Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I'm so glad that we are back on a roll posting recipes... I've just been cooking from the Deceptively Delicious cookbook, so that is where my recipes have been coming from. I'd like to say again how much I/we like the recipes. We've had the turkey burgers with cauliflower puree twice now and everyone likes them. I tried the oatmeal raisin cookies with banana and zucchini puree and they were great and the kids thought so too. I'll post the oatmeal raisin cookies to give you an idea of what the recipes are like..


Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Deceptively Delicious Cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
6 Tbsp. trans-fat-free soft tub margarine spread, chilled (I just used butter)
1/2 cup banana puree
1/2 cup zucchini puree
1 large egg white
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a bowl combine the flour, oats, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and stir to mix. In a large bowl, beat the sugar and margarine with a wooden spoon until just combined; do not overmix. Add the banana and zucchini purees, and the egg white, and stir just to blend. Add the flour mixture, raisins, and walnuts, if using, and stir to combine. Drop the dough by heaping tablespoonsful onto the baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch in between. Bake until golden brown, 12-15 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 4-5 minutes, just until they are firm enough to handle, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.


On another note... I REALLY like parchment paper. I just bought a roll of Reynold's Parchment Paper, not already cut sheets (which would be nice). I used it on the cookies above and it works awesome. No mess on the cookie sheets and the cookies don't stick to the paper either. I've used it for other cookies and for homemade rolls... I'm hooked.

Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies

These are pretty good peanut butter cookies and the kiss inside adds a little surprise!

1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 block (1/2 cup) butter
2 eggs
1 cup peanut butter (crunchy or smooth)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 ½ cups flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 or 3 dozen Hershey’s Kisses (or your chocolate of choice, e.g. Droste pastilles)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cream sugars, butter, eggs, peanut butter, and vanilla. Mix flour, baking soda, and salt together in a separate bowl. Add dry mix in little by little to sugar-peanut butter mix. Shape batter into little balls, burying a kiss in each (the batter will be soft and greasy). Roll in white sugar. Bake for 10 minutes, or until done. Cool on sheet one minute before transferring to wire racks

Russian Tea Cakes

By request... My grandma's Russian Tea Cakes/Snowballs/Mexican Wedding Cakes

Mix thoroughly:
1 cup soft butter
1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Sift together and stir in:
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional, and obviously don't sift the nuts!)

Chill dough. Roll into 1 inch balls. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until set, but not brown. Roll in powdered sugar.
400 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

In memory of Margaret Faulkner (my grandma).
Credit to allrecipes.com for the picture.

Brown Sugar Shortbread

1 cup butter (no substitutes), softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

In a mixing bowl cream butter and sugar. Gradually stir in the flour. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth--about 3 minutes. Pat into a 1/3 inch thick rectangle measuring 11 x 8 inches. Cut into 2 x 1 inch strips. Place 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Prick with a fork multiple times (to make them look like shortbread). Bake at 300 degrees for 25 minutes or until the bottoms begin to brown. Cool for 5 minutes; remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Yield 3 1/2 dozen.

Thanks to my Aunt Leona