Jessi is hosting a cookie swap today!

♥♥♥♥Happy Birthday Jessi!!!!♥♥♥♥    (Dec.8th)

This will surely brighten my spirit as I love to bake cookies! I didn’t have a cool oven like Jessi did, but I did have an Easy Bake Oven

I got to use about 1 time before brother #2 shorted it out. (He bought me a new one as a grown-up!). I really started to bake a lot in junior high when I had Home Ec class and learned not to be afraid of baking. I did have the Betty Crocker cookbook for Boys and Girls that really lead the whole thing off!

Anyway, here are my ‘must bake’ cookies, every year now. Enjoy!

My array of cookies from a few years back

My favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe:
Crisco Butter Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie
Preparation time: 30 to 35 minutes
Baking time: 8 to 13 minutes/baking sheet
About 3 dozen cookies

1-1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup Butter Flavor CRISCO all-vegetable shortening
or 3/4 Butter Flavor Crisco stick
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (6-ounce package) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup pecan pieces (optional)*

Heat oven to 375ºF. Combine brown sugar, Butter Flavor
Crisco Shortening, milk and vanilla in large bowl.
Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Beat egg into creamed mixture.
Combine flour, salt and baking soda.
Mix into creamed mixture until just blended. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts, if used.
Drop rounded measuring tablespoonfuls of dough 3 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet.
Bake one baking sheet at a time at 375ºF for
8 to 10 minutes for chewy cookies
(they will look light and moist), or 11 to 13 minutes for crisp cookies.
DO NOT OVERBAKE. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet on a cooling rack;
remove cookies to rack to cool completely.

* If nuts are omitted, add an additional 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips.

My son Sean’s favorite bar cookies:

SEVEN LAYER COOKIES

1 stick butter
1 1/2 cups graham crackers
1 can Eagle brand sweetened condensed milk
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup butterscotch chips (can be omitted)

Melt butter in a cake pan. Sprinkle crumbs over butter and pour
Eagle brand condensed milk over the crumbs.
Top with remaining ingredients in the order given and press down firmly.
Bake 25 minutes or until lightly brown at 350 degrees.

Bri’s aunt makes these every year-yummy!

Russian tea cakes
Ingredients:

* 1 cup butter
* 1/2 cup powdered sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 2 1/2 cups flour
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 cup finely chopped pecans
* Powdered Sugar

Preparation:
Preheat oven 400°. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with 1/2 cup powdered sugar and vanilla.
Stir in flour and salt and pecans. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Bake for about 9 minutes. Roll warm tea cakes in sifted powdered sugar. Makes 4 dozen tea cakes.

I also make candy too-Microwave Peanut Brittle and Fudge of all kinds.

Update-Dear Readers-Could you keep my mom Jeanne in your thoughts and prayers as her eye doctors want her to have her surgery late this afternoon. They must think her vision is in jeopardy. She asked her neighbor to take her and she is counting on one of my brothers (who live about 4 miles from the hospital) to come get her. I guess I’m on standby for the picking up part. Brian’s car is acting up and he’s going to get it checked out on Monday if it will start up to get it to the station. He’ll have to take my van back to work this afternoon. I’ve shed some sad tears, believe me. Poor mom. She looks so frail and she said she was shaking badly when the doctor’s office called her this morning.