recipe is word for word from In Praise of Leftovers**

Good Fortunes!

2009-10-21T20:37:00.000-07:00

Who can't say that Paula Dean isn't just AMAZING? This recipe was created by her and presented on the Food Network. I really love making these! I made them for Valentines Day a couple years ago with cute notes inside and gave them to the kids! So adorable. Just be careful, paper can stick to the cookies...

Nonstick spray

2 egg whites

1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted

1/2 cup superfine sugar

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 tablespoons water

Pinch salt

Fortunes written on strips of colored paper

Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.

On a half sheet tray, spray a silpat with nonstick spray. In a medium bowl whisk egg whites until foamy. Add the flour, sugar, almond extract, water, and salt to the egg whites and beat until smooth, about 30 seconds. Pour or spoon 1 tablespoon of batter onto prepared silpat and spread with the back of a spoon into a very thin 4-inch circle. Repeat on the other half of the sheet, making only 2 cookies per sheet tray. Bake the cookies on middle rack of oven until golden brown around edges, about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and working very quickly, with an offset spatula, remove cookie from baking sheet and place a fortune in the center of the round. Fold to create a half circle. Bend pointed edges of cookie toward each. This should be done quickly since the cookie will become hard and brittle within 10 seconds. Let cool.

**This recipe was found at FoodNetwork.com**

Colorado Cowboy Cookies!

2009-10-21T20:31:00.000-07:00

What a great way to start off this "Colorado Cookie" blog! Can't beat these tasty cookies!! Round up some freinds and enjoy these with glass of cold milk!

1 c. flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/4 lb. butter

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 egg

1 c. oats

3 oz. chocolate chips

1/2 c. nuts

Sift dry ingredients except oats; set aside. Mix butter, vanilla, both sugars and egg with mixer. Stir in oats, chocolate chips and nuts. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes.

**This recipe was found at cooks.com**