Raspberry Chipotle Sauce

I made this for a Thanksgiving pre-meal snack spread over some cream cheese and served with crackers. The family loved it!

2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 large jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tsp. adobo sauce
2 (6 oz.) containers fresh raspberries
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in jalapenos and cook until tender, about five minutes. Mix in garlic, adobo sauce and bring to a simmer. Stir in the raspberries and cook until soft, about three minutes. Stir in vinegar, salt and sugars. Mix well. Simmer until thickened and reduced by half, about 15 minutes. Transfer sauce to heatproof bowl and allow to cool to room temperature before serving, about 20 minutes.

Chocolate White Chip Cookies

I got this recipe from the Pioneer Woman website. It's pretty good.

Cream until light and fluffy:
1 1/4 cup butter (2 1/2 sticks) softened
2 cups sugar

Add one at a time and mix after each:
2 eggs
3 tsp. vanilla

Sift together and add to butter mixture in batches, combining after each addition:
2 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

Gently blend in:
1 1/2 cups mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups white chips (or peppermint chips for the holidays)

Scoop or spoon in one tablespoon portions onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Press a few white chips into the top of each cookie just before baking.

Bake at 350* for 9 minutes.  Cool 5 minutes on the cookie sheets and transfer to a wire rack to complete cooling.

Little Brother Ginger Snaps

We named these after my little brother since he was the best at making them!

Cream together in a mixer or with a hand mixer:

    3/4 c. shortening

    2 c. sugar

    3/4 c. butter

Add and mix together:

    2 eggs

    2/3 c. molasses

Stir together first and add to creamed mixture:

    4 2/3 c. flour

    1/2 t. salt

    2 t. ginger

    4 t. baking soda

    2 t. cinnamon

    1/8 t. cloves

Bake 350* until done, approximately 8 minutes.

"Jessie's" Malted Milk Cookies

I came home from college one time and hung out with my little sister and her friend Jessie. We had such a blast making these cookies (and shopping for the ingredients, I believe) that we named them after Jessie! They are an adaptation of Mrs. Field's cookies of a similar name.

Mix together in a bowl and set aside:

            2 1/2 c. flour

            3/4 c. malted milk powder

            1/2 t. baking soda

            1/4 t. salt

Beat together in a mixer or with hand mixer until light and fluffy:

            1 c. sugar

            1/2 c. brown sugar

            1 c. softened butter

Add to sugar mixture and combine :

            2 large eggs

            2 t. vanilla

            2 T. sweetened condensed milk

Add flour mixture gradually to sugar mixture and combine.  Add white vanilla/white chips or chocolate chips--we added the vanilla chips.  Bake at 300* for 24-25 minutes.

Vanilla Malt Cookies

These cookies are simply delightful! They end up resembling lady fingers somewhat and are perfect for dunking or for a special occasion.

2 3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup plain malted milk powder
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 cup butter (softened)
3 oz. cream cheese (room temperature)
1 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped and reserved
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350*. Whisk together flour, malted milk powder, baking powder and salt. In a mixer or with a hand mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until creamy. Mix in sugar and vanilla seeds. Add egg and vanilla extract; combine. On low speed, add flour mixture and mix. Place dough in a pastry bag fitted with large star tip. Pipe 2 1/2 strips onto cookie sheets, spacing about an inch apart. Bake until bottom edges are golden brown, 11-15 minutes, rotating sheets half way through. Transfer to wire racks to cool. Can be stored in airtight container up to a week.



Adapted from "Martha Stewart's Cookies"

Snickerdoodles

Although I am very opposed to using shortening in anything I make, the only recipe that had the right texture for snickerdoodles was one containing shortening! So here it is!

2 ½ cups flour

2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

½ cup butter, softened

½ cup shortening

1 ½ cups sugar, plus ½ cup for rolling

2 large eggs

1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon

Whisk flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside. In a stand mixer, mix butter, shortening and 1 ½ cups sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add eggs one at a time and beat until incorporated. While mixer is on low, beat in flour mixture until combined. Combine ½ cup sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Make balls of dough using about 2 tablespoons and roll in sugar and cinnamon mixture. Place two inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake at 375* until edges are just beginning to brown but centers are still soft, puffy and cracked, about 10-12 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheets for 10 minutes and remove to cooling rack.

Dough balls can be frozen up to a month in the freezer. Bake the frozen dough balls in 300 degree oven for 18-20 minutes.

Molasses Spice-Lemon Cookies

 I got this recipe from the book "The Perfect Cookie." People at work loved them!

Whisk together in a bowl:
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cloves

In another bowl whisk together until combined:
12 Tbsp. melted butter (a cube and a half)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 large egg

Stir flour mixture into molasses mixture until incorporated. Cover bowl lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour. Roll dough into 3/4 inch balls and roll in a small bowl containing 1/2 cup sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes, until tops are just beginning to crack. Cool on pans for 5 minutes.

For filling, mix together:
3 Tbsp. softened butter
2 cups powdered sugar
3 Tbsp. lemon juice

Spread a heaping teaspoon or so in between two cookies. Let filling set about an hour before serving.

Horner Family Chocolate Chip Cookies

I got this recipe from my baby brother's mother-in-law. It has morphed over the years, but it's only gotten better!


Blend together:
2 cups sugar
2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs

Add:
1 1/3 cups softened butter
1 1/3 cups shortening
1 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. vanilla

Sift together and add:
7 cups of flour (if 2 cups are oat flour, it's really good!)
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. salt

Stir in:
3-4 cups chocolate chips

Scoop out in 1 1/4 inch balls and bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Makes about six dozen or so.