Snickerdoodles!

For those of you who have heard of these cookies and love them I'm so happy to share this recipe with you. If you have no idea what these are... let me just say they are probably my most favorite cookie (next to PB) in the world! Probably because I have so many fond memories attached to them. In my teenage years I would make this cookie dough just to eat it raw. I was pretty obsessed! Enjoy. My sister just gave me my mom's recipe from an old cookbook I thought was gone forever. I'm so happy it wasn't!

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1-1/2 cups plus 2 tbls sugar, divided
2 eggs
2-3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp cream of tarter
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon

In a large mixing bowl with electric mixer, beat butter, shortening, 1-1/2 cups sugar and eggs until well mixed. Blend in flour, cream of tarter, baking soda and salt.

Shape dough by rounded teaspoonfuls into balls. Combine cinnamon and remaining 2 tbls of sugar. Roll balls in cinnamon-sugar mix. Place balls 2-in apart, on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven 8-10 min or until set. Let cool on wire racks.
Makes about 6 dozen cookies
from my Mom's old cookie cookbook

Tea Cakes

In memory of my sweet Grandpa, I'm sharing his legacy of tea cakes with you, given to me by Aunt Linda.  Once they were cooled he would put them in brown paper bags for us.  We love you Grandpa and will miss you terribly.  May the tea cakes live on...

Tea Cakes

4 cups plain flour (all-purpose)

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1 stick margarine or butter

1/2 tsp salt

Roll onto floured board.  Cut with round cutter or with a glass

Bake @ 350 degrees for 8-10 min.  Enjoy!

Passed down from Grandpa LeBlanc

Peanut Butter Cookies

Just tried these today and Markus and I both ate 5 each straight out of the oven.  Yum Yum

1 c sugar

1 stick butter, room temp

1 egg

1 c smooth peanut butter, it's always crunchy for me

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1-1/2 c flour

*I added 1/2 c peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 375.  Grease baking sheet.  In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter.  Beat in egg mixure.  Mix in PB and vanilla until smooth and creamy.  Stir in salt, baking soda, and flour until well combined.  Roll dough into 1-in balls.  Place on baking sheet and flatten with fork.  Bake for 12-15 min (I did mine for 8.5 min)

From Food Network.com

Chocolate Chip-Pecan Cookies

This one is for you Suzette, cause you couldn't believe they were from scratch.  

1-1/4 c flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 c unsalted butter (1 stick), room temp

3/4 c firmly packed brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 eggs

1-1/2 c chocolate chips

1-1/2 c pecans

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  (i always do 350 haha)

In a bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt.  set aside.  In large bowl, combine butter, brown sugar and vanilla.  Using mixer on high beat until light and fluffy.  beat in the egg.  Reduce to low and add flour mixture, mix until just incorporated.  Fold in the chocolate chips and pecans until evenly distributed.

Spoon rounded tablespoons of batter onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing 2 in apart.  bake until just firm to the touch and beginning to brown. (about 15 min)

Makes about 2 dozen, Williams-Sonoma The Best of the Kitchen Library: Desserts

P.S. I never let the butter get to room temperature, I find it just works better that way.  Oh and I use whatever chips and nuts I have on hand.  It's good with anything