Grandma Turley's Oatmeal Cookies

This recipe hails from my great grandma, I only wish I had thought to pick her brain more while she was alive for all of the good recipes she had collected in her lifetime.  My husband loves oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and this is quickly becoming our staple cookie recipe.  Enjoy!

1 C. Shortening
1 C. White Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 heaping tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/3 C. fruit Juice
1 C. White Flour
1 C. Whole Wheat Flour
4 C. Regular Oats

Cream Sugar and shortening. Add Eggs, vanilla, Soda, Salt and Fruit Juice, mix well. Then add Flour and Oatmeal. Bake at 350 for 8-12 minutes or until golden brown on the edges

You may add Raisins, Chocolate Chips, Coconut, Nuts, Craisins or anything else to these cookies to spice them up a bit.

Waffle Cookies

Another recipe by..... you guessed it, my mother.  These were a fun cookie to make growing up, though I think I like them more when made with the thinner waffle iron, instead of the Belgium waffle irons.  they still taste good either way.  You can frost these with icing, or a glaze or ganache, or just dust them with powdered sugar.  Either way they are a fun treat.

3/4 C. Sugar
2 eggs
6 Tbsp. Cocoa

Mix well, then add
1 C. Flour
1 tsp. vanilla

Drop by spoonfuls onto waffle iron. Cook for 25-35 seconds each. Frost with favorite recipe.

Cream Cheese Cookies

This is a recipe that I remember my mom saving and making on special occasions.  I know when you read the ingredients you will seriously question these cookies, they are loaded with butter, cream cheese and sugar.  They are rich, and creamy and utterly to die for.  If you are looking for an amazing recipe to wow people with, this is your recipe.

2 c. Butter softened
6 oz cream cheese
2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
4 Tbsp. Milk
4 C. flour

Cream butter and cream cheese, sugar, salt and vanilla. Add eggs and milk and beat well, then stir in flour. Drop onto un-greased cookie sheet. Bake at 325 for 15-20 minutes.

Frosting:

6 oz cream cheese
2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla
4 c. powdered sugar

Once cookies are cooled, frost them , then you can cover with slivered almonds or do as I did and just add some sprinkles for fun.

Snickerdoodles

My mom use to make this recipe growing up, and I always loved when she made these.  I use to love to help her roll them in the cinnamon/sugar mixture.  What a fun thing it was for me to make this now with my own children and let them be the ones to roll them in the cinnamon/sugar, they were delighted.  I love re-living childhood thru my own children, and these cookies were the perfect way to do that.  They are delicious and I hope you can re-live a moment of childhood thru making them as well.

1 C. shortening
1 1/2 C. sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 C. flour
2 tsp. cream of tarter
1 tsp soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Cream sugar, shortening & eggs. Sift in dry ingredients. Roll into walnut sized balls & then roll them in a mixture of 2 Tbsp. sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon.  Place them on a greased baking sheet and bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes

Oatmeal Chocolate Cookies

These are another recipe that my mom made when we were growing up.  It's a great recipe to make after Halloween when you have all of the left over mini Hershey candy bars.  If you use the mini candy bars you will need one for each cookie, so plan on more than 5(that is for small full size candy bars).  This one is a keeper, it's like a really good Oatmeal cookie but with Chocolate... what could be better?

1 c. butter
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp. soda
1 1/2 c. rolled oats
1 c. coconut
5 small Hershey bars

Cream butter, sugar, eggs & vanilla. Mix flour, salt, & soda in separate bowl then add to creamed picture. Stir in oats and coconut. Shape into balls and put on un-greased cookie sheet then flatten slightly. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven and place one square of Hershey chocolate on each cookie. After chocolate is soft spread on cookie.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are my mom's Chocolate Chip Cookies, they are amazing!  I still don't think I can make them as good as mom does, but I guess every daughter feels like they will never make certain recipes as good as their mom.  I hope to have my daughter help me with these always so she will one day be able to cook them just as good as I do, and maybe as good as grandma.  

1 c. margarine or butter
1 c. white sugar
1 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
2 c. chocolate chips
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch of salt
3 c. flour

cream butter and sugars until fluffy and smooth, then add eggs and vanilla.  Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients saving the chocolate chips until the very last.  Once all ingredients are mixed together drop dough by the spoonful onto a greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 325 for 8-10 minutes. For best results do not over bake; they are soft and delicious if baked until almost done.

Jumbo Breakfast Cookies

When I saw this recipe on my sisters cucina a while back I knew that I would need to try them out, and now that school is back in session and we are constantly on the run I whipped up a big batch to use a breakfast on the go.  My kids love them and have asked every morning if we can have the breakfast cookies.  I am going to try to make them as a bar cookie so I can cut them up like granola bars.  I will have to let you know how that one goes.  Otherwise these are a good way to give your kids a healthy breakfast treat in the morning.  

1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 Tbsp vanilla
*Stir/Cream together*

Add:
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
4 cups bran flakes cereal
1/2 cup soft butter
1/4 cup water
1 egg, beaten
1 cup chocolate chips (milk, semi-sweet, peanut butter, vanilla, butterscotch)

"Whatever" mix-ins:
1 cup oats
1 cup craisins or raisins
1 cup coconut
1 cup nuts

***Mix very well! (Your hand will get tired!) Drop by rounded 1/2 cups or giant spoonful. Round into about a 2-inch ball and flatten on cookie sheet to 1/2 inch thick. Bake at 375 degrees for 13-15 minutes on ungreased cookie sheet.

Oatmeal Fudge

This is another no bake cookie recipe that has been in our family for awhile.  My mom use to make these while we were growing up.  They use to call them Oatmeal fudge instead of no bake cookies which is what most of us know them as.  I love going back and finding recipes that have been used by my grandparents and my mother,  It makes me feel somehow connected, and like when I bake I take a step back in time to cook in my grandma's kitchen with her.  I love tried and true family recipes. 

This recipe is a little different than most no bake recipes as there is no peanut butter.  It's got coconut and nuts and oats to make it hearty. It's a fun trip down memory lane for me.

3 Tbsp Cocoa
2 C. Sugar
1/2 C. Milk
1/2 C. Shortening
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 C. Coconut
1/2 C. Chopped Nuts
3 C. Oatmeal

Combine Sugar, cocoa, milk, shortening, and salt in a pan and bring it to a boil. Then remove from heat. Add Oatmeal, nuts and coconut and mix until thick. Then drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper and let cool.

Peanut Blossoms

My mom use to make these all the time for special occasions and we all wanted to eat them.  Hershey Kisses were not a common thing in our house growing up so that made these cookies special.  They are a great combination of chocolate and peanut butter.  You can also switch things up and put a mini Reese's in the center instead of a Kiss.  That is amazing as well.  Hope you enjoy it!

1 3/4 C. Flour

1 tsp. Soda

1/2 C. Sugar

1/2 tsp. Salt

2 Tbsp. Milk

1/2 C. Brown Sugar

1/2 C. shortening

1/2 C. Peanut Butter

1 Egg

1 tsp. Vanilla

48 Chocolate Kisses

Combine all ingredients except kisses in large bowl. Mix on low speed until dough comes together. Shape into round balls. Place on baking sheet and cook at 385 for 10-12 minutes. Top each cookie with a Hershey kiss immediately as it comes out of the oven. Press kiss down firmly so the cookie compresses and cracks around the edges.

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

When my mom told me she was trying out a new Lemon cookie for a family function I never could have imagined how amazing they would turn out. These cookies reminded me of some similar ones that friends have bought and shared with me that they got from the expensive cookie shops around here. They were really good, and super easy to make, my kids even got to help out on these ones. My mom said these were the cookie that won first prize for best cookies in a contest for LDS Living.com. These are truly amazing cookies, I think they would be fun to add some lemon heads to them to spice up the lemon flavor. Yummy!!

Ingredients:
½ cups butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 whole egg
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoons baking powder
⅛ teaspoons baking soda
1-½ cup all-purpose flour (i needed 1/4 - 1/3 c. more flour to get it the right consistency to roll out)
½ cups powdered sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease light colored baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice. Scrape sides and mix again. Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte {not melty or shiny}. Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

*If using a non-stick darker baking tray, reduce baking time by about 2 minutes.

Sugar Cookies

Friday my kids and their friends decorated turkey cookies. I made the cookies with my Mom's recipie, but I cheated and bought the frosting. I got home with the yellow squeeze tub and had forgotten to buy the tip that goes with it, we improvised with a ziploc baggie.

1 c. margarine
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
4 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
4 Tbsp. milk

Cream shortening & sugar. Add eggs & flavorings. Stir in dry ingredients and milk. Chill mixture in fridge at least 1 hour. Roll dough out to 1/4-1/2 inch and cut cookies to desired shape. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Gingerbread Cookies

This recipe comes from the Scovil Bakery in Nauvoo Illinois, it is an old traditional gingerbread recipe. It is delicious! And a fun thing to do with kids, especially when the cookies are done and they get to decorate them however they want!

1 c. Sugar
1 C. Molasses
3/4 C. Oil
1/2 C. Hot water
2 Eggs
1 tsp Soda
1 heaping tsp. ground Ginger
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Salt
6-7 C. Flour

Cream sugar, shortening, molasses and water. Add Eggs, then dry ingredients. Refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour. Roll out to 1/4 - 1/2 inch thickness and cut with desired cookie cutters. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Pizzokies

Thanks to Dena for sharing this great recipe!

1 package pre-made cookie dough (Pillsbury is great)
1/2 gallon ice cream (choose your favorite)
caramel sauce
hot fudge sauce

Preheat oven to about 375.
Fill four (3 or 4") ramekins halfway with cookie dough.
Bake 12-18 minutes till golden brown, but still a little soft in the center. Don't overcook/burn.
Do not remove from ramekins. Top with a scoop of ice cream while they are still warm.
Drizzle with chocolate syrup/caramel... and dig in.

Chocolate Nutella Cookies Recipe

I found this recipe awhile back and tried it with my eight year old for a homework project where he had to find and make a new recipie. They were good. If you've never tried Nutella before, this is a great place to start.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, room temperature


• 3/4 cup of brown sugar


• 3/4 cup of white sugar


• 1 cup of Nutella


• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla


• 2 eggs


• 2 cups, plus 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour


• 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa


• 1/2 tsp baking soda


• 1/2 tsp salt


• 1 cup of chocolate chips


• 1/2 cup of chopped hazelnuts

Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugars and Nutella then mix well, scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 30 seconds between each. Add the vanilla and mix for 10 seconds. Sift together the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda Add to the butter mixture, fold in the chocolate chips and hazelnuts and refrigerate the dough for ten minutes. Spoon tablespoon-sized drops of dough onto cookie sheets. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool on the sheets for a minute or two before transferring to a rack to finish cooling.

Makes 6 dozen.

Ande's Mint Cookies

These are a fun new cookie to try if you like mint. I love getting the Ande's mints when you leave Olive Garden and melted on these cookies they are really good too.

3/4 c. butter
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. water
1 pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat ingredients in a small saucepan until chocolate chips are melted, then add:

2 eggs
2 1/2 c. flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Shape rounded tablespoons into balls and place on a cookie sheet. Lightly press each ball to flatten. Bake at 350 for 9-11 minutes. Right when removing from the oven, while still hot, place an Ande's Mint on top of each cookie. When they melt smooth the chocolate evenly over the top. Cool completely before serving.

Ginger Snaps

These are fabulous, and easy to make, not to mention they will make your house smell great! I love how soft these are compared to the store bought kind. This is one recipe you won't be sorry you tried. Thanks mom for yet another great recipe!

3/4 C. White Sugar
2 1/4 C. Shortening
3/4 C. Molasses
3 Eggs
6 C Flour
1 tsp. Salt
3 Tsp. Cinnamon
3 tsp. Cloves
3 tsp. Ginger
6tsp. Soda

Cream Sugar and Shortening and Molasses well. The mix in remaining ingredients and mix well. Mold into balls approximately 1 inch around, then roll in sugar. Place on lightly greased baking sheet and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Cake Mix Cookies

These are too easy to say you can't make them homemade.

1 yellow cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 c. shortening
mix together

add 6 oz chocolate chips or nuts as desired.

Roll into balls and bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Magic Cookie Bars or Hello Dolly Bars

These go by two names that I have heard of, Magic Cookie Bars and Hello Dolly Bars. No matter what you call them, they are delicious, and sinful. Every house should have this recipe in it, especially if you have kids, because they can help you pour in the ingredients and then think it's cool how they turn out once they are all done. I hope you enjoy a pan of these at your house sometime soon.

1/2 C. Margarine or Butter Melted
1 1/2 C. Graham Cracker Crumbs
1 C. Walnuts Chopped
1 C. Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 1/3 C. Flaked Coconut
1 1/3 C. Sweetened Condensed Milk

Pour butter into bottom of 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs. Sprinkle chopped nuts over top of Graham crackers. Scatter chocolate chips over nuts. Sprinkle coconut over chocolate and then pour Sweetened Condensed Milk over top of the Coconut. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Allow bars to cool before cutting them.

Mom's Sugar Cookies

These are my favorite all time sugar cookies! They are my mom's recipe, and what I love about them is the hint of almond. When my mom makes them she usually adds some almond extract to the frosting as well, and I must say some of my fondest memories around different holidays was making these, cutting them out, and decorating them with candy.

1 C. Margarine
1 1/2 C. Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 tsp. Almond Extract
4 C. flour
1/4 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Baking Powder
4 Tbsp. Milk

Cream sugar and margarine, then add eggs and flavorings. Add the dry ingredients next followed by the milk. Chill mixture in refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Roll dough out to 1/4-1/2 inch thickness according to your desired thickness, and cut cookies out into shapes. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes. Makes 4 dozen

Jello Cookies

These were a quick easy cookie my mom use to throw together when we were young. We always loved them as kids and loved that they could come out with all different colors each time we made them, they are super simple and kids love them!

3/4 C. Shortening
1 tsp. Vanilla
3/4 C. Sugar
3 Eggs
1 3oz pkg of Jello
3/4 tsp Salt
1 tsp. Baking Powder
2 3/4 C. Flour

Cream Butter and Sugar together, then add remaining ingredients and mix well. Roll into balls, then flatten balls using the bottom of a glass that has been dipped in sugar. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.