COLOSSAL COOKIE CONTEST: THE WINNERS ARE...

1st place:

Santa's Whiskers

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 tbsp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup finely chopped red candied cherries

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

3/4 cup flaked coconut

Cream butter and sugar in bowl until light and fluffy. Add milk and vanilla; mix well. Stir in flour, cherries and pecans. Shape into 8-inch rolls. Coat with coconut and wrap in waxed paper.

Chill until firm. Cut into 1/4-inch slices and place on greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes or until edges are golden. Cool on wire rack. Makes 5 dozen.

Denise Bailey

Jackson

2nd place:

Nutty Chocolate Caramel Bars

2 1/3 cups flour

2 cups old-fashioned oats

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter or 2 sticks margarine

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

1 cup (12.25 ounce jar) caramel ice cream topping

Combine 2 cups flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add butter; stir until all ingredients are moistened. Reserve 1 cup crumb mixture; press remaining mixture onto bottom of ungreased 13 X 9 inch pan.

Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with morsels and walnuts. Combine caramel topping and remaining 1/3 cup flour in small bowl; drizzle over base. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 to 25 more minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.

Carol Bierschwal

Cape Girardeau

3rd place:

Nina's Rich Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)

1/2 cup margarine, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

2 large eggs

2 tbsp. honey

2 tbsp. milk

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

3 1/2 cups Pioneer Biscuit and Baking Mix

2 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats

1 1/2 cups crisp rice cereal

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1 cup coconut

1/2 cup sunflower nuts

In large mixer bowl beat butter, margarine and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, honey, milk, vanilla and cinnamon. Beat well. Slowly add baking mix and oats, beating on low speed to combine. Stir in rice cereal, pecans, coconut and sunflower nuts.

Cover and chill dough at least 1 hour. Place tablespoonfuls of dough on baking sheet coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 350 degrees 10-12 minutes or until golden brown but still slightly soft in center.

Cool on baking sheet 5 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes 6 dozen.

Marjorie Swan

Pocahontas

Other cookie semi-finalists:

Stone Jar Cookies

This is an old German recipe that has been handed down in my family for many, many years. It has been adopted to modern-day ingredients and equipment.

1 cup shortening

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon nutmeg

2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs, slightly beaten

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup milk

1 cup raisins, chopped

1 cup nuts, chopped

1 package mincemeat, broken up

Combine shortening, salt, vanilla and nutmeg. Add sugar and cream together thoroughly.

Drop in eggs and mix well.

Add 1/2 of the flour and soda and blend thoroughly. Add milk, rest of flour, raisins, nuts and mince meat, mix well.

Let stand 10 minutes. (Note: may be chilled or frozen and baked at a later time.)

Use a small cookie dropper or teaspoon, drop on a cookie sheet, prepared with parchment sheets. Flatten a little.

Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

Helen Parker-Calhoun

Bell City

Cathedral Windows

1 stick butter

1 12-ounce package chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts

1 10-ounce miniature colored marshmallows

1 8-ounce package coconut or colorful sprinkles

Melt butter and chocolate chips over low heat. Let cool slightly. Add marshmallows and nuts. Spread coconut (or sprinkles) on 2 pieces of waxed paper. Divide mixture into 2 rolls and roll in coconut (or sprinkles). Place in fridge for several hours. Cut in 1/2 inch slices.

Freezes well for the holidays.

Denise McDowell

Jackson

Sparkly Christmas Bon Bon Cookies

1/2 cup soft butter

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1 Tablespoon vanilla

1 1/2 cup sifted flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 bag Hershey's kisses (remove foil)

Mix butter, sugar, vanilla. Blend in flour and salt. If dough is dry, add 1-2 tablespoons cream. Wrap level tablespoon dough around chocolate kiss. Bake on ungreased baking sheet at 350 degrees until cookie is set but not brown. Cool.

Icing

2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

Red and green food coloring

Red and green colored sugars

Add cream to sugar, cream together. Blend in vanilla, beat until smooth. If icing is too thin, add more sugar, if too thick, add a little cream. Divide icing into two bowls. Add red food coloring to one of the bowls, by the drop until desired color achieved (will be about 3-4 drops). Do same for green coloring to the other bowl.

When cookies are cool, dip top in icing, then in colored sugar. Allow icing to set, enjoy.

Marianne Schroeder

Cape Girardeau

Italian Fig Cookies

This cookie is a holiday tradition.

Filling:

2 cups walnuts or pecans

1 1/2 pound figs

1/2 pound stoned dates

1 cup sugar

1 cup raisins

1 grated orange peel

2 tablespoons Karo syrup (light)

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 small can crushed pineapple

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

Run figs, raisins, dates and pecans in food chopper or blender, then add all other ingredients. Set aside. 2 tablespoons Bourbon, brandy optional.

Dough:

8 cups flour

1 cup milk

5 eggs

6 teaspoons baking powder

2 cups Crisco shortening

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2 cups sugar

Mix flour, baking powder and sugar with Crisco; blend well. Add rest of ingredients. Should be texture of pie dough. Add flour or milk if necessary. Roll out in strips about 6 by 3 inches. Put filling in center. Fold dough together. Seal with fingers.

Roll and cut into desired shapes. Baked on greased cookie sheet at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Ice if desired.

Sandy Minter

Cape Girardeau

Cashew Drops

A cookie with a surprise inside.

Cream together 1/2 cup softened butter and 1/2 cup powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in 1 3/4 cup flour and 1/8 teaspoon salt until well combined.

Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 3 Tablespoons half and half. Mix until all ingredients are thoroughly moistened. For each cookie, mold a tablespoon of dough around a cashew nut. Place on ungreased baking sheet.

Bake in a 400 degrees oven 10-12 minutes or until cookies are set and the tops are a pale golden color and the bottoms are light brown.

Remove from the oven and place cookies on a wire rack to cool. This recipe makes about 36 cookies.

Judy Reed

Jackson

Mom's Raisin-Filled Sugar Cookies

3/4 cup Crisco

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

Cream Crisco and sugar; add eggs and vanilla. Sift together and stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Chill at least 1 hour.

Roll out 1/2-inch thick and cut with round cutter.

Raisin Filling:

1/2 cup sugar

2 1/2 cups raisins

2 tbsp. flour

2 cups water

Mix sugar, raisins, flour and water; boil until thick.

Place cut-out cookies on cookie sheet. Spoon out about 1 tsp. raisin filling on top of each cookie. Put another cookie on top and press down edges.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Carolyn Pickens

Jackson

German Chocolate Thumbprints

Topping:

1 cup sugar

1 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 tsp. vanilla

3 egg yolks, beaten

1 1/2 cups flaked coconut

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Cookies:

1 pkg. Pillsbury Plus German chocolate cake mix

1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted

In heavy 2-qt. saucepan combine sugar, milk, 1/2 cup butter, vanilla and egg yolks; blend well. Cook over medium heat 10-13 minutes or until thickened and bubbly, stirring frequently. Stir in coconut and pecans.

Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Reserve 1 1/4 cups topping mixture and set aside.

In large bowl combine cake mix, margarine and rest of topping mixture; stir by hand until thoroughly moistened.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Make thumbprint in center of each ball and fill with rounded 1/2 tsp. of reserved topping.

Bake at 350 degrees 10-13 minutes or until set. Do not overbake.

Cool 5 minutes and remove from cookie sheet.

Makes about 5 dozen.

Betty McCart

Cape Girardeau

Holiday Pinwheels

3 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup coconut

1/2 cup nuts, chopped fine

1/3 cup margarine or butter

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup cocoa

1 egg

1 tbsp. milk

1/2 tsp. baking soda

Filling:

Blend cream cheese, 1/3 c. sugar and vanilla; stir in coconut and nuts. Set aside.

Cream margarine and add flour, 1 c. sugar, cocoa, egg, milk and baking soda.

Roll half the dough between two sheets of waxed paper into 10x8 rectangle. Spread half the filling over dough. Roll up from long side. Repeat with rest of dough and filling. Wrap with waxed paper and chill 24 hours. Cut into 1/4-inch slices.

Bake at 375 degrees about 8 minutes.

Mary Jeanne Weber

Jackson