More readers' cookie recipes

Claire Watson

Chocolate Chip Supreme Cookies

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

3/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 (3.4 oz.) package instant vanilla pudding mix

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 1/4 cup flour

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups (12 oz. package) semisweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

1 cup uncooked quick-cooking oats

Beat shortening and butter at medium speed until creamy. Gradually add sugars, beating well. Add eggs. Beat until blended. Add pudding mix and vanilla. Beat until blended. Combine flour soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add gradually to butter mixture, beating until blended. Stir in chocolate morsels, pecans and oats. Shape dough into 1 1/2-inch balls. Place on lightly greased cookie sheets, and press to 1-inch thickness. Bake at 350 degrees for about 11 minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool.

Carol (Jones) Curtis

Can't Eat Just One Sugar Cookies

Cream together:

1 cup butter

1 cup oil

1 cup sugar

1 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 eggs

Sift together:

4 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon salt

Stir into sugar mixture. Roll 1 teaspoon dough into a ball. Place on greased cookie sheet. Flatten with bottom of glass dipped in sugar or cross with fork. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes until very lightly browned. Makes 8 dozen cookies.

These are good plain, but to make them even better, make a simple glaze with powdered sugar, a dash of salt and enough milk to make a smooth sauce. I dip the tops of each cookie in glaze and place on cooling rack so extra glaze drips off. Immediately sprinkle with colored candy sprinkles. Let set. When storing, place waxed paper between layers.

Grant and Claire Gillard

Heavenly Honey Butter Cookies

1/2 cup butter (one stick) softened to room temperature

1/2 cup honey

1 egg

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup white sugar

Preheat oven to 325 and grease cookie sheets (airbake preferred). Beat butter and honey in a large bowl until thoroughly combined. Add egg and beat until well mixed. Add baking powder and vanilla, mix well. Add flour 1/2 cup at a time and mix well before adding the next 1/2 cup. Drop by tablespoon onto greased cookie sheet. Grease the bottom of a drinking glass. Place white sugar on a small dinner plate. Grind the greased bottom of the drinking glass in the white sugar and squash the cookie dough until dough is 1/4-inch thin, about the same thickness of the glass. Grind the glass into the sugar and repeat until all the dough is flattened. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the outer edge just begins to turn brown. These cookies are exceptionally addictive when consumed warm with a glass of milk. Yields about 2 dozen cookies. Recipe may be easily doubled for larger batches.

Louise A. Alderman

Romance Cookies

1 cup butter

2 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

Mix butter, flour, sugar, salt together and bake on ungreased 15-by-10 cookie sheet for 10 minutes.

Topping:

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

2 tablespoons flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup coconut

1 cup walnuts

Beat eggs, add brown sugar, flour, baking powder, vanilla, coconut and walnuts. Spread over dough and bake 20 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees.

Susan Elrod Frosted Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 egg

1 tablespoon hot water

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Cream first four ingredients. Add the rest. Flatten cookies a little when placing on the baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Makes two dozen.

Icing:

1/2 stick butter

1 cap vanilla

1 to 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar and enough milk to make it spreadable.

Spread over top of cookies.

Cindy Kerber Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

12 ounces chocolate chips

3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 small package Jell-O Instant pudding (butter pecan, butterscotch, chocolate, milk chocolate, chocolate fudge, French vanilla or vanilla)

Mix flour with baking soda. Combine butter, the sugars, pudding mix and vanilla in large mixer bowl. Beat until smooth and creamy. Beat in eggs. Gradually add flour mixture; then stir in chips and nuts. (Batter will be stiff) Drop from teaspoon onto ungreased baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minute. Makes about 7 dozen.

Cheryl A. Reinagel Brandied Eggnog Cookies

Eggnog Dough:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

Coarse sugar, for sprinkling

Brandy Cream Filling:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

1 tablespoon brandy

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Garnish:

Freshly grated nutmeg

Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar at medium speed until completely combined, about 1 minute. Add egg yolk, vanilla extract, nutmeg and salt. Mix until combined, scraping down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary. Add flour. Mix at low speed until combined. Turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Pat into a rectangle. Wrap it up. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour, or up to 3 days.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or foil. Placed chilled dough on lightly floured work surface and sprinkle it lightly with flour. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to a thickness of 1/8 an inch. Using a 1-1/2 inch square of round fluted cookie cutter, cut out as many cookies as possible from the dough. Cut out the center of half of the cookies with a 1/2-inch pastry tip or other small 1/2-inch cutter (these will be the tops). Transfer cookies to prepared baking sheets, keeping tops and bottoms on separate baking sheets (tops will take a minute or so less to bake than the bottoms). Sprinkle cookies with course sugar. Bake cookies 9-11 minutes, or until lightly browned on bottom (but not on top). Transfer cookies to wire racks and cool completely. Repeat rolling, cutting and baking procedure with remaining dough and scraps.

For brandy creme filling, beat butter at medium speed until creamy, about 30 seconds. Gradually add confectioners' sugar, brandy and vanilla extract and beat until blended. Scrape down sides of bowl. Increase speed to high and beat until buttercream is creamy, about 2 minutes.

Spread about 3/4 teaspoon of filling onto bottom of the whole cookies. Top with one of the cut-out cookies, with bottom side against the filling, pressing cookies lightly together. Grate a bit of fresh nutmeg on top of each cookie. Serve cookies at room temperature or chilled.

Jodi Thompson Menage a Trois Cookies

12 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped

3/4 cup (6 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into large pieces

4 large eggs

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

12 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, cut into 1/2-inch chunks (2 cups)

9 ounces milk chocolate, cut into 1/2-inch chunks (1 1/2 cups)

9 ounces white chocolate, cut into 1/2-inch chunks (1 1/2 cups)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment. (If you have 4 sheet pans, your baking will go more quickly because you can have 2 in the oven and 2 cooling at the same time.) Melt the finely chopped semisweet and unsweetened chocolates together with the butter in a double boiler or microwave. Stir occasionally until smooth. Cool slightly to a warm room temperature. Place the eggs, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer and beat with the balloon whip attachment on high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 5 minutes. Fold in the chocolate mixture until no streaks remain (an extra-large rubber spatula works best). Place the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and stir together with a whisk to aerate lightly. Fold the flour mixture into the batter just until combined. Fold in all of the chocolate chunks.

Use a 1/4-cup-size measuring cup or ice cream scoop to drop the batter onto the prepared sheet pans. Leave 3 inches between the cookies. Bake for 14 minutes. Rotate the pans front to back once during baking. With these cookies it is hard to judge doneness. They are done when the tops and edges have become dull but the insides and middles are still soft. Do not overbake! They will firm up a bit when cool, but they will remain chocolate truffle-like inside.

Place the pans directly on racks to cool. If you try to remove the cookies too soon, they will fall apart. When they are cool, remove them from the pans with a spatula that is large enough to support the entire bottom of each cookie. Keeping them as flat as possible, store them in single layers separated by parchment or waxed paper. They must be stored at room temperature in an airtight container. Eat within 2 days.

TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT

This is very easy and makes a big difference. Reserve about a quarter of the chocolate chunks, all flavors. Scoop the batter onto the sheet pans. Then manually press the chocolate chunks into the cookie tops before baking. The chunks will remain quite visible and make the cookies look as if they are bursting with chocolate.