Shaped Cookies

 My son loves to bake! Cookies, cakes, muffins you name it he is down for the task. I have been wanting to make cookies that we could make into shapes and decorate but have not been able to find one that we could make spur of the moment. Most recipes call for at least two hours of refrigeration not ideal for an impatient 2 year old. Once the dough was created I put it into the freezer for 15 minutes to chill it then proceeded to roll it out.

I used whole wheat flour, since I use it in place of white flour wherever I can. The recipe does not need any different measurements if you want to swap the whole wheat for regular all purpose flour. This recipe results in a firm but still soft cookie, not crispy at all. The flavor is semi sweet, think 'breakfast cookie'!

 Shaped Cookies

• 3/4 cup butter  
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs 
• 1 tsp vanilla 
• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour 
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1 tsp baking powder

* Cream together butter and sugar in bowl

* Add vanilla, flour, salt and baking powder, mix until smooth

* Chill for 15 minutes in freezer or 2 hours in fridge

* Roll out on well floured area, we made ours about 5-10mm thick, press cookie cutter shapes into dough and place on cookie sheet. They can be pretty close together since they don't spread

* Bake at 400 for 5-8 minutes

* Allow to cool on wire rack, once totally cool decorate 

Tuesday Treat - Loaded Oatmeal Cookies

If you are looking for a great cookie that is easy to make, has some healthy stuff snuck in and is yummy this recipe is for you! The texture is chewy yet still firm, perfect for oatmeal cookies!

My son and I whipped these up yesterday and although they are made with whole wheat flour and oatmeal they got tons of complements. If you don't have any of the extra goodies (chocolate chips, coconut, toffee) you can either add a little extra of the items you have on hand or swap in raisins, craisins, nuts, etc. This recipe makes a fairly generous size batch so it is perfect for sharing!

Our Finished Product

Loaded Oatmeal Cookies

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup margarine or butter
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups oatmeal
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup coconut
• 1 cup toffee bits (commonly called Skor bits)

* Preheat oven to 350

* Blend flour and baking soda 

* Cream until fluffy the 2 sugars and butter, then add the egg and vanilla

* Incorporate the sugar and egg mixture into the flour add the oatmeal and stir

* Add the goodies (chocolate chips, toffee, etc.)

* Place on cookie sheet(s) and bake for 8-10 minutes, until lightly brown and cooked through

Coconut Macaroons

An all time favorite of mine, Coconut Macaroons are a perfect treat. Since they are bite sized they are a perfect portable dessert, you don't need to worry about cutting them or even a plate if you were picnicking. We have been eating batch after batch the past few weeks (so much for getting ready for bathing suit season). I made them the other evening with a batch of homemade ice cream for company and they went like hot cakes.

Many of the versions that I have tried use flour, which result in a chewier sightly cookie-like macaroon. These ones are sweet and much more decedent while not being overly sweet. I only need 4 ingredients to make these delicious morsels; egg whites, coconut, vanilla, sweetened condensed milk. I recommend doubling the following recipe.

Coconut Macaroons

• 3 cups sweetened shredded coconut

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk

• 2 egg whites beaten until white and frothy

*Preheat oven to 350
*Blend coconut with vanilla and sweetened condensed milk
*Add the beaten egg whites to the coconut mixture and stir
*Place on well greased cookie sheets 2 inches apart. I use a cookie scoop for this but you could always make donut whole size balls with your hands, about 1.5-2 Tbsp in size
*Bake for 12- 15 minutes or until browned on sides and bottoms slightly 'tanned' on the top

Enjoy!

Banana Cookies

Today being a snow day and no ingredients to make anything truly decadent we decided to make Banana cookies. We always have tons of bananas in the freezer since no one around here will eat them the second that the have even a tiny brown spot on them.

This following recipe produces something not as dense as banana bread but more hearty then a banana cake. I am sure that you are supposed to mix the dry ingredients separate from the wet, but I just dumped everything in the bowl and blended it! It turned out great.


Banana Cookies 

1 1/2 cups sifted whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 cup margarine or butter

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

3-5 mashed bananas ( I used 5)

1 3/4 cups quick cooking oatmeal

*Blend together until all ingredients are combined.
*Make cookies about the size of 2 Tbsp and place 2 inches apart.

*Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 400 degrees, until edges are sides are golden brown and toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle.