Our Favorite Cookie Recipes

 Our Favorite Cookie Recipes

Baking is a part of many people’s traditions over the holidays.  We here at Family Friendly Cincinnati wanted to share some of our favorite & treasured holiday recipes with you.  And we’d love to hear about your favorite holiday baked goods, please leave comments below with links to your recipes!

Shannan’s Recipe:  Cake Mix Cookies ~ Shannan says she likes these cookies because “it’s the simplest recipe, perfect for people who stink at cooking, like I do”.  When she made these cookies for a workplace cookie cookoff they took first place!  AND they were featured on the cover of the Enquirer a few years back.  Yum!

Katie’s Recipe: Sugar Cookies ~ I have many cookie recipes that I bake, but this one is my favorite for the holidays.  Each year I get together with my cousins, sister, sister in law, and daughter and we bake cookies together.  This is the recipe we use for our awesome Sugar Cookies: http://bit.ly/1AuDsrF

Kandi’s Recipe: Chocolate Crinkles & Snickerdoodles ~  I am the person who makes TONS of holiday goodies for our family.  While I have my favorites for this time of year, the two that mean the most to me are Chocolate Crinkles and Snickerdoodles.  They are my favorite to eat!  The part I loved the most though, was spending time with my Grammy while making them.   She has since passed the cookie making onto me, but I still try to do things the same way she does.  These are just classics and the holidays aren’t the same without them!

Amy Q’s Recipe: Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies ~ Here is my new favorite 🙂  It’s adapted from this one from allrecipes but I’ve made some changes…they stay chewy and moist and my kids don’t even realize (or care) that they are oatmeal cookies! Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

1 stick Crisco baking sticks (we like butter flavor) plus 2 Tbsp. water (or 1 cup real butter, softened)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
.5 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
.5 Tbsp. baking soda
.5 tsp salt
3 cups quick cook oats
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (we have substituted butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips and milk chocolate as well.  You can also substitute 1 cup chopped nuts for 1 cup of the chocolate chips)

1. Preheat oven to 335 degrees.
2. In large bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer) cream together the brown and white sugars and shortening (or butter) until light and fluffy.  Add eggs and blend well then stir in vanilla.  In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt and blend.  Stir into the creamed mixture until just blended.  Mix in oats, one cup at a time, until blended.  Fold in chocolate chips and nuts (if using) until just incorporated.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.  Drop mixture by rounded spoonfuls onto parchment, allowing 2 inches between cookies.  It helps to keep dough refrigerated between batches.  Bake 12-15 minutes, until tops are just beginning to turn golden brown.  Allow to cool on sheet for 5 minutes then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.  Do not overcook, cookies will continue to cook after removed from the oven.  Enjoy!

Phyllis’ Recipe: Banana Bread ~ This recipe is inspired by the classic Betty Crocker Banana Bread recipe, mostly to use uneaten bananas and with love to treat my baked treat deprived family and often used to fulfill my bake sale duty

Banana Bread  

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups mashed very ripe bananas (3 to 4 medium)

1/3 cup water 

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon (aluminum free) baking powder

optional: 1/2 cup chocolate chips and/0r 1/2 cup walnuts

 

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottoms only of 2 loaf pans, 8 1/2×4 1/2×2 1/2 inches, or 1 loaf pan, 9x5x3 inches.

Mix sugar and butter in large bowl. Stir in eggs until well blended. Add bananas and milk. Beat until smooth. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt just until moistened. Stir in any optional choices. Pour into pans of muffin tins.

Bake 8-inch loaves about 1 hour, 9-inch loaf about 1 1/4 hours, mini loaf pans about 35 minutes or mini muffins about 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans and place top side up on wire rack. Cool before slicing. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 10 days if they last that long.

 

Kristin’s Recipe: Hot Cocoa ~ Kristin says she doesn’t do much baking, but that is a great recipe for kids to make and give as gifts.  She is going to be doing this with her daughter’s Girl Scout Troop.

Michelle’s Recipe: Cathedral Cookies ~ This recipe is special to me because my grandma used to make them every year.  They are so pretty and very delicious.  I love the combination of chilled chocolate with the marshmallows.

Cathedral Cookies
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 10.5 oz. package colored mini marshmallows
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

 

Melt the chocolate with the butter
Stir to blend
Stir in eggs until smooth
Pour over marshmallows
Chill approximately one hour, stirring occasionally
Form into 3 rolls
Coat the rolls with walnuts
Wrap in wax paper and chill over night
Cut in slices and keep refrigerated.

 

Karen’s Recipe: Split Seconds ~ My husband makes these with our two kids and has for years. They are super easy and fool proof. The other nice thing about these is that you can make a super quick batch of cookies.

3/4 Cup Butter Softened

2/3 Cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 egg

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup red jelly or preserves (you can use whatever you’d like, though)

Heat oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg; blend well. stir in flour and baking powder; mix well. Divide dough into 4 equal parts. On lightly floured surface, shape each part into  12 x 3/4-inch roll; place on ungreased cookie sheets.

Using handle of wooden spoon or finger, make depression about 1/2 inch wide and 1/4 inch deep lengthwise down center of each roll. Fill each roll with 2 tablespoons jelly.

Bake at 350 F for 15 to 20 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool slightly; cut diagonally into strips. Cool completely on wire racks.

Yield: 4 dozen cookies