Neiman-Marcus Cookies

2 cups butter
24 oz. Chocolate chips
4 cups flour
2 cups brown sugar
2 tsp. soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
1 8 oz. Hershey Bar (grated)
5 cups blended oatmeal
4 eggs
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups chopped nuts

Measure oatmeal, and blend in a blender to a fine powder. Cream butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla, mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder and soda. Add chocolate chips, Hershey Bar and nuts. Roll into balls, and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes at 375º. Makes 112 cookies.

Helen’s Gingersnaps

3 cups flour
1 ½ tsp. soda
2 tsp. ginger
½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. cloves
¾ cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
½ cup molasses
2 tsp. vinegar

Combine dry ingredients. Cream butter and sugar. Mix in eggs, molasses and vinegar. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350°F for 9-11 minutes.

Molasses Oatmeal Cookies

1 ½ cups flour
1 tsp. soda
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. ginger
¼ tsp. cloves
½ cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
¼ cup molasses
¾ cup quick oats

Combine dry ingredients. Cream butter, sugar, egg and molasses. Add dry ingredients. Add oats. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375°F for 10-12 minutes. Let stand a few minutes before removing from cookie sheet. Makes 3 dozen spicy cookies.

Snickerdoodles

1 cup butter
1 ½ cup sugar
2 eggs
2 ¾ cup flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp soda
¼ tsp salt

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and mix. Combine dry ingredients and add to butter mixture; mix. Roll into balls. Roll in a mixture of 3 Tbsp sugar and 3 tsp. cinnamon. Place 2 inches (5 cm.) apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375º F for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned, but still soft.

Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla (optional)
3 cups flour
½ tsp salt
1 tsp soda

Cream butter and sugar. Blend in eggs, vanilla, and water. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours. Roll out on floured surface 1/8 to ¼ inch thick and cut. Bake 350º for 10-12 minutes.

Cool cookies on rack and decorate with creamy vanilla frosting.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter
2/3 cup white sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 ½ cups chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla (optional)
1/3 cups chopped nuts (optional)
2 cups quick oatmeal

Cream butter; add sugars. Add eggs and beat well. Add vanilla. Combine flour, salt and soda. Add to creamed mixture. Add nuts, chocolate chips and oatmeal. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake 350º in oven for 10-12 minutes.

Lemon Almond Cookies

1 cup flour
¼ cup coarsely ground almonds
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. almond essence
finely grated rind of 1 lemon

Cream butter and egg till fluffy. Beat in egg and essence. Gradually mix in rind and dry ingredients. Shape into a 2-inch diameter roll. Refrigerate. Cut into ¼ ” slices. Bake on parchment paper 10-12 minutes at 375°F until light brown. Makes 2 dozen.

Hazelnut Cream Tuiles

Makes about 2 1/12 dozen

Tuiles:
¼ cup butter, softened
¾ cup icing sugar
2 egg whites
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise seeds scraped and reserved
½ cup flour

Hazelnut cream:
½ cup hazelnuts toasted, skins rubbed off with a kitchen towel while still warm
10 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 cup icing sugar
2 Tbsp. cream

Make the tuiles. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Cream butter and sugar; beat 2 minutes until pale and fluffy. Mix in egg whites, extract and vanilla seeds; reserve vanilla bean for another use. Add flour; mix until just combined.

Spoon 1 ½ tsp. batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper; spread into a 4 inch round. Repeat forming 3 more rounds and spacing 2 inches.

Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, working quickly remove one cookie and roll around the handle of a wooden spoon to form ¼ inch tube. Hold until tuile begins to garden, about 10 seconds; transfer tuile to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining cookies. If cookies become to cool to shape, return to oven for 30 seconds. Repeat with remaining batter. Unfilled tuiles can be stored in airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

Make the cream. Process nuts in food processor until they resemble coarse meal. Reserve 2 Tbsp; transfer remainder to medium bowl. Add butter, sugar, and cream; stir until smooth. Transfer to pastry bag fitted with a ¼ inch plain round tip. Gently pipe filling into one end of a tuile forcing it halfway in with a skewer; pipe into opposite end until filled. Dip each end in reserved nuts. Repeat with remaining tuiles. Serve immediately.

Gingerbread

(alternate recipe measurements in brackets)

1/3 cup butter   (1/4)
½ cup sugar       (1/2)
1 egg                 (1)
¾ cup water       (1/2)
½ cup molasses (1/2)
1 ½ cups flour   (1 1/2)
1 tsp. ginger      (1/2)
½ tsp cinnamon (1/2)
¼ tsp. cloves      (1/4)
½ tsp. soda        (1)
¼ tsp. salt
Lemon Butter Sauce or Lemon Sauce or whipped cream

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg. Combine water and molasses. Combine dry ingredients. Add to creamed mixture alternately with molasses mixture. Pour into a greased 8-inch square baking pan.

Bake at 350° F for 30-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted near the centre comes out clean. Serve warm with Lemon Butter Sauce or whipped cream. Yield: 9 servings.

No-Bake Chocolate Cookies

1 Tbsp. corn syrup
2 cups sugar
½ cup canned milk (if not available use regular milk)
½ cup butter
6 Tbsp. cocoa
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup coconut
1 tsp. vanilla

In a large saucepan, combine corn syrup, sugar, milk, butter and cocoa. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the oats, coconut and vanilla. Working quickly, drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper. Let stand until set.