Homemade Oreos

(credit to Kellie)

INGREDIENTS: 

Cookies:

2 package devils food cake mix (1)

1 ½ cup shortening (3/4)

4 eggs (2)

Filling:

8 oz cream cheese (4 oz)

½ cup butter (1/4)

2 ¾ cup powdered sugar (1 3/8)

1 Tablespoon vanilla (1/2)

DIRECTIONS:

Mix all of the cookie ingredients together and roll into small balls.  Bake at 350° for 6-7 minutes.  Mix all o the filling ingredients together and spread on cookies once they are cooled, spreading on one cookie and sandwiching another on top to look like an “Oreo.”  These are best when refrigerated.

Sugar Cookies (not cut-out)

(credit to allrecipes.com)


Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup butter, softened (really--like mushy)
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.

3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks. (For soft cookies, take them out at 8 minutes exactly, even if they don't look done.  They will continue to cook on the sheet after you pull them out).

Snickerdoodles

(credit to allrecipes.com)


Ingredients

    * 1/2 cup butter, softened
    * 1/2 cup shortening
    * 1 1/2 cups white sugar
    * 2 eggs
    * 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    * 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
    * 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
    * 1 teaspoon baking soda
    * 4 tablespoons white sugar
    * 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
 
2. Cream together butter, shortening, and 1 1/2 cups sugar.  Add in eggs, one at a time, mixing until just incorporated.  Stir in vanilla.

3. In separate bowl, mix together flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Add to sugar mixture, mix (don't overmix or cookies will be flat).

4. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls.  These cookies don't spread out much, so your cookies will only be slightly bigger in diameter than the balls you roll out.  So bigger balls = bigger cookies.

5. Mix the 4 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
  
6. Bake 8 minutes, or until set but not too hard. I've found that a heavier cookie sheet helps the cookies spread a little better. 

Oatmeal Cookies

(credit to allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

    * 1 cup butter, softened
    * 1 cup packed light brown sugar
    * 1/2 cup white sugar
    * 2 eggs
    * 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    * 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
    * 1 teaspoon baking soda
    * 3 cups quick-cooking oats
    * 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 335 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until very light and fluffy 4 or 5 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Mix in the quick oats and chocolate chips. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets (I used my thinner ones. My thick one didn't let the cookies spread out).

3. Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Alfajores (Argentine Cookies)

(credit to Scott Bear)

Ingredients:
* 12 tablespoons butter
* 1 cup granulated sugar
* 1 egg
* 2 egg yolks
* 2 1/2 cups cornstarch
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* Zest of 1/2 lemon
* 2 cans Dulce de Leche (you can buy it or make it)
* Grated coconut

DIRECTIONS:

To make cookie dough:
Cream the butter and sugar together, then mix in the remaining ingredients except the dulce de leche and coconut until well blended. Knead on a floured work surface until the dough is smooth and let rest for 15 minutes. The dough will be dry--that's perfectly normal.

Make the cookies:
Roll the dough out to a thickness of about 1/4 inch and cut into 2-inch rounds. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 300°F oven for 17-20 minutes. When cool, spread some dulce de leche on the bottom of half the cookies and press another cookie on top, allowing some of the dulce de leche to squeeze from the sides (don't skimp--it's the best part). Roll the sides in the coconut until the sides are covered.

Makes about 12-15 delicious, definitely non low calorie cookies!

Cut-out Sugar Cookies

(credit to Allrecipes.com)

INGREDIENTS
* 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
* 3 cups white sugar
* 4 eggs
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 5 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* powdered sugar (for rolling out cookies)


DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on powdered-sugared surface 1/4 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes. When you see the edges turn golden brown, pull them out immediately. Cool completely.

*I've found these cookies bake much better on a thin metal cookie sheet. I used my thicker sheet and the cookies were flat and crunchy.

**Delicious with buttercream icing**

Almond Cookies

(credit to Taste of Home)

INGREDIENTS
1 c. butter flavored shortening (regular shortening does NOT taste nearly as good)
½ c. + 3 T. sugar, divided
¼ c. packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 t. almond extract
2 c. All Purpose flour
1 ½ t. baking powder
1/8 t. salt
3 T. sliced almonds

DIRECTIONS
1. Cream shortening, ½ c. sugar, and brown sugar. Beat in egg, add almond extract. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to creamed mix. Shape dough into 1 in balls, then roll in sugar.

2. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet. Flatten cookies to 1/4 inch thickness. Press 3 almond slices into center of each. Bake at 350 for 9-11 min.

No Bake Cookies

(credit to Allrecipes.com)

*These set better one day after they're made, so try to make them ahead of time*

INGREDIENTS
* 2 cups white sugar
* 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1/2 cup margarine
* 1/2 cup milk
* 1 pinch salt
* 3 cups quick cooking oats
* 1/2 cup peanut butter
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
*Have all ingredients ready before beginning, and have trays lined with wax paper ready*

1. In a saucepan bring sugar, cocoa, margarine, milk, and salt to a ROLLING boil for 1 minute.

2. Add quick cooking oats, peanut butter, and vanilla; mix well.

3. Working quickly, drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper, and let cool.