Grandma Luker's Carrot Orange Cookies

My grandma Luker used to make these cookies and they were always my favorite. Years went by and I searched for someone with the recipe, but to no avail. Just the other day I tried one more recipe and Lo! This is it! I tweaked it a bit, as I always do, and they are simply irresistable!

 

(I have no picture yet. These turn out to be little rounded mounds, not flattened. More cake-like.)

 

Grandma Luker's Carrot Orange Cookies   adapted by Erin Taylor

 

3/4 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup finely mashed carrots

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 pinch allspice

 

Frosting:

 

1 tablespoon orange juice (or a little bit more for desired consistency)

1 cup powdered sugar

1 T. butter, softened

 

1. Cream the shortening and sugar on medium speed; add the egg. Add all ingredients except the nuts and beat until combined. Stir in the nuts.
2. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until light golden brown on bottoms.
3. Meanwhile, whisk together all the ingredients for the frosting until smooth and spreadable.
4. When the cookies are done, transfer to a wire rack to cool for a few minutes. Dollop a bit of frosting onto each and let it drizzle down the sides. Let cool completely before serving. About 3 dozen.

 

 

Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookies

These... are... AMAZING!!! I found the recipe online, but tweaked it to my taste, and they are soooo good!


(picture from lovintheoven.com)

Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookies  by Erin Taylor (adapted from this recipe on lovintheoven.com)

Ingredients

• 1 stick softened butter
• 1/2 C. Crisco
• 1/4 C. oil
• 3/4 C. sugar
• 34 C/ brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 box Oreo pudding mix
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 C. Corn Starch
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 15 broken pieces Oreo Cookies
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 C. white chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.Cream butter, and sugars.  Add eggs and mix for 3 minutes until very fluffy. 
2. Slowly add dry ingredients: flour, corn starch, baking soda, salt, pudding mix- to wet ingredients then stir in oreos and chocolate chips until just combined.
3. Scoop dough onto baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until cooked, but still soft.Let cool on baking sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Pecan Sandies

Delicious buttery shortbread cookie loaded with chopped pecans and bits of chocolate. Melt in your mouth deliciousness!

Pecan Sandies  by Erin Taylor

2 sticks of butter, softened (or one stick and 1/2 C. shortening)
1/3 C. sugar
1/2 C. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 C. flour
1 C. pecans, finely chopped
1/2 C. chocolate, finely chopped (I used a Hershey bar, but choc. chips would work great, too.)

Preheat oven to 350 deg.  In mixing bowl, combine butter sugars, salt, and vanilla. Mix until creamy. Add flour, nuts, and chocolate and mix until encorporated and no longer crumbly. It takes a minute or two so it isn't crumbly, but it will come together.

Divide into two balls. Roll each ball into a long tube abou 2 inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap and put in freezer for about an hour, or until firm.

Slice in 1/4" slices and place on baking sheet. They will not spread much so they can be placed closer together. Bake for about 15 minutes or until barely golden on edges. Remove from oven and let cool before removing from baking sheet.  Serve with plenty of cold milk!

Rootbeer Float Cookies

(picture taken from amybakeseverything.com where I got the original cookie recipe, and tweaked it a bit.)

Rootbeer? In a cookie?  Don't knock-em til you try them, my friend. Also known as Whoopie Pies, these have a lovely rootbeer flavored soft cookie surrounding fluffy clouds of marshmallow creamy goodness.
Go ahead and try to eat just one!

Roobeer Float Cookies by Erin Taylor

Preheat oven to 375

In a bowl, blend  together:
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
set aside.

In a separate mixing bowl, cream:
1 stick butter or margarine
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 cup Root Beer Concentrate
1 Tbsp Molasses

Add dry ingredients and stir just until combined.

Scoop out onto a baking sheet by teaspoonfulls, (NOT big blobs- you want to make little cookies and sandwich them together.) Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies are firm and spring back when tapped. Allow to cool on wire racks. Fill with White Mountain Frosting filling below.

White Mountain Frosting for Filling:

In saucepan over medium heat, combine:
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup 
2  tablespoons water
cook until candy thermometer reads about 242 deg. Remove from heat.

Beat 2 egg whites until stiff peaks form.

While mixer is still running, slowly pour sugar syrup in. Mixture will become very glossy. Add:
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt

continue mixing for about 7 minutes or until cooled.

Spoon filling into a plastic bag and squeeze out enough to fill each cookie. Place top on cookie, and enjoy! (Keep in a sealed container. Best if refrigerated.)

Pumpkin Ginger Chocolate Chip Cookies

Everyone loves pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, and everyone will love this spicy little twist on the classic. The key is the ginger paste (found in the refridgerated herb section at the grocery store) which gives them a fresh, zingy ginger flavor!

(picture coming as soon as my batch makes it out of the oven and I take the picture!)

Pumpkin Ginger Chocolate Chip Cookies
by Erin Taylor

preheat oven to 350 deg.

In a mixing bowl combine:

1 3/4 C. granulated sugar
1 c. pumpkin puree
1/2 C. butter (1 stick)
1 egg
1 tsp. ginger paste

Beat until well mixed. Then add:
2 C. flour
1 tsp. each:  baking powder, baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. cinnamon

mix just until ingredients are combined, but don't over mix.  Stir in by hand:
1 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips (I use the mini's and they are perfect.)

make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to get any unincorporated parts mixed in well.

Spray baking sheet with pan spray and scoop out by large spoonfulls (or an icecream scoop which is what I use) onto baking sheet.  Place them about 3 inches apart so they can spread.
Bake for about 10-12 minutes, until puffed up in center and golden around edges. Remove from oven and let cool for 2-3 minutes until transfering to plate or container.

Enjoy!

Puffy Coconut Macaroons

If you like coconut, and I sure do, these cookies are the ultimate!  I took a basic macaroon recipe and tweaked it just a bit, and I think they are just about the best macaroons I've ever had, if I do say so myself.  Super easy to whip up, and they don't last for long!

Puffy Coconut Macaroons   by Erin Taylor        Yield: about 18 - 20 cookies

14 oz. package shredded coconut, sweetened
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. Vanilla, or Almond extract
2 egg whites, beaten with 1/4 tsp. salt until very frothy
2/3 C. Bisquick baking mix

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix coconut with sweetened condensed milk. Add vanilla extract. Add egg mixture and combine thoroughly. Stir in Bisquick mix until well incorporated.   Scoop with ice cream scoop or large spoon onto greased cookie sheet, or parchment paper covered sheet.  Bake for 21-22 minutes until golden brown.  Let rest on cookie sheet for about 5 minutes before transfering to a cooling rack or paper towel. Keep in plastic bag or sealed container in refridgerator.

*Optional: dip bottoms in melted chocolate chips and place on wax paper. Place in refrigerator until chocolate is firm.

Christmas Chocolate Orange Cookies

The other night I was desperate for chocolate chip cookies. I had found an old recipe I used to use several years ago entitled "The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever", so I tried them. The problem was I had no chocolate chips. However, I did have a dark chocolate orange (the kind you whack and unwrap), so I chopped it up in chunks and used that. Hello---- totally fabulous!!! My husband suggested I add coconut to the next batch, so I did and they were even MORE fabulous! So, here they are...

Christmas Chocolate Orange Cookies by Erin Taylor

preheat oven to 350 deg.

add in a mixing bowl and cream together:

1 C. granulated sugar
1 C. brown sugar
1/2 C. butter
1/4 C. Shortening
2 eggs
1/4 C. oil
2 tsp. Vanilla

Next, add:

3 C. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

Finally, add the following and mix until combined, (but don't over mix):

1/2 dark chocolate orange (chopped into chunks)
1 1/2 C. milk chocolate chips
1 C. shredded coconut (optional)
1/2 C. chopped nuts (walnuts, macadamia nuts, or almonds)
1/4 C. dried craisins (optional)

  Spoon out large tablespoonfulls onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes until barely golden brown on top. Remove from oven and let sit a few minutes before transfering to cooling rack.

Gooey Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

I was inspired by a recipe on Paula Deen's website when I was searching for something gooey, and brownie-like, and came up with this! It's a little different than her's (which uses a cake mix and cream cheese- try it!), but these are from scratch, and amazingly delicious! I added some mint chocolate chips or broken Andes mints for an extra decadent treat.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine:
2 C. sugar
½ C. oil
4 eggs
1 tsp Vanilla (or peppermint extract)
1 C. baking cocoa

add:
2 C. flour
2 tsp. Baking Powder
½ tsp. Salt
(optional: ½ c. crushed candy canes, 1 C. mint chips, or 1 C. broken Andes mints)

roll into balls, and into:
½ C. powdered sugar

place on cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until puffy in the center. Remove from oven while still puffy in center and let flatten and cool on counter for a few minutes. Hurry and eat them all before your husband gets to them!!!