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GRAMMA??™S BUTTER COOKIES

The title says it all. These were my mom??™s best cookies. She only made them at Christmas. We thought the recipe was lost when she died, because she never wrote any recipes down. While going through her things, I found the untitled recipe written on a tiny piece of paper, stuck in a kitchen drawer. Now all the grandkids have copies so it will never be lost again.

1 cup butter
1 ?? cup confectioner??™s (very fine) sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 ?? cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
?? teaspoon salt
Walnuts or raspberry jam

Cream butter and sugar, adding sugar gradually. Add unbeaten egg and vanilla to butter mixture. Sift dry ingredients together and gradually add to creamed mixture. Roll out dough as for a pie crust. Cut out circles with a round cookie cutter. (I use a drinking glass dipped in flour). Put a walnut half or a dollop of raspberry jam in the center of the cookie. Fold up and pinch together two sides to cover the nuts or jam. Bake at 350 degrees. Watch carefully. They are done when the bottoms are lightly brown. They are overdone if the tops brown.




STAINED GLASS CHRISTMAS COOKIES

I forgot where I got this recipe, but I lost it one year and the kids were frantic until I finally found it. My daughter-in-law would sell her first-born (well, maybe her second born) for this cookie.

1 cup powdered (confectioner??™s) sugar
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 cups glazed cherries (I use red and green)
1 cup chopped nuts

Cream sugar, butter, egg and vanilla. Stir in flour, cherries and nuts. Chill dough for one hour. Divide into three parts. Roll into 1 ?? inch logs. Wrap in plastic wrap or waxed paper. Refrigerate at least three hours, preferably overnight. Slice about ?? inch thick. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. Cookie is done when dough is set. Do not overbrown.




DATE BARS

This was my dad??™s favorite cookie. I had to call my niece, Donna, for the recipe. She has the only cookbook my mom owned. I have over 4 hundred cookbooks. Guess who was the best cook.

2 eggs? 
1 cup confectioner's sugar? 
1 tablespoon shortening, melted? 
1/4 cup sifted cake flour? 
1/4 teaspoon salt? 
1/2 teaspoon baking powder? 
1 cup chopped dates? 
3/4 cup nuts, chopped? 
1 teaspoon vanilla? 

Beat eggs until light. Add sugar and shortening. Blend well. Sift dry ingredients together and add. Add dates, nuts and vanilla. Blend well and pour into greased shallow cake pan. Bake in slow oven (325 F) about 25 minutes. Cut into bars and roll in confectioners' sugar. Makes about 24.




BANANA OATMEAL COOKIES

These cookies taste just like banana nut bread. It is taken from Wisler??™s Country Cooking II. This is a great cookbook from the Mennonites.? 

1 ?? cup flour
1 cup sugar
?? teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
?? teaspoon nutmeg
?? teaspoon cinnamon
?? cup shortening
1 egg, beaten
1 cup mashed bananas
1 ?? cup rolled oats (oatmeal)
?? cup chopped nuts

Combine flour, sugar, soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Cut in shortening. Add remaining ingredients.

Mix well. Drop by teaspoonfuls, about 1 ?? inch apart, on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until edges are brown.? 




CINNAMON SUGAR BUTTER COOKIES

This recipe is taken from the Mrs. Field??™s Cookie Book. It is a very good book. The ingredients are clearly listed, the directions are simple, and there is only one recipe to a page with a picture of the cookie.

Topping:

3 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon? 

Cookies:

2 ?? cups flour
?? teaspoon baking soda
?? teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar, packed
?? cup white sugar
1 cup salted butter, softened
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a small bowl combine sugar and cinnamon for topping. Set aside In a medium bowl combine flour soda and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl blend sugars with an electric mixer set at medium speed. Add the butter and mix to form a grainy paste. Scrape sides of the bowl , then add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the flour mixture and blend at low speed just until combined. Do not over mix. Shape dough in to one inch balls and roll each ball into sugar cinnamon topping. Place onto ungreased cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Immediately transfer cookies to a cool flat surface.

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For Two...

I CAN??™T BELIEVE IT??™S A COOKIE

This simple recipe makes only a couple of dozen cookies.

1 large egg
1 cup sugar
1 cup chunky peanut butter

Mix together egg, sugar and peanut butter. Shape into balls on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 11 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet a few minutes before removing.