Quick & Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I know I already have a few chocolate chip cookie recipes posted on this blog, but I figured you can never have too many right? Since I use different recipes for different occasions, I thought I'd title the recipe according to the reason I use it. Thus, this recipe for "quick and easy chocolate chip cookies" is one that I use if I just need a quick dessert or something to take to a playdate. There is no sifting or extra mixing necessary, just pile everything into your mixer and they turn out perfectly everytime!
A few posts back, I wrote about Mexican Vanilla so I thought I'd show you exactly what I was talking about. This vanilla actually came from my Aunt Stacie who brought it back from Mexico for my Grandma, and she gave it to me the last time she was here visiting. I LOVE it and I'm so sad I'm almost out! It's clear vanilla and its absolutely amazing, so if anyone knows where to find this vanilla in the states, please share!

Quick & Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter-flavored Crisco
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 2 & 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 cups chocolate chips

Method:

• Mix the first 6 ingredients together.
• Add the flour and soda and mix well.
• Add chocolate chips.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 8-12 minutes.

*Makes approx. 3 dozen cookies

Irresistible Peanut Butter Cookies

I think I've tried every possible recipe for peanut butter cookies, so I can honestly say this is my favorite recipe! I found it in a magazine at Christmas time, so in stead of the usual fork-prong design, they suggested using the edge of a fork to make a star pattern. I thought it was so pretty and I've been doing it ever since...who cares if it's not Christmas, stars are always "in season" right?

Irreisistible Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup Crisco (I always use butter-flavored)
• 1 & 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
• 3 tbsp. milk
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract (If you can find Mexican vanilla, I highly recommend it. I get it at Cost Plus World Market and it tastes amazing)
• 1 large egg
• 1 & 3/4 cups flour
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 tsp. salt

Method:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Combine peanut butter, shortening, brown sugar, milk, and vanilla in a bowl. Beat at medium speed until well blended.
• Add egg and beat until blended.
• Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to creamed mixture at low speed.
• Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto greased baking sheet.
• Flatten slightly and draw star pattern with edge of fork.
• Bake 7-8 minutes or until set and just beginning to brown.
• Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet then remove cookies to cooling rack to cool completely.
• Makes 3 dozen cookies

Sugar Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

I'm convinced any recipe sounds better when it includes the words "cream cheese." This frosting recipe is no exception! The cookies are equally amazing and are so soft and thick, you could eat them without any frosting and be happy. Thank you to my great friend Krista for sharing this recipe. I doubled both the cookie and frosting recipes and was able to cut out over 60 large heart cookies and have more than enough frosting for my Valentine's party. The cookies also freeze very well. I made mine 4 days ahead of time and pulled them out of the freezer a couple hours before the party and they tasted just as fresh as the day I made them.

Sugar Cookies:

Ingredients:

• 2 & 1/2 cups white sugar
• 3 beaten eggs
• 1 & 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 & 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1 cup butter
• 3 tbsp. milk
• 4 & 1/2 cups flour
• 1 & 1/4 tsp. salt

Method:

• Cream sugar and butter.
• Add eggs, vanilla, and milk.
• Add flour and dry ingredients.
• Roll out and use cookie cutters to cut into shapes.
• Place on baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. (I like to under cook my sugar cookies a little because if they cook too long, they become hard and crunchy).

Cream Cheese Frosting:

Ingredients:

• 4 cups powder sugar
• 1 stick (1/2 cup)butter
• 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese
• 2-3 tablespoons milk

Method:

• Cream powder sugar, butter, and cream cheese together.
• Add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach the consistency you like.
• Keep frosting refrigerated. Before use, remove frosting from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for approx. 10 minutes so it's a spreadable consistency.

Sandra Lee's Sugar Cookies

I am a huge fan of Sandra Lee, as is my 3 year old, and the two of us discovered this fabulous sugar cookie recipe while watching her show together one morning. I'm in the process of tripling this recipe and making heart-shaped cookies with red and pink M&M's for the Valentine parties we have coming up this week. I got a little antsy and just had to post this recipe before I could snap a picture of the finished product, but these butterfly cookies that Sandra Lee made on her show were absolutely darling and would be perfect for Easter or any other spring party!Semi-Homemade Sugar Cookies:
Ingredients:

• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 1 (17-ounce) bag sugar cookie mix
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon strawberry extract
• 1 (12-ounce) bag mini M&M's

Method:

• Heat cream cheese in a large microwave safe bowl for 1 minute on 80 percent power in microwave to soften. Add sugar cookie mix, 1/4 cup flour, egg and extract. Stir with wooden spoon until dough is well combined and forms a ball.
• Sprinkle a flat rolling surface with 1 tablespoon flour. Divide dough in half and roll out onto lightly floured surface using a rolling pin. Roll the rolling pin back and forth, turning the dough as needed so it does not stick. Roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness.
• Take cookie cutter and dip cutting edge into a shallow bowl of flour. Then press cookie cutter into rolled out dough. Begin cutting out shapes at the center of the dough and work your way towards the edge, cutting shapes as close together as possible. Once the entire slab of dough is cut, use a small spatula to remove cookies from rolling surface and place on un-greased cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining half of dough.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Decorate each cookie by pressing mini candies into dough. Refrigerate cookies for 15 minutes to prevent spreading while baking.
• Using oven mitts, place cookies in oven on top rack. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven using mitts and let cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute before moving them to cooling rack.
  

Oatmeal Raisin/ Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love to bake and freeze cookies so my freezer is always full of something homemade to pull out at a moment's notice. After the holidays, my supply was very limited, so I found this recipe and tripled it. I added chocolate chips to half of the dough and raisins to the other half. My husband and kids couldn't be happier to have a new stash of cookies to munch on!
Oatmeal/Raisin:

Oatmeal/Chocolate Chip:Oatmeal Raisin/Chocolate Chip Cookies:
Makes approx. 4 dozen
Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter-flavored Crisco
• 1 cup formly paccked 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 cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 cup raisins or chocolate chips

Method:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees
• beat together Crisco and sugars until creamy
• add eggs and vanilla; beat well
• add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; mix well
• stir in oats and raisins/chips; mix well
• drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet
• bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown
• cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire rack

F.Y.I: You can also make this recipe into bar cookies by placing the dough into an greased 13x9 inch baking pan for 30-35 minutes.

Carrot Cake Cookies

My dad's favorite dessert is carrot cake, so when he came over for dinner last Sunday I tried out these cookies and he loved them! Everytime I make something new, I ask my dad for his opinion and if he gives me his approval and tells me he likes it, that's the biggest compliment I could get. He is definitely difficult to please since he grew up with my grandma making him homemade everything and she is absolutely amazing in the kitchen. His opinion means a lot to me....and believe me, he's brutally honest at times and will tell me if he doesn't like something I make. Luckily, these cookies got the stamp of approval! Give them a try! (and don't forget to add a little dollop of cream cheese frosting on top).Carrot Cake Cookies
Ingredients:
1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup grated carrots (about 2 medium)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins or chopped dried pineapple
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper (I use Silpats). Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl.
2. Beat brown sugar and butter in large bowl with electric mixer (I use my Kitchenaid) until creamy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until well blended. Stir in flour mixture; mix well. Stir in carrots, walnuts, and raisins.
3. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake 12-14 minutes or until set and edges are lightly browned. Cool on cookie sheets 1 minute. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
*makes about 3 dozen cookies

Banana Drop Cookies

I wanted to make something besides bread, cupcakes, or muffins with my ripe bananas today, so I opened up an old cookbook given to me by my grandma and found this recipe. It was so easy and these cookies are so soft and moist! I added mini chocolate chips, but you can make them without chocolate chips if you want. Either way they'll taste great!Banana Drop Cookies
1 cup butter (I used butter-flavor Crisco)
2 cups sugar
3 eggs, well beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups sifted flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 cups mashed bananas

Cream butter well, adding sugar gradually. Stir in eggs and vanilla. Sift flour with baking powder, soda, and salt. Add to creamed mixture, alternating with bananas. Add a few handfuls of chocolate chips if desired. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

We're Back!

After a long break from our repice blog, we are back with some great recipes for this holiday season!
This recipe was given to me by my friend, Lisa, and is one of my new favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes. My two favorite ingredients to add to cookies are oatmeal and vanilla pudding mix and this recipe includes both of them! I doubled the recipe, added Fall-colored M&M's, and brought them to a church gathering this evening, and they were a hit. I can't wait to make them with green and red M&M's this Christmas!

Chocolate Chip M&M Cookies
½ cup butter
½ cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
Put above ingredients in mixer and let run on medium for 10-15 mins.
Add 1 small package of instant vanilla pudding and mix.
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups oatmeal
2 cups flour
Sift above ingredients together then add to wet ingredients
. Mix on low until combined.
Add ½ package chocolate chips and ½ package of m&m’s and stir to combine.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.