Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Vanilla, lemon or almond flavouring
1 tsp. Soda
4 ½ cups flour.

Cream together butter, sugar, eggs, salt, flavour and soda. Add flour and shape dough into an oval roll and wrap in wax paper or place into a plastic bag. Chill at least two hours.

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Take out ¼ or less of the dough. Keep remaining dough chilled. On floured surface, roll to ¼ to 3/8 inch thickness. With floured cutter, cut dough. With spatula, lift cutter and dough. With thumb, rub cutting edge clean of dough. Then, using thumb, gently press dough into design of the cutter. Be very careful never to press closer than ¼ inch from edge of the cutter. Slap cutter down on table or cookie sheet and dough will come right out. Flour cutter before cutting next cookie. Bake cookies 12 to 15 minutes. Do not allow to brown. Cool thoroughly before decorating.

Shortbread

1 cup butter
½ cup icing sugar
2 cup flour
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 325°. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Beat butter and sugar together. Add flour and salt and stir until smooth. If refrigerate 30 minutes to 1 hour. If refrigerated longer, take out 30 minutes before using. Roll into 1″ balls. Place on cookie sheet, flatten slightly to ½” thickness with glass dipped in flour. Bake15-18 minutes until lightly browned on bottom. Makes 3-4 dozen.

Chocolate Chunk: Add 1 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate before chilling

Lemon: Add 1 Tbsp. Lemon peel before chilling. Dust with icing sugar after baking.

Maple Walnut: Omit icing sugar; substitute ½ cup granulated maple sugar. Add ¾ cup chopped toasted walnuts.

Raisin Cookies (Grandma Linford)

1 pkg. Raisins
3 tsp. soda
1 ½ cups sugar
¾ cup butter
3 eggs
4 ½ cups flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
3 tsp. cinnamon
1 ½ tsp. cloves
1 ½ tsp. nutmeg
1 ½ cups nuts, chopped

In pan cover raisins with water 2 inches above top of raisins. Boil slowly until level with raisins or until 1 ½ cups liquid remain. Drain raisins. Add 3 tsp. soda to 1 ½ cups liquid. Cool.

Cream sugar and butter. Beat in eggs. Combine dry ingredients and mix into creamed mixture with reserved liquid. Mix in raisins and nuts. Drop by teaspoonful onto greased cookie sheets. Bake 10 minutes at 375º. Cool on wire rack. Keep well in plastic bag in fridge.

Polynesian Cookies

3 cups flour
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. water
1 tsp vanilla
1 (8 ½ oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained
½ cup chopped nuts

Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Blend in eggs, vanilla and water. Add dry ingredients and mix. Stir in pineapple and nuts. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 10-15 minutes.

Peber-Kager

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
7 oz. Molasses
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. Cinnamon
1 Tbsp. Cloves
1 Tbsp. Ginger
1 Tbsp. Baking soda
4 cups flour

Mix butter and sugar. Add molasses and eggs. Mix well. Add dry ingredients. Cool the dough in the fridge for a couple of hours. Roll the dough out and cut out in figures. Bake 400˚F for 5-10 minutes depending on the thickness of the cookies.

Oreo Cookies (Lis Jensen)

2 packages devils food cake mix
1 cup oil
3 eggs

Mix. (Will be oily). Roll into balls. Put on cookie sheet with space to spread out. Bake 10-12 minutes at 350ºF until cookies look cracked. Cool cookies on rack. Make sandwich cookies by spreading generously with cream cheese icing. Makes about 48 cookies.

Frosting:
8 oz. Cream cheese, softened
1 lb. Icing sugar (3 ½ cups)

Beat cream cheese until smooth.  Add icing sugar some at a time.

Farm-style Oatmeal Cookies

2 cups brown sugar
1 cup butter
½ cup buttermilk or 2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 cups quick-cooking oats
1 ¾ cup flour or whole-wheat flour
1 tsp. soda
¾ tsp. salt

Mix brown sugar, butter, buttermilk (or eggs) and vanilla. Stir in remaining ingredients. Shape into 1-inch balls. Place about 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten cookies with bottom of glass dipped in water. Bake at 375°F until golden brown, 8-10 minutes. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. About 7 dozen cookies.

Oatmeal Drop Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
½ cup sour milk
2 ¾ cup flour
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. nutmeg
2 cups oats
1 cup raisins
½ cup chopped nuts

Cream butter and sugars. Add egg; mix. Add milk; mix. Combine dry ingredients (flour soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.) Add to butter mixture and mix. Add oats, raisins and nuts; mix. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350° F. for 8-10 minutes or until barely golden brown.

Makes 6 dozen.

Oatmeal Cookies (Melba Jackson)

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 ½ cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
3 cups oats
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup raisins
¼ cup water

In large skillet, melt butter; add oats and “fry” stirring constantly until oats are golden. Remove from heat and stir in raisins. Transfer to large bowl. While this cools stir together dry ingredients, except sugar. Add sugars to oat-raisin mixture; mixing well. Stir in flour mixture and nuts. Beat eggs, vanilla and water into oat mixture. Bake at 350° F for 10-12 minutes.

Oatmeal Cookies

2 cups cups oats or 1 ½ cups oats and ½ cup coconut
1 ¾ cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. soda
1 cup butter
1 sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine oats, flour, baking powder and soda; set aside. In a large bowl cream together butter and sugars until fluffy; beat in egg until blended. Add vanilla and coconut (if using.) Mix well. Add dry ingredients and mix just until blended. Shape into 2-inch balls and place on ungreased baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375°10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 4 dozen.