Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe comes from my cousin Jenn.  It's very similar to my other pumpkin cookie recipe on here, but just has slightly less on the spices, chocolate chips added, and no icing.  The great thing about these cookies is that I can skip that extra step of the icing! 
A quick hint - I use a pretty heavy hand when measuring the spices and chocolate chips.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c. butter
• 1 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 c. solid pack pumpkin
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 1/2 c. flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 c. milk chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Cream butter and sugar. 
2. Beat in egg, pumpkin, and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and cinnamon.  Gradly add to the pumpkin mixture.
4. Stir in chocolate chips.
5. Drop cookies on ungreased cookie sheets.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Enjoy!!

Ricotta Cookies

These were new to us this year, but we LOVE them. They have a nice light taste, and are different than a lot of other cookies around in the holiday season. The dough is VERY sticky, and we make quite a mess in the kitchen the first time haha. But well worth it.

Ingredients:
1 c. butter, room temp.
2 c. granulated sugar
1 container of ricotta cheese (15 oz)
3 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
4 c. all-purpose flour

Icing:
1 1/2 c. 10x sugar (powdered sugar)
milk
sprinkles

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the ricotta and vanilla. Mix well.
3. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Gradually add into the rest of the ingredients. The dough will form a big sticky ball. I couldn't use my hand mixer for the last cup of flour and had to get in there with my hands... It was fun though, and more than a little messy...
4. Crop by teaspoonfuls on an ungreased cookie sheet.
5. Bake for 10-14 minutes, until the bottoms turn golden brown. Let cool for a minute and than transfer onto wire racks.
Icing:
1. In a small saucepan, SLOWLY stir milk into the 10x sugar until it creates a glaze thin enough to be spread over the cookies. Stir over low heat, then spread over cooled cookies. Quickly top with sprinkles.

Spritz Cookies

This is the recipe I most often use in a cookie press.  This year I treated myself to extra-large cookies press and you can see the results above from a cookie-making party with Meg and our friend Michelle (who really needs to post recipes on here too!!  She knows which one!).
This cookies are almost 2x the size of my old cookie-press cookies, and I'm still trying to decide if it's safer to snack on the small cookies (where you can't eat just one), or try and limit myself to one of the big ones haha...

Very important with this recipe, the butter and the egg should be at room temperature.  DO NOT chill the dough beforehand if using a cookie press.  

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. butter
1 c. granulated sugar
1 egg
2 Tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla
4 c. sifted flour
1 tsp baking powder

1. Cream together butter and sugar.  Add egg, milk, and vanilla. Beat well.

2. Sift together flour and baking soda.  Gradually add to the rest of the ingredients, beating well in between each addition.

3. Bank at 400 degrees for 8 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

3 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
12 oz bag of chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
   
2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
3. Beat together butter, shortening, sugars, and vanilla in a large mixer bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
4. Gradually beat in flour mixture.
5. Stir in chocolate chips.
6. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for a couple of minutes and remove to wire racks to cool.
   

Melt In Your Mouth Sugar Cookies

These really do melt in your mouth! They are not healthy in any way, but who's keeping track? They've been passed down in my family for a few generations...you won't be disappointed!

1 cup butter
1 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 cup 10x sugar
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
scant 1 tsp. salt
4 cups flour

• Mix together dry ingredients.
• In large bowl, cream butter, sugar, oil, and vanilla. Add eggs.
• Add dry ingredients to butter/sugar mixture.
• Dough should be refrigerated for at least an hour. (I usually make it the day before and keep it in the fridge overnight.)
• Best way to prepare these cookies is to roll about 1 tsp. into a ball, drop into bowl of sugar and coat ball of dough. Use greased flat bottom of a glass dipped in sugar to flatten balls on a greased cookie sheet. For festive cookies, roll the balls of dough in food-colored sugar.
• You can roll out the dough and use a cookie cutter, but the dough is very greasy and isn't so easy to work with this way. They look and taste good, but take some patience, and dough must be kept cold the entire time.
• Bake at 375 for about 12 minutes, or until edges are golden.

Pumpkin Cookies

Cake-like cookies with a yummy glaze.

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

icing
2 cups confectioners sugar
3 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp melted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine flour, baking powder, baking sode, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 tsp vanilla; and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop onto cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls and flatten slightly.
3. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Cool cookies then drizzle glaze with a fork.
4. To make glaze: Combine confectioners sugar, milk, 1 Tbsp melted butter, and 1 tsp vanilla. Add milk as needed to achieve drizzling consistency.

Recipe is modified off of one found on Allrecipes.com.

Mint Crinkle Top Cookies

Both of my brothers have these on special request. This recipe is based off of the Chocolate Crinkle-Top Cookie recipe from Tollhouse. If you can find mint morsels, great (sometimes it's a real hunt for me to get them)... if not peppermint extract with regular semi-sweet chocolate morsels works as well.

2 c. (12-ounce bag) mint morsels, divided
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. granulated sugar
6 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 c. powered sugar

1. Microwave 1 cup morsels in medium, microwave-safe bowl on HIGH for 1 minute; stir. Microwave at additional 10 to 20 second intervals, stirring until smooth. Cool to room temperature.
2. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in small bowl.
3. Beat granulated sugar, butter, and vanilla* in large mixer bowl until crumbly. Beat in melted chocolate. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture.
4. Stir in remaining morsels. Cover and chill just until firm.
5. Shape dough into 1 1/2 - inch balls, roll in powdered sugar.
6. Place on ungreased baking sheets.
7. Bake in preheated 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 10-15 minutes or until sides are set but centers are sill slightly soft. Cool for a couple of minutes, remove to wire racks to cool completely.

* if using semi-sweet chocolate morsels, add 1 1/2 tsp peppermint extract at the same time you add the vanilla.

One year I goofed and accidentally used baking soda instead of baking powder. The result was flat and crispy cookies. My one brother and some others liked them better this way, especially since it was a cookie of a different consistency around the holidays when that's all we had to snack on. Just a thought if you're looking for some variation! Enjoy!!

Snickerdoodle Cookies

1 c. butter
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 c. flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Cinnamon sugar mixture:
3 Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 c. sugar

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
   
2. Cream together butter and sugar; add eggs and mix.
3. Mix flour, cream of tartar, soda, and salt in 2nd bowl.
4. Add dry ingredients to egg mixture. Let stand in the fridge and cool.
5. Roll dough into small balls; and roll into cinnamon-sugar mixture.
6. Bake at400 F for 8-10 minutes.

With any type of cookie that I refrigerate and roll in a mixture, I break the dough up into 2 or 3 sections to keep dough I'm not using still cool in the fridge. It makes it much easier to roll.

White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

This is my favorite cookie of all time. They are deadly delicious! This is actual an already doubled batch, it's the only way I make them anymore.
The brandy in the recipe can be substituted with vanilla if need-be.

1 c. butter
1 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
2 eggs
3 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 Tbsp brandy
1 1/2 c. white chocolate chips
2 c. dried cranberries

1. Cream together butter, sugars, and eggs.
2. Add dry ingredients and brandy. Mix well.
3. Stir in chips and cranberries.
4. Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes.
   

It's best to take this cookies out while they are still doughy. I use dark brown sugar for many of my cookies, but I liked this recipe best with the light brown sugar. Enjoy!