Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

 

This is a down-home, just right, sort of cookie. The recipe comes from the Women of the Farm Bureau 25 Years cookbook. Great for packing in a picnic lunch or for taking to a potluck this summer. Happy 4th of July! For more potluck ideas for The Glorious 4th, click here,

Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 c. shortening
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. quick cooking rolled oats
2 c. flaked coconut

Mix flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda together.  Cream shortening and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla, beat well. Add flour mixture in 4 parts, beating just until smooth after each addition. Stir in rolled oats and coconut. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. If desired, you can sprinkle with more coconut. Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 10 min. Yield: 2 1/2 dozen

Notes: I didn't sprinkle with extra coconut.

Jenny

Super Soft Peanut Butter Cookies

 

I was travelling with my husband last summer from Bozeman to Salt Lake. Since our road took us right past my daughter's home, we arranged to make a quick stop there. She put one of these warm, perfect cookies into my hand as we were driving away; making it a very pleasant trip indeed. If you are a peanut butter fan (like me) this is the best homemade peanut butter cookie I have come across. 

Super Soft Peanut Butter Cookies

1 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. butter, softened

1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar

Cream together, then add:

1 egg
1 Tbsp. vanilla

Stir in:
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Drop onto greased baking sheet; flatten with a fork. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 min. Take them out while still doughy looking. Cool, store in an airtight container.

Variation: decrease flour to 1 c. add 1 c. oats and 1 tsp. cinnamon. Yummy and hearty.

Notes: I haven't tried the variation yet.

Jenny

Gingerbread Cookie Bars

This recipe is from Six Sisters Stuff 12 Days of Christmas cookbook. They are very addictive to molasses lovers and highly recommended by me because they are easy and pretty much perfect and I am a molasses junky! Merry Christmas!

Gingerbread Cookie Bars

1/2 c. butter, melted (oil works too)
3/4 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/3 c. molasses
1 egg
2 tsp. baking soda
2 c. flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt

1 recipe of your favorite cream cheese frosting (optional)
powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9x13 pan with baking spray and set aside. In a mixing bowl beat butter, sugars, vanilla and molasses until creamy.  Add the egg and stir.  Add dry ingredients and mix until well combined.  Using clean hands or a rubber spatula, press dough into prepared pan. Bake 15- 20 min. (bars should be a little moist.) Cool.  Frost if desired, or dust with powdered sugar. Cut into squares and serve.

Jenny

Raisin Nut Bars

My mother loves raisins and nuts in everything, so in some sympathetic eating, I decided to try these. They are good, I might be my mother's daughter! The recipe comes from a little pamphlet called Bar Cookie Bonanza.

Raisin Nut Bars
1 c. raisins
1 1/2 c. water
1/2 c. butter or margarine
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. baking soda
2 c. flour
1 c. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 c. chopped nuts

In a microwave safe mixing bowl, place raisins and water.  Microwave on high for 1-2 min, until fruit is warm and plump.  Add butter, egg and baking soda to raisins and water, stir together.  Add flour, sugar and spices and blend in nuts.  Mixture should be the consistency of cake batter.  Spread into bar pan and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 min.  Cool.  Glaze.

Glaze:
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
1-2 Tbsp. milk
Combine sugar and butter, add enough milk to make a very thin glaze.  Drizzle over cooled bars.  Let glaze set before cutting.

Jenny

Easy Brownies

Do you have a potluck for Memorial Day? Here is something people are always glad to see on the table. These are almost as fast as a mix. They will be darker or lighter depending on your cocoa.  If you would like other potluck ideas from this blog, check this post or click the Menu tab and scroll down.

Easy Brownies

2 c. sugar

1 c. flour

2/3 c. cocoa

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp.vanilla

1/2 c. butter or margarine, melted

4 eggs

1/2 c. nuts (opt.)

1/2 c. chocolate chips (opt.)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, salt, vanilla, butter and eggs.  Add nuts and chocolate chips.  Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake for 30 min. Cool before cutting. Dust with powdered sugar if you like.

Jenny

Congo Bars

This recipe has all the taste and texture of lovely chocolate chip cookies and the convenience of just spreading it in the pan and baking once. Perfect for an afternoon snack, or a midnight treat (if they last that long at your house--they don't here!)

Congo Bars
2/3 c. oil
2 1/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
3 c. flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. chopped nuts (opt)
1 c. chocolate chips

Stir oil and brown sugar together, add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add flour, baking powder and salt and mix. Stir in nuts and chips last. Batter will be stiff. Spread into a 10x15 jelly roll pan and bake at 350 for 25 min. Cut into squares while warm.

Jenny

Carrot Bars

I took the photo without the frosting so you can see how packed with delicious goodness these bars are. You can add coconut to them too if you like.

Carrot Bars
4 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. oil
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple, well drained
2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
3 c. grated carrots

Beat eggs until light. Gradually beat in sugar.  Add oil, then dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in carrots, pineapple and nuts.  Spread into 2 greased 9x13 pans.  Bake at 350 for 25-30 min.  Cool and top with cream cheese frosting.

Notes: I made this in my really big sheet pan and the recipe fit perfectly.  I also sprinkled cinnamon-sugar over the frosting to make a sugar crust--excessive and wonderful! If you are serving a smaller group, divide this is half and bake it in just one 9x13 pan.

Jenny

School Day Raisin Cookies

These are really scrumptious with their maple flavoring, we absolutely loved them!  This recipe comes from a cookbook published in 1953 called Family Cookbook by Parent's Magazine.  The step to rinse the raisins is probably not necessary now, but I still did it, as I had no way to measure the liquid amount that would be left on the raisins and therefore be part of the recipe. :)

School Day Raisin Cookies
3/4 c. raisins
1 1/2 c. rolled oats
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. oil
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. maple flavoring
1 tsp. vanilla
Rinse raisins and drain, set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine oats and sugar.  Stir in oil and eggs.  Add dry ingredients and stir together.  Stir in raisins and flavorings.  Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees 8-10 min. Cool on wire rack, makes 3 dozen cookies.

Jenny

Oatmeal Coconut Cookies

Soft and chewy, these make a great afternoon snack.

Oatmeal Coconut Cookies
2 c. quick oats
2 c. brown sugar
1 c. melted margarine
2 1/2 c. flour
2 eggs, well beaten
1 c. coconut
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda, dissolved in 1 Tbsp. hot water

Combine oatmeal and sugar.  Add margarine and blend.  Add flour and mix well.  Add eggs, mix again, then add coconut and vanilla, blending soda solution in.  Drop on to greased baking sheets.  Bake 10 min. at 350 degrees.

Jenny

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Celebrating the end of the school year with some cookies today.  Recently my son told me he checked the blog, but he couldn't find the chocolate chip cookies...the ones with no oatmeal.  I hadn't realized it, but I checked, and it's true, that Cindy's Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies both have oatmeal.  Apparently, I have a subconscious theme going on.  Sorry Jake, here it is, the one without the oatmeal.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
2/3 c. margarine
2/3 c. shortening
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
3 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 pkg. chocolate chips
1 c. chopped nuts (opt.)

In a large mixing bowl, cream together shortening and margarine with sugars.  Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.  Add dry ingredients and mix to combine. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Scoop dough on to ungreased cookie sheets, bake at 350 for 10-12 min.  Take out when doughy looking.  Let set on baking sheets for 1-2 min. before removing to wire rack to cool.  Makes 4 dozen.

Notes: I usually use about a cup of chocolate chips in this, some packages are 6 oz, some 12 oz. You use however many YOU want! :-)

Jenny

Whole Wheat Snickerdoodles

This is the kind of Snickerdoodle I make.  The recipe comes from an old extension publication on food storage.  I grind hard white wheat to use in anything that calls for wheat flour, it is light in color and less nutty than its red wheat cousin. Snickerdoodles are fun to make with the kids, because it is nice to have extra hands to roll the dough in the cinnamon sugar.

Whole Wheat Snickerdoodles
1 c. shortening, butter or margarine
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 c. whole wheat flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda

2 Tbsp. sugar + 1 tsp. cinnamon for rolling

Cream together the sugar, shortening and eggs.  Add dry ingredients and mix well.  Roll dough into 1 inch balls and roll balls in cinnamon sugar.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet 2 inches apart.  Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 min.  Remove from cookie sheet to cool on rack.  Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Note: if your first batch of cookies doesn't flatten out, you can press the balls down a bit before baking.  Mine always go flat without this step, so I left it out of this recipe, but it is included in the original.

Jenny

Ginger Crinkles

I have a new old cookbook and I found a recipe that we just loved!! (I have to have a little molasses every now and then to keep me warm in the winter.) These are a bit crisp, and reminiscent of a ginger snap, but with a buttery flavor.  I used all whole wheat flour in them, and I think I will do that every time because I like the nutty taste.  Great winter cookie for when the kids need something to do with their hands, have them help roll the dough into balls and roll them in the sugar before baking.

Ginger Crinkles
2/3 c. oil
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1/4 c. molasses
2 c. flour (you can use all whole wheat if desired)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger

more sugar for rolling

Combine oil, sugar, egg and molasses and stir to
evenly combine.  Add dry ingredients and stir.  Roll dough into 1 inch balls and roll in a 1/4 c. sugar.  Place on greased cookie sheets, 2 inches apart.  Bake at 350 degrees for 9-10 minutes.  Remove to wire rack to cool.  Yield 4 dozen.

Notes: I doubled the batch and we made about 80 cookies using this trick to get it done faster by baking two sheets at a time.

Jenny

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yesterday we made these for dunking in milk. Chasing any January blahs that might be hanging around.  The amount of chocolate chips can be doubled, but they were nice this way too, with the peanut butter still making a statement.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. oil
1 c. peanut butter
1/4 c. milk
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
3 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 c. chocolate chips

Mix sugars, oil, peanut butter, milk, vanilla and eggs until combined.  Add dry ingredients, then stir in chocolate chips.  Drop by teaspoon onto a cookie sheet, 2 inches apart.  Bake at 375 degrees for 10 min. Cool on rack. Yields about 5 dozen.

Jenny

Movie Night Foods

I remember weekends at college, when we would gather around the huge TV in the common room of my dorm and watch a movie. (I probably shouldn't add here, that the movie that was so popular with that group of girls, on that particular TV was The Little Mermaid....sigh, I know!)  Popcorn was the First Item Of Business.  Other snacks were welcome, but the popcorn was mandatory!  Today, I wanted to gather a few recipes in a list for you to enjoy with your weekend.

Movie Night Foods
Popcorn. Salted and buttered is standard, but try these for crowd pleasing points:
Elaine's Caramel Popcorn
Marshmallow Popcorn Balls (you don't have to make this into balls, you can just stir it in a big bowl)
Jello Popcorn Balls (these are pretty fabulous in orange for Halloween)

Instead of popcorn, but still in the same groove:
Peanut Butter Goop (also can be eaten straight from the bowl to happy effect)

If you have tortilla chips to share, dip them in these:
Black Bean Dip
Guacamole
Hummus
Hot Artichoke Dip

If you want to pass around the cookies:
Super Simple Cookies (these start with a cake mix and can be thrown together at the last minute, for emergency movie parties)
Davy Crockett Bars (pop these in the oven, then while they bake, put on your make up for those parties where there are going to be cute boys to sit by... make sure and mention you made these)
Cindy's Chocolate Chip Cookies (When the party was announced in advance and there will be a crowd)
No Bake Cookies (Sticky, but great companion food for a chick flick and the chicks don't usually mind licking their fingers.)

And one more in honor of my mother, who is wise and knows that buttery, salty popcorn and homemade fudge should always hang out together:
Easy Rocky Road Fudge.  (Note: you can make this without the mallows and nuts if you want "just" fudge)

Jenny

Spritz Cookies

This is a buttery cookie dough, made to use with a cookie press.  I have one from Pampered Chef, but they can be purchased from lots of places.  I like to make these when I am short on time, but want something yummy and festive.  They don't take frosting, only cook for 8 minutes and you can color the dough or select shapes for any holiday.  You can sprinkle them with colored sugar or not.

Spritz Cookies
1 1/2 c. (3 sticks) butter or margarine
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. almond extract
4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder

Cream butter and sugar.  Add egg and extracts.  Add flour in two batches, mixing after each addition, adding baking powder with flour.  Mix until the dough is uniform in color.  Mix in drops of food coloring if desired.  Fill cookie press with dough.  On an ungreased cookie sheet, hold press firmly and squeeze each cookie.  The cookies don't spread much, so you can fit a lot on each cookie sheet. Sprinkle with colored sugar if desired. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 min.  Makes about 5 dozen cookies (depends on the size of your cookie press).

Notes:  I bake two sheets of cookies at a time with this tip.  My kids love to help with these. They like to use the cookie "gun" and squeeze the trigger.  Also, after making these today, I am pretty sure the brown sugar cookies from the previous post would work in a press (without the chilling step).  I'm going to try it next time I make them.  Let me know how it works if you try them first! Happy Valentine's Day!

Jenny

Brown Sugar Cutout Cookies

This is the first recipe I have tried from my new cookbook: Sweet Gratitude by Judith Sutton.  They are so yummy!  Plan time for chilling, as the dough is soft and cannot be worked immediately.  I chilled mine in a roll and sliced them, but you can cut out shapes and frost them for holidays too.  I don't think they need frosting, but I'm sure no one would object.

Brown Sugar Cutout Cookies

2 c. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature

1 c. packed dark brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

In a bowl, beat butter and brown sugar 2-3 min. or until fluffy.  Beat in the egg, then the vanilla.  On low speed, beat in the 1 c. flour, baking powder and salt.  Then when that is incorporated, beat in the 2nd cup of flour.  Divide the dough into fourths, flatten each quarter of the dough into a disk, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm enough to roll.  Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness and cut with cookie cutters.  Place on ungreased baking sheets and bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Slice and Bake method: Divide dough in 1/2, roll each half into an 8 inch long log.  Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze until firm (about an hour).  Using a sharp knife, cut logs into scant 1/4 inch thick slices and arrange on ungreased baking sheets, bake as directed.

Notes: The dough is very soft, you may have to chill it to divide it.  You can also freeze the dough, but thaw in the fridge before slicing.

Jenny

Photo for an old favorite

This is a recipe we all love at my house!  I usually make them for Christmas time, but recently they seemed appropriate for a family dinner.  Here is the link to fresh photos for Turtle Waffle Cookies.

Jenny

Recipes for Apple Season!

Today I shared a link for a linky party at From My Tiny Kitchen and the theme is apples.  As I searched my recipes for one to share, I realized that I have a bunch of apple recipes hidden all over my blog, so I am posting a list this morning to celebrate this versatile, favorite fruit. 

Applesauce Cookies
One Big Apple Dumpling
Baked Apple German Pancake
Almost A Waldorf
Applesauce Muffins
Stretched Sausages
A.M. Delight Muffins
Fruit Cobbler
Swedish Apple Pie
Snicker Salad
Crockpot Carrot Pudding
Crisp Pie Topping
No Crust Apple Pie
Apples For My Children

There are more apple recipes to come this fall, you can search for them by entering the word apple in the side bar search.

Jenny

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

This is a great compromise cookie for us.  My kids always want chocolate chip, I always want oatmeal! 

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
3/4 c. shortening
2/3 c. brown sugar
2/3 c. white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda
2 c. oatmeal
2 Tbsp. water
1 pkg. (12 oz.) chocolate chips
1/2 c. nuts

Cream sugar, shortening, eggs and vanilla.  Add dry ingredients.  Stir in oatmeal and water.  Mix in chocolate chips and nuts.  Bake at 375 for 8 min. Do not over bake.

Notes: I double the recipe except the chocolate chips, one bag will still do a double batch nicely.

Jenny

My Shortening is Soft, and other Thoughts About August.

I reached for the shortening to make biscuits, it looked normal when I opened it, but when I stuck in my spoon, it went squish.  It is too hot! Too hot to think.  Too hot to cook.  If we have one month that I could skip year after year, it is August.  My mind feels just like that poor shortening: trying to hold it together, but underneath it all, squish.

My garden likes the heat.  I harvested 4 eggplants yesterday.  Nobody told me they were like zucchini!  Prolific production and the same reception at the table.  The only difference is that I don't have any recipes for eggplant quick bread or eggplant cookies.  And I am positive my children do not want me to research this!  Eggplants are rather appealing to the eye, deep purple and perfectly formed.  I am making an Eggplant Parmesan as soon as it is not too hot to cook.... I've only had one ripe tomato, about the size of a nickel.  Hoping for more soon. The yellow summer squash is going crazy, and the zucchini would be perfect for cookies, if it weren't so hot.

This is my theory:  you know how some people get seasonal affective disorder (SAD) in the fall and winter when the gray weather sets in?  I get that in August.  I sit a lot.  I eat sugar and put on weight.  I can't sleep for the tossing in the sticky heat.  My house gets atrocious for lack of care.  I look around and wonder why my husband keeps me.

Then there is back-to-school.  My children are my friends and I always dread the time when I am supposed to send them away again.  I do, however, love to buy school supplies.  There is something so happy about clean paper and new pens, all the possibilities!

So, what are we eating?  Not much that can't be microwaved!  I did put a pork roast in my crock pot with barbecue sauce this week.  Good ole' crock pot.  And last night we had hot dogs and onions with jello jigglers.  I may try microwaving my eggplant Parmesan so I can eat that yummy stuff.

My happy thought is that August is almost over.  September and October are my favorites so we will cook some more soon--just as soon at the heat breaks.

Jenny