FAVORITE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE RECIPE

Gavin and me

ORIGINAL TOLL HOUSE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

From Judi Troyer     

Recipe from back of package of Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2 1/4 cups flour (I use Gold Medal, unbleached)
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
2 sticks butter, softened  (or 1 cup Crisco shortening)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed (use dark brown sugar)
1 t. vanilla
2 large eggs
2 cups Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips

Combine flour, baking soda and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

Cream sugars, vanilla and shortening; add eggs one at a time, beating each one as you add it to the mixture.

Gradually add flour mixture to the sugar mixture. Mix thoroughly.

Add chocolate chips to the mix and combine.

Drop by rounded teaspoon onto ungreased baking sheet.

Bake 9-11 minutes, turning the cookie sheet half-way through - or until golden, as desired.

If the phone rings and dough warms up during baking process, put the bowl into the fridge to firm up the dough and continue baking.

Cool on wire racks.  Store in air-tight container.

ALMOND CRESCENTS 1944

Top photo: Mom, me, Dad
Next photo: Mom on her 80th birthday

ALMOND CRESCENTS 1944

From Billie Reid

(Recipe from 1944 - also called Wedding Cookies.)

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup shortening

1/3 cup powdered sugar

2 cups flour

2 t. water

1 t. vanilla

1 t. almond extract

1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped

Cream butter to soften; add sugar.

Mix in water and shortening, then flour and nuts.  Mix well.

Form in a long roll and chill well.

Cut in short lengths, about 1 inch.  Bend ends to form crescents.

Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 325 degrees for 15 minutes. Cool.

Dip each in confectioner's sugar.

Tip:  They don't look baked at the end of 15 minutes, but they are.  I find by taking small amounts of the chilled dough and rolling it, it works better.  Roll like a pencil, back and forth, under your hand. (This is a footnote from the lady who gave this recipe to me.)

CREAMED CHICKEN AND BISCUITS

CREAMED CHICKEN AND BISCUITS

Lora Troyer

1/2 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 t. butter
4 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese, divided
6-10 frozen biscuits, thawed

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease the bottom and sides of

an 11x7 inch baking dish.

Melt butter and saute onion until tender. 

Combine onion, chicken, soup, sour cream, and milk in
a medium bowl and mix well.  Spoon mixture into
prepared baking dish.  Bake for 15 min.  Remove from
oven.

Sprinkle baked layer with 3/4 cup of the cheddar.

Arrange biscuits in single layer over top.  Sprinkle
with remaining cheddar.

Bake until biscuits are golden brown and the sauce is
bubbly, about 20 minutes longer.  Serve immediately.

THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Mom and Lyn

THUMBPRINT COOKIES

From Billie Reid and Lyn Sewell

Both my mom and my sister made these cookies every year during their Christmas cookie baking.  Mom and Lyn fill half of the cookies with red frosting and the other half of the batch of cookies with green frosting in the centers.  It is a perfect topping as you bite into both frosting and cookie--a delicious taste treat!

1 cup shortening (all or part butter)
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 egg yolks
1 t. vanilla
2 cups sifted flour
1/2 t. salt
nuts, finely chopped
reserve egg whites for rolling cookie dough

Cream shortening and sugar.  Add egg yolks and vanilla, and mix well.

Sift together flour and salt. Add to the creamed mixture.  Mix.  

Put in waxed paper and chill in refrigerator.  

Then, form small balls, dip each one in slightly beaten egg white, then roll in finely chopped nuts.

Place about an inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.  

Bake 5 minutes in 375 oven. 

Remove from oven and gently press thumb in each cookie.  

Return to oven and bake 8 minutes longer.  

Cool. When cool, fill the centers with frosting or jelly.

Add confectioners' sugar icing in each (recipe below).  Tint the frosting as you wish.  It should be "kind of thin so it will drip off the end of a spoon."

FROSTING  (Betty Crocker Cookbook)

3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 t. vanilla
2 T. milk 

Mix powdered sugar and butter. Stir in vanilla and milk.*

*At this point, divide frosting into 2 bowls. Add red food coloring to one and green food coloring to the other, to the color desired.  

Beat until frosting is the desired consistency for filling the thumbprint centers. 

SUPER GOOD SUGAR COOKIES

John and me

SUPER GOOD SUGAR COOKIES

Judi Troyer   (via Betty Crocker)

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup butter, softened

1 egg

1 t. vanilla

1/2 t. almond extract, optional

2 1/2 cups Gold Medal flour (unbleached)

1 t. baking soda

1 t. cream of tartar

Granulated sugar

Mix powdered sugar, butter, egg, vanilla and almond extracts. 

Mix in flour, baking soda and cream of tartar.

Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. 

Divide dough into halves. 

Roll each half 3/16 inch thick on lightly floured board.  Cut into shapes.

Sprinkle with granulated sugar; place on lightly greased sheet. 

Bake until edges are light brown, 7-8 minutes. 

Cool.  Frost and decorate, if desired.

Frosting (Betty Crocker)

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 t. vanilla

 About 2 T. milk and food coloring, if desired

Mix powdered sugar and butter. 

Stir in vanilla and milk* and beat until frosting is smooth and of desired consistency.

* Add in food coloring at this point, if desired, for decorating the cookies. You can split the frosting into different bowls and colors for making each cookie unique.

We have a family tradition of letting each person decorate at least one cookie with his or her own special design.

CHERRY WINKS

Lyn and Lexi making Cherry Winks
Christmas, 2012

CHERRY WINKS

From Lyn Sewell

2 ¼ cups flour                   

1 t. baking powder                

½ t. soda                     

½ t. salt
3/4 cup Crisco shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 T. milk
1 t. vanilla
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup dates, chopped                     

1/3 cup maraschino cherries, drained and chopped
2 1/2 cups Wheaties, crushed

Blend ¾ cup Crisco shortening and 1 cup sugar.

Add 2 eggs, 2 Tbls. milk, and 1 tsp. vanilla.  Blend into dry ingredients gradually and mix thoroughly.

Add 1 cup chopped pecans, 1 cup chopped dates, 1/3 cup maraschino cherries, drained & chopped.

Mix together and drop by rounded teaspoons into 2 ½ cup crushed Wheaties.  Top each with ¼ cherry.

Place on greased baking sheet and bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes.

HOLLY COOKIES

Anita

HOLLY COOKIES

From Judi  (via Anita Butler)

1/2 lb. butter (I use 1/2 cup)

35 large marshmallows (or 4 cup miniature marshmallows)

1 t. vanilla

1 t. green food coloring

5 cups Corn Flakes

Red Cinnamon candies

Melt butter and marshmallows in pan on medium heat. 

Add vanilla and coloring and mix well.

Add Corn Flakes - being careful not to crush them. Mix until all are green coated.

Form small amount into shapes like holly leaves on waxed paper and place 3-4 candies on top to represent berries.  Let stand 24 hours until dry. Can be shaped into a wreath, if desired.

Makes 80.