Oatmeal Raisin Cookies -- a new favorite

Story:

When we were young, my big brother and I used to make cookies on Sunday afternoons on a regular basis.  And if I remember correctly, I hated rolling the cookies on the trays, and he hated doing the dishes.  So that became kind of the deal: I would do all the clean up, if he put them on the sheets and and baked them.  I think that part just took too long for me and I hated waiting around the kitchen for each batch to come out.  This recipe was one that I remember making with him.  And I also remember occasionally delivering them to certain boys on Sunday evenings.  Heehee.  Fun memories.

This was one of my mom's recipes, originally called: Three-Way Oatmeal Cookies.  The idea is to, after you make the dough, divide it into three sections, adding 1 cup of raisins to one part, 1 cup of chocolate chips to the second part, and 1 cup of butterscotch chips to the third part.  So it's like you make three different kinds of cookies, with just one batch!  Great idea... but I've grown a little too lazy.  So I just turned the whole thing into one big batch of oatmeal raisin cookies... and I've added the measurements of cinnamon and nutmeg too, to meet my preference.

We recently found ourselves without chocolate chips on a Sunday afternoon, so we gave these a try.  Everyone liked them... and I think it was just kind of a nice way to mix things up after years of Ben's Triple C cookies on Sundays. Tasty little things.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 C shortening

2 C brown sugar

1 C sugar

2 eggs

1/2 C water

2 t vanilla

2 C flour

2 t salt

1 t baking soda

2 t cinnamon

1 t nutmeg

6 C rolled oats

2 1/2 - 3 C raisins

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients in the order listed.  (I usually switch from the beaters to the kneaders when it's time to put in the oats and raisins.)

Spoon onto baking sheets and bake at 350 degrees for 11-12 minutes.

Note:

My husband and I have kept up the Sunday cookie tradition.  But now, when we put them away on Sunday nights, we divide them up into a bunch of sandwich baggies and stick them all in a container in the freezer so they are ready to throw into the lunchboxes in the mornings.  These cookies, in particular, thaw nicely.  We hope you like them too!

Rochelle's Pumpkin Cookies

Story:

Last week I sent out another one of those recipe exchange e-mails. I don't always do those... really. But I guess I was just in the mood that day. (Besides, I take the really easy way out and just send a link to this blog as "my recipe." ha!) Anyway, this is what my sister Rochelle writes back to me:

Hey Cokes,

I sent a recipe to [your friend], but I’m not forwarding to 20 of my friends. I just don’t do chain emails. ;-) Here’s the recipe… it’s yummy! Put it on your blog so I never lose it. ;-) I had to send it to Dale’s sister Sina recently, as she said she’s tried other Pumpkin Cookie recipes, but they’re never as good.

Love you!

-Ro

So... I haven't officially tried this recipe yet. And this is not showing any disrespect to the Pumpkin Cookies I have already posted on this blog. (I still love your pumpkin cookies, Kate!) But just because my sister asked me to, this recipe for "THE BEST PUMPKIN COOKIES EVER" is going here... just so Rochelle never loses it.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:
Cream butter and sugar, then add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla and mix well.
Mix in flour, cinnamon, baking powder and soda, and salt.
Bake 8-10 min at 350 degrees.

Francine's Snickerdoodles

Story:

I really like Snickerdoodles.

I think it's because I'm a sugar kind of girl. I usually take candy over chocolate... to the bewilderment of my husband who is the bigger chocolate lover of the family.

My friend, Francine B., has provided me with my favorite little treat on more than one occasion... and her snickerdoodles are awesome! So, being the me that I am, I asked her for the recipe... and here you have it:

Ingredients:

1 C butter or margarine

1 1/2 C sugar

2 eggs

1/2 t almond extract*

2 3/4 C flour

2 t cream of tartar**

1 t baking soda

for the coating:

1/2 C sugar

1 t cinnamon

Directions:

Cream together the butter, sugar, eggs, and almond extract.

Then add the flour, cream of tartar, and baking soda.

(Sometimes I have to chill it in the fridge a little bit here if the cookie dough is too soft to handle.)

Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.

Roll into little balls, and roll the little balls in the cinnamon/sugar mixture.

Place on cookie sheets and bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.

Cool on the pan for 3-4 minutes.***

*I think the almond extract is the "secret ingredient" in this recipe ... and I love it because it smells like my mom's homemade frosting; she always used almond extract in the frosting she made for our birthday cakes. And I thought it was cute when Gretchen was helping me make these a few weeks ago, she smelled the dough and said, "Oooh. These are frosting cookies!" She recognizes the smell as well.

**Does anyone know of another use for cream of tartar besides in snickerdoodles? That's the only time I've ever used it...

***Francine gave me a little cookie tip... she lets her cookie sheets cool completely before placing the next batch on. I find it works nicely, especially with chocolate chip cookies; it keeps the chips from melting on the sheets before baking onto the sheet.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Story:

I love pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. They've been one of my favorites for years, but I had never made them until a couple of weeks ago. And I've made them three times since then. Knowing that I like them so much, my good friend Kate W. shared her recipe with me. I shared some with my neighbors last week, and now they want the recipe as well. Sure sign it's a "keeper." Here you go:

Ingredients:

1/2 C sugar

1/2 C brown sugar

1 C margarine

1 t vanilla

1 egg

1 C canned pumpkin

2 C flour

1 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1/2 t ginger

1 1/2 t cinnamon

1 C chocolate chips

Directions:

In a large bowl, beat the sugar, brown sugar, and margarine until light and fluffy.

Add vanilla, egg, and pumpkin; blend well.

Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup, level, and stir in the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger; mix well.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop desired amount onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten the cookies a little with a spoon.

Bake at 350 for 14-17 minutes... until edges are lightly golden.

Cool on sheet for 1 minute, then remove.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Notes:

• The recipe says you can use butter or margarine. I've found that butter, in cookies, usually makes the cookies crispier and margarine makes 'em softer, so I use margarine.
• I like to double the recipe so I can use the whole can of pumpkin. (I mean, what would I do with a half a can of pumpkin sitting in my fridge?) The only downside, is then you have to use a whole box of margarine... and that just seems kind of gross, y'know?
• The recipe also suggests using peanut M&M's instead of chocolate chips... I'm a chocolate chip girl, so that's what I use. But have fun with it!

Sarah's Rolo Cookies

Story:
I have a wonderful, wonderful friend in UT, named Sarah. Love her! We lived across the street and a few houses down from each other in South Ogden; but we've both since moved from that happy little neighborhood. We shared a lot of laughs, babysitting, clothes, tears, phone conversations, and, of course, recipes. I first started getting to know her at our friend Becky's house. Becky and Scott threw great "game nights" and everyone was asked to bring something to share. Sarah brought these Rolo cookies. I knew immediately that I'd love a girl who could make something so yummy! (And little did I know at the time how easy they were!) Hope you love them too!

Ingredients:
Rolos
chocolate cake mix
1/3 C oil
2 eggs
chocolate chips

Directions:
Mix together the cake mix, the oil, and the eggs. Wrap a dab of the batter around a Rolo. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes.

Take out of the oven, put 2 or 3 chocolate chips on each cookie, then put back in the oven for just a few seconds. Pull out again and spread the chocolate with a knife. Refrigerate, if needed, to chill.

Voila!

Note: I can't tell you exactly how many Rolos you need for the cookies because, well, I never know exactly how many of them get eaten before they actually make it into the cookies... if you know what I mean. Just buy a bag, and that will be plenty to make a batch of cookies.

Ben's "Triple C's"

Story:
"Triple C" is Ben's and my code for Chocolate Chip Cookies. We use it conveniently to avoid mentioning the "cookie" word in front of the kids. We'd use Korean, but since chocolate chip cookies aren't exactly an authentic Korean food, the Korean word sounds like: choe-ko-cheep coo-kee. The kids would pick up on that right away, as you can imagine.

About 6 months after Ben and I were married, we were living in a little rundown duplex in South Salt Lake. Our [only?] friends in the neighborhood, Jeremy & Jessica, made us these cookies and Ben thought they were the best EVER. I recently made a different kind of chocolate chip cookie, just for variety's sake, and Ben was in disbelief... wondering why I would waste time and resources on any cookie but the best.

I think the original recipe came off of a Crisco wrapper and it was called "Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies." Since Ben has mastered the art of creating these cookies, tweaking a few things in the process, I now call them "Ben's Triple C's." (The recipe below is already doubled from the original, since that's how we always make 'em... so plan on it making plenty.)
[Edit: We ceased using shortening in our kitchen, so we adjusted the recipe below to use butter instead.  01/07/2020]

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups butter
2 1/2 cups not-packed light brown sugar
4 T milk
2 T vanilla
2 eggs
3 1/2 to 4 cups flour
2 t salt
1 1/2 t baking soda
2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375
2. Mix butter, brown sugar, milk, vanilla, and eggs.
3. Add flour, salt, and baking soda and blend well. Stir in chocolate chips.
4. Drop tablespoonfuls of dough onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake about 12 minutes. (Ovens vary so, specifically, bake until lightly golden brown.) Allow to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Then move cookies to a cooling rack--or just eat them warm!

Yummy.