Those Very Special Sugar Cookies

By Roz Brown

*Winner of the Best Tasting Cookie*

This recipe makes about 8 dozen (I don't know how to cut it down so I freeze the dough, eat the cookies, and hence, my beautiful womanly shape!)

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar (and maybe a sprinkle more)
4 eggs, well beaten
2-4 tablespoons milk, divided
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (and a drip more)
5 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

The Cookie
in large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. beat in eggs, 2 tablespoons of the milk and vanilla until smooth.
in large bow, mix flour, baking powder and salt until light and thoroughly combined. Gradually beat flour mixture into butter mixture. If dough seems dry, add another tablespoon or two of milk. Gather dough into a ball and divide into eight parts. Wrap each part in plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. The dough may also be frozen and thawed in the refrigerator.
When read to bake, remove dough from refrigerator one package at a time. Preheat oven to 350F. For rounded sugar cookies, pinch off about a teaspoon worth and press down. For cookie cutter, with floured rolling pin, roll one package of dough at a time to about 1/8 inch thick on a generously floured surface. The trick is to work with cold dough.

The Streusel (topping)
This recipe will top about 3 dozen teaspoon sized sugar cookies
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (and a dash more)
for additional flavor 1/4 teaspoon allspice
Mix all ingredients in a bowl and press about 3/4 teaspoon onto each cookie. I sprinkled just an added touch more of cinnamon onto each cookie before putting into oven.

Bake for about 12-15 minutes, or until edges are crisp and browned. Cool on baking sheet 3 minutes then to wire rack.

Short on time or don't want to make up 8 dozen cookies? I'm sure any sugar cookie recipe will do, and I've even made them using the Pillsbury cookie dough roll.

Reindeer Poop

By Stacey Lehn

*Most Unique Cookie Award*

Melted chocolate flavored candy melts

spooned on top of almond slices.  Bag and
present with poem:

I came wide awake when I heard Santa call,
"Dash away, Dash away, Dash away all".
Grabbing my robe, I ran out to the lawn,
But reindeer and Santa were already gone.
So with my shovel I started to scoop,
look what I found..
.....gourmet REINDEER POOP!

Frosted Lemon Butter Cookies

By Tina Stevens

1 c butter

1/2 c powdered sugar
2/3 c cornstarch
1 c flour

Cream butter and sugar. Stir in cornstarch and flour. Drop by teaspoonfuls on a cookie sheet. Bake at 325 for 15 minutes. Cool. Combine frosting ingredients. Spread on cooled cookies. Yield: 2 1/2 dozen.

Frosting:
1/4 c butter
2 T lemon Juice
2 1/2 to 3 cups powdered sugar

The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies

By Salena Thomas

1 c sugar

1/2 c brown sugar
1 c butter flavored Crisco
2 eggs
12 - 24 oz chips of choice
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 c flour
1 c chopped nuts of choice (opt)

Cream Crisco and sugars until light and fluffy.  Add eggs and flavoring.  Add dry ingredients and blend thoroughly.  Mix in chips and nuts.  Shape into walnut shaped balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet.  Flatten slightly with palm of hand.  Bake at 350 for 9 - 10 minutes or until slightly golden.  Let stand on cookie sheets for several minutes before removing to cooling rack.  Makes 3 dozen.
To make extra special dip half the cookie into melted chip of flavor.  I dipped these in melted peanut butter chips and drizzled melted chocolate over the top.

Rolled Baklava

By Eleni Franklin

1 lb fillo

1 1/2 c melted butter
4 c chopped nuts (1 1/2 lb un-chopped) walnuts, pecans, almonds, etc
4 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp vanilla

Remove 3 fillo at a time and place on a flat surface.  Brush each generously with melted butter, arranging one fillo on top of the other.  Combine nuts, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and vanilla.  Sprinkle a few tablespoons of nut mixture evenly over 2/3 of the top buttered fillo.  Starting with the filled edge, roll loosely in a jelly-roll fashion to make a long roll.  Place in greased baking pan.  Continue filling pans with nut rolls using 3 well-buttered fillo for each roll.  (6 rolls per batch, 9 - 10 slices per roll).  *Cut each roll in 1 1/2 inch diagonal slices, leaving the rolls intact.  Brush tops with melted butter.   Bake 325 for 25 - 30 minutes until golden.  Cool.  Pour warm syrup over rolls in pan.  Let stand 1 hour.

Syrup:
3 c sugar
1 1/2 c water
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 c honey
Combine sugar, water, and lemon juice.  Boil 10 minutes.  Slowly add honey and simmer 5 minutes.

Chocolate-Cherry Squares

By Shirley Pauole

1 c flour

1/3 c butter
1/2 c light brown sugar (packed)
1/2 c chopped nuts
Filling (recipe below)
red candied cherries, halved

Heat oven to 350.  In a large mixer bowl combine flour, butter and brown sugar.  Blend on low speed to form fine crumbs (abt 2 - 3 minutes).  Stir in nuts.  Reserve 3/4 c crumb mixture for topping;  pat remaining crumbs into ungreased square pan.  Bake 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Filling:
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 c sugar
1/3 c cocoa
1/4 c milk
1 egg
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 c red, chopped candy cherries

In a small mixer bowl combine cream cheese and sugar.  Beat until fluffy.  Add cocoa, milk, egg and flavoring; beat until smooth.  Fold in cherries.  Spread filling over warm crust.  Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture and garnish with cherry halves.  Return to oven; bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool; cut into squares.  Store covered in fridge.  Makes about 3 dozen squares.

Peanut Clusters

By Minerva Gural

Semi Sweet Chocolate

Salted Peanuts

Melt chocolate for one minute in microwave.  Stir and microwave in 15 second intervals stirring until chocolate is melted and smooth.  Mix in peanuts.  Drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper and allow to set.

Susan's Sugar Cookies

By Susan Young

3/4 c butter, softened (no subs!)

3/4 c shortening
2 c sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
5 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt

Mix thoroughly butter, shortening, sugar, eggs, and vanilla.  Blend in flour, baking powder and salt.  Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours (or overnight).
Heat oven to 400.  Roll dough 1/8" thick on lightly floured board.  Cut into desired shapes.  Sprinkle with colored sugar (non if youplan to frost the cookies).  Place on ungreased baking sheets.  Bake 6 - 8 minutes until edges are very lighly brown.  Makes 8 dozen 3" cookies.

Cake Mix Cookies

By Jocelyn Denyer

1 box cake mix (any flavor)

2 eggs
1/3 c oil

Mix together ingredients.  Scoop by about 1" balls onto cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10 - 12 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack.

Variations:
Chocolate mint:  Using chocolate cake mix, once the cookies have colled for 5 minutes, top with Hershey's Mint Truffle Kiss.
Lemon Crinckles:  Using lemon cake mix, roll cookie ballinto granulated or powdered sugar before placing on a cookie sheet to bake.

Add ins:  chocolate chips, nuts, crasins, etc...

Chocolate Mint Truffle Cookies

By Joni Page

*Prettiest Cookie Award*

1/4 c butter

1 c semisweet chocolate chips, divided

1 egg

1/3 c sugar

1/3 c packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp mint extract

1 c flour

1/3 c cocoa

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

1 pkg (4.6 oz) Andes mints, chopped and divided

2 tsp shortening, divided

1/2 c white or vanilla chips

In a small microwaveable bowl melt butter and 1/2 c chocolate chips until melted and smooth.  Cool slightly.  Stir in egg, sugar, and extracts.  Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.  Stir into chocolate mixture.  Stir in 3/4 c chopped Andes mints.  Roll rounded tablespoons of dough into balls.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 for 8 - 10 minutes or until tops appear slightly dry.  Cool for 1 minute before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

In a small microwaveable bowl melt 1 tsp shortening, remaining chocolate chips and andes mints.  Stir until smooth.

In another small bowl melt 1 tsp shortening and vanilla chips until smooth.

Dip half of the cookies in melted chocolate mixture;  dip remaining cookies in melted vanilla chips.  Immediately sprinkle with toppings of chopped nuts, crushed candy canes, sprinkles, etc.  Let stand until set.