Almond Shortbread And Jam Cookies

Can I just say I'm in love with this little cookie!

My cute little daughter in law introduced me. Now every time I see a jar of jam I want to make a batch. And I dare anyone to try and eat just one, it's perfectly impossible. In fact, I can sit down and eat the whole batch, especially if the jam is homemade!

The How To's:

Ingredients:

COOKIES

•  1 cup (230g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 2/3 cup (134g) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 cups + 2 Tbsp (264g) all-purpose flour (measured correctly!) 
• 1/2 cup (160g) raspberry jam

GLAZE

• 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar
• 1 Tablespoon (15g) cream or milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract (optional) 

Directions:

Make the cookies: Using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Switch mixer to medium speed and add the the sugar, vanilla, and almond extracts. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl as needed. Turn the mixer off and pour the flour into the wet ingredients. Turn the mixer on low and slowly beat until a very soft dough is formed.  Press the dough down to compact it and tightly cover with plastic wrap to chill until firm, at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats (silicone mats preferred to reduce spreading). Shape the cookie dough into balls. Mine were about 1 Tablespoon of dough per ball. Make sure they're nice and smooth. Make an indentation with your thumb into each ball. The dough may crack slightly when you press your thumb into it. Simply smooth it out with your fingers if you can. Otherwise, it's perfectly fine to have a few cracks. Fill each with a scant 1/2 teaspoon of jam. (Or however much it can hold.)

Bake the shortbread thumbprint cookies for 14-15 minutes, or until very lightly browned on the edges. The cookies will puff up and spread slightly. Do not over bake.  In fact, I only baked mine for 13-14 minutes. I prefer them a little soft. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before glazing.

Make the glaze: stir together glaze ingredients until smooth. Add more liquid to thin out or add more powdered sugar to thicken to your desired consistency. Drizzle over cooled cookies. Glaze will set within a couple hours.

Store cookies covered at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for 6 days. Shortbread cookie dough may be frozen up to 2 months.

NOTES

• 2 Tbsp of flour has been added to the recipe on 12/21/13. I make my cookies with only 2 cups of flour, however I suggest readers add 2 extra Tbsp to prevent extra spreading.
• Make sure the cookie dough is cold and firm at all times. If it's not firm and cold, put back into the refrigerator to chill. When working in batches, keep the unused dough chilled in the refrigerator. You may roll, print, and fill batch #2 and stick in the fridge while batch #1 bakes.
• This shortbread cookie dough may be used to cut into your favorite shortbread cookie shapes. 
• Any flavor jam is OK. 

Sugar Cookies

For years I use to buy cookies from Linda Henderson. I nicknamed her "The Cookie Lady" Still to this day I have never had a cookie as good as hers. There have been many a cookie come close, but none to top the best cookie baker I have ever met. I honestly think Linda's cookies had a measure of her sweet soul in each one of them, because baking them delighted her and I swear to you that sifted over running deep into each cookie.

A couple of years ago Linda began caring for her aged mother. It now consumes all of her time and the little kitchen she baked her goodness in next door to her home now stands empty. Some day I'm going to have her come and teach me how to make her raisin filled cookies. Those are the best cookie I've ever sunk my teeth into. No joke! I'm serious. I love raisins and those are my all time favorite. And I don't think anyone will ever reach the cookie status Linda acquired with me.

Linda's cookies were such a hit at any and every event I had that soon I took to hiding some for myself. It wasn't long and my confiscating ways were discovered. Everyone soon knew I confiscated and hid extra cookies. It was then that I had to hide extra cookies from the stash of extra cookies I already hid. This gives you a true perspective as to just how good Linda's cookies were. They were always the first thing to disappear. It didn't take long for people to learn her reputation and given all the missionary goings and comings I had, people quickly learned to take the cookies first and eat the main course after they had guaranteed themselves the best item on the menu. If you waited to go back for a cookie, there were none to go back for! It's true, no exaggeration necessary!

The other day I couldn't stand it. I wanted one bad! I called up Linda and BEGGED her for her recipe. She is a kind soul. She shared it with me, her number one fan and customer. Love, love, love this lady ---yes as much as her cookies!

So here it is. The ultimate recipe. Good luck adding Linda's sweet soulful spirit to them.
The how to:

Ingredients:

2 Cups Granulated Sugar
1 Cup Butter Flavored Crisco
1 Cup Sour Cream
2 Eggs
1 Tbsp Almond
5-5 and 1/2 Cups Sifted Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Soda
1/2 tsp Salt

Bake 350 for 12 min.

Mix the wet ingredients. In a different bowl mix the dry ingredients. Sift or whisk the dry good so all the soda and salt is mixed well. Add the dry ingredients to the wet.

This is a nice soft dough. I work with it on my Bethany Pie Board and flour things well.

Roll out and cut around 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. I like my cookies thick and soft.

Bake 350 12 min or so

Linda's Best Cookie Frosting Recipe evAr

This is the greatest frosting recipe. I use it for all of my Sugar and Gingerbread Cookie recipes.


2 lbs Powdered Sugar
1 cube Fleishmann's Margarine (when I can't find Fleishmann's I use real butter)
2 heaping Tbsp Butter flavored Crisco
2 tsp. Vanilla
Whip and add Milk until it's the consistency you like. (anywhere from about 1/4 to 3/4 cup.)

Whip it for a long time, until it's very creamy :)

Nan's Gingerbread Cookies

I love Gingerbread cookies and my best friend gave me the greatest recipe. They are soft but not too soft, and the flavor is just right. They are so easy to make. Last night I made them for my Grandkiddie Christmas party and I let all the kids frost and decorate them. They were a HUGE HIT! All my girls raved about them and demanded I put the recipe on here pronto! So here ya go girls. Have fun with all your Christmas festivities!

The How To:

Mix together...
1 cup butter flavored Shortening
1 and 1/4 cup of Sugar
1 Egg

In a separate bowl mix

1 cup Molasses mixed with 2 tsp. Vinegar

Now add the Molasses mixture to the other wet ingredients

In a separate bowl mix well with a wire whisk the dry ingredients
5 fluffy cups of flour (do not pack the flour)
1 and 1/4 tsp Soda
1 tsp Salt
2-3 tsp Ginger
1 tsp Cloves
1 and 1/2 tsp Cinnamon

Now Combine all the ingredients together and mix well. I divide the dough into three nice balls. Then you have an easier time rolling them out.

Chill for 2 hours

After chilling, roll out about 1/8 inch thick and cut into your favorite shapes.

Bake 375 6 to 8 minutes. Just light brown

Important Hint: When you take the cookies out of the oven they are too soft to move. Let them sit on the pan on a rack and cool for a bit until they can be moved easily to a cooling rack.

Store in a tupperware to keep soft until decorating or eating.

This cookie freezes well. :)

Merry Christmas from all of us here at All Birds Baking :)

The Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookie On The Planet!

I don't know who Roxy R. Heslop was, but whoever she was, she passed on the best oatmeal cookie recipe I've ever tasted. The recipe was first featured in my small community's cookbook. Since that first book was published somewhere back in the forties, there have been two more editions. I was sad to find out Roxy's recipe somehow didn't make it in the last printing. Obviously the people who put together the newly updated cookbook never tried this recipe! My daughter was looking for it, discovered it was no where to be found in the third edition and immediately called me. After listening to her complain, she has since added the recipe to her book.

I have had more people ask me for this recipe than any other recipe I own. It's tried and true. It's the first cookie I ever learned how to bake and that was nearly 45 years ago, and I'm still making it today. It's the cookie of choice by all raisin lovers, and the only cookie my kids constantly call for and here they are grown and gone. If you love oatmeal and you love raisins, you will love this cookie!

I hate flat oatmeal raisin cookies! I like my oatmeal raisin cookie cakey and puffy! I'm just a cakey, puffy kind of girl! My kids tell me they will not eat anyone else's oatmeal raisin cookies, so I must have cakey, puffy kids as well.

Now just don't make the same mistake I made today....bake these lovely cookies with an empty milk carton in the fridge. :(  grrrrrrrrrrrr

Here's the how to:

Ingredients
4 cups Oatmeal
1 cup Shortening (I have used butter here, but I must admit, the shortening works better for reasons unbeknown to me.)
1 pound of Raisins? (How much is a pound of raisins anyway? I have read anywhere from two to three cups. I love Raisins, so I add three cups.)
Raisin liquid
2 cups Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
4 Eggs beaten
1/4 tsp of Salt
2 tsp of Soda
2 tsp of Cinnamon
1 tsp of Nutmeg
4 Cups of Flour
Nuts are optional

Boil the raisins four to five minutes. Use enough water to cover and make at least a cup of two of liquid. After boiling the raisins, I let them set in the water till I mix the ingredients. Then I drain the raisins, saving the liquid and then set the liquid aside for when needed.

In a separate bowl, cream shortening, sugar, eggs, and vanilla and 1/2 cup raisin water. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, measure out 4 cups of Oatmeal, let stand.

In another separate bowl sift together flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and soda. Sift well. I whisk it several times over to make sure the soda is mixed in well. Add Oatmeal and stir, toss and mix everything well.

Next add the wet mixture to the oatmeal flour mixture.

This will be very thick. You want to be careful not to thin this batter down too much with the raisin liquid. The thinner the batter the flatter the cookie and I like this cookie puffy! That's my most favorite thing about this cookie, it's NOT flat!

Add the raisin liquid now as needed, one Tbsp at a time, stirring well until it forms the right consistency. Like thick peanut butter maybe. I add the raisin liquid until the batter is mixable with my wooden spoon, but still forms a good ball. I don't use an electric mixer past creaming the liquid ingredients together. Once I add the flour and oatmeal mixture I mix by hand. You've got to have some muscle to stir it. Again, don't get it too smooth and thin.

Now add the raisins. Stir and mix them in well. Spoon out on greased cookie sheet, Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes. I like my cookie moist so I cook it until it starts to form just a little bit of golden brown on it and the center is done. If you over cook this cookie it will be dry. Don't over cook it!

When you're done baking, crack out your cold milk. YUM (Store in air tight container. Don't worry, they won't last long!)

One last note, this recipe is not a good recipe to double. I know, I've tried several times. :/

No Bake Cookies

Today I feel like a cookie! Today I don't feel like baking! I don't feel like exercising either. This is not a good combination. This recipe has been around the block more than once. Who hasn't had a no bake cookie? Pull this recipe out when the Grandkids come over. They'll love you. 

Ingredients:
1/4 or 1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup milk
3 cups oats
2 or 3 cups sugar
4 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

I've seen this recipe call for 1/4 cup of butter and 1/2 cup of butter. I've also seen this recipe call for 2 cups of sugar and I've seen it call for 3 cups of sugar. You can probably figure out which recipe I use. 


In a sauce pan, stir sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa. (For peanut-butter cookies omit the cocoa. They're yummy.) Bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for one minute. Remove from heat and quickly add peanut butter, vanilla, and oats. Stir until evenly mixed. Spoon onto waxed paper. Let cool. Make sure you don't make these cookies when no one is home or when people come home, they'll be no cookies. 

Pumpkin Cookies

There is this thing called E A S Y. And if you look up Merriam, she'll tell you it means, "Causing or involving little difficulty." After reading Ms. Webster I tried to find a word to describe this cookie that is easier than easy, because when you make these cookies you will want to sing and dance around your kitchen in a joyous manner and expound to the world on how you just made the easiest recipe 'EVaaaaar!' Besides being simple to make this cookie is also yummy to eat. Nuff said!

You'll only need two ingredients to literally whip up this recipe;
1- A spice cake mix (although if you have a yellow cake mix you can improvise with it. The only outcome of using a yellow cake mix instead of a spice cake mix is, your cookie will just be a tad boring.)

and...

2- A 15 oz can of Libby's pumpkin.

That's it folks. Wow, finally a recipe I can remember in my head when I get to the store!

Now here's the skinny on how to make it. Ya ready?

Get yourself a bowl put both ingredients in it and mix it nice and creamy like. Yup, that's it! Told ya it was easy!

Bake at 350 for 12-15 min depending on how big you make the cookie. I'm not saying it's the law or anything. I'm just giving you a rough idea. If you want me to be more precise, cook it till it's done folks. Stick a tooth pick in it and if it comes out clean, take it out of the oven. If not cook it some more. Mine took me 15 min. I like my cookies big!

Now here's a little side note. There are two ingredients you can add to this recipe if you want to jazz it up. Yesterday there was a war goin' on at my house as to which ingredient to add. The milk chocolate chippers won out. But I tried my hardest to put raisins in them instead. Really I did! I love raisins. So you can add stuff like nuts too if your family will let ya! My family has enough nuts in it, no pun intended. They won't let me add anymore!

Also you can dust the top of these cookies with powdered sugar or drizzle a little cream cheese frosting all over it. I like to tell people these things because I have had so many complaints about this cookie being way to easy! There now, does this post finally look long enough. Hahahahah Welcome to baking the easiest cookie ever. Easy/Peasy ---Pretty darn tasty too I might add!

Applesauce Oatmeal Cookies

It's the maple syrup that will get you!

Yup, 

This is your only warning!

You're about to be addicted!

Oatmeal Applesauce Cookies with Maple Icing

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup applesauce, unsweetened
1 + 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 + 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup raisins or dried cranberries

Icing:
1 + 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup

 
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl beat butter and sugars, add egg and applesauce, mix until well blended, 2 to 3 minutes.

2. Mix in oats, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix in raisins or cranberries.

3. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop or 1/4 cup measure, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake cookies until golden and just set, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack set over parchment paper; let cool completely.

4. Whisk confectioners' sugar, syrup, and 3 tablespoons water until smooth. Drizzle over cookies, let set. 

Tip: For a thick cookie, refrigerate batter for an hour before baking, they won't spread as much.


After you make these, pop one in your mouth, savor all it's warm and tasy goodness. . .this is the part where I say, "Told you so!"

Easy Lemon Cookies

1 package lemon cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp lemon extract
1/3 cup powdered sugar for decoration

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Pour cake mix into a large bowl. Stir in eggs, oil, and lemon extract until well blended. Drop teaspoonfuls of dough into a bowl of powdered sugar. Roll them around until well coated. Once sugared, put them on a ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 6-9 minutes.
Bottoms should be lightly brown and the insides chewy.

For a crunchier cookie, or to use this cookies with the Blackberry parfait, just press flat with a fork and bake a bit longer.

Lemon Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

* 3/4 cup butter, softened
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
* 1 cup white sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 teaspoons lemon extract
* 4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup white sugar for decoration

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Sift together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl cream together butter, oil, confectioners’ sugar, white sugar until well blended. Stir in eggs, vanilla and lemon extracts. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients until well blended. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto the cookie sheet. Flatten cookies to 1/8 inch thickness using the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar. Colored sugar may be used if you do not plan to frost cookies later.
3. Bake for 9 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are golden brown. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.