Old Fashioned Wafer Thin Butter Cookies

These are not the common butter cookies you are so used to seeing. This is an old German recipe given to me by my Aunt. I have been making these since I was married 31 years ago. They are rolled very thin, almost like a wafer than a cookie. The 6 egg yolks give it the richness that other butter cookies lack. I always look through websites and cookbooks to see if anyone else has a butter cookie recipe like this - I have not found one yet. I only updated the method to use a food processor instead of creaming the butter by hand. These are truly delicious and special.
by Joanne117
1¼ hours | 15 min prep | SERVES 6 , 7 dozen
2 3/4 cups flour, sifted
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 lb unsalted butter (cold)
6 egg yolks (Large Eggs)
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
red sugar crystals
green sugar crystals

1. Sift dry ingredients together. Place in food processor and process a few seconds to mix. Cut each stick of butter into 8 pieces and place in food processor. Process 20 to 30 seconds until butter is cut in evenly. Add egg yolks and vanilla and process until mixture forms a ball. Remove, divide into 4 equal balls, flatten each and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
2. Preheat over to 375 degrees. Cut aluminum foil to fit approximately 4 cookie sheets. Using a well floured pastry cloth and rolling pin cover, roll 1 section of dough, leaving the rest refrigerated until needed. Roll evenly approximately 1/8" thick (or actually 1/8" thin). Using small size cookies cutters, cut cookies (they should remain in the cutter, then tap out on to the foil lined cookie sheets). Place cookies 1/2 inch apart. Sprinkle with sugar crystals. (Easier to do one whole sheet red, next sheet green). Reroll scraps and roll out, trying to handle dough as little as possible. Don't reroll dough a third time, use another refrigerated section of dough. Bake approximately 8 minutes, one sheet at a time. Cookies should be slightly golden, remove quickly as once they start to brown, they could burn fast. Immediately slide foil off cookie sheet and leave cookies on foil to cool. Repeat with remaining dough. Store in a wax paper lined, cookie tin. Cookies reach their taste potential after a day and will stay fresh in a cookie tin approximatelly 3 weeks. Actual yield is based on the size cookie cutter used. I use a very small size, approximately 1 1/2 " across.

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Cherry Cashew Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 10 oz. package vanilla milk chips, or 1 2/3 cups coarsely chopped white chocolate
1 1/2 cups dried tart cherries
1 cup lightly salted cashews

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a large mixing bowl, combine butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla. Mix with electric mixer on medium speed until thoroughly mixed.
Combine flour and baking soda; gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture.
Stir in vanilla milk chips, dried cherries and cashews. 5. Drop by rounded
tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.
Bake in a preheated 375 degree F. oven 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
Let cool on wire racks; store in a tightly covered container.

Almond Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup almond butter
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour, (Sifted before measuring)
1/4 teaspoon salt


Directions:

Preheat oven to 300F. Lightly grease a baking sheet (or use a nonstick one).
Mix together almond butter and oil; beat until smooth. Mix in maple syrup and vanilla extract.
Stir together flour and salt. Add to almond butter mixture and mix until just combined. Cover and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
Roll dough into 3/4-inch balls. Place on baking sheet and flatten with a fork.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes, until bottoms are lightly browned. Cool a couple of minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Doubly Delicious Peanut Butter Cookies Tanya Twist

1 c. shortening
1 c. brown sugar
1 - 1 1/2 c. peanut butter (crunchy or smooth your preference)
1 c. sugar
2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
1/2 to 3/4 c. peanuts, chopped to resemble bread crumbs (optional)
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1 banana (makes cookies moist and richer)

Either by hand or with an electric mixer, beat butter until smooth and creamy. Add sugar, beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes with an electric mixer, stopping to scrape down the bowl as necessary. (This is an important step. Make sure that the sugar/butter mixture is very fluffy and light.) Beat in the peanut butter until fully incorporated, then the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla. Mix until batter is creamy and smooth.

Add flour 1/2 cup at a time, until ingredients are completely mixed together. Mix for about 5 to 10 minutes. Make sure that it is mixed thoroughly. Add the ground peanuts and stir gently until just incorporated.

Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place on a cookie sheet. Make criss-crosses on each ball with a fork dipped in sugar, making sure not to flatten the ball all the way.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Do not over bake.


**For those allergic to nuts you can substitute Sunbutter with the following changes**
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 c. SunButter

They will look undercooked, don't overcook them. 10-12 minutes should do it for the sunbutter version.

Besitos de Coco - Coconut Kisses

Prep Time : 10min Cook Time : 35min

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup flour
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons coconut (or vanilla) extract

PREPARATION
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Grease a 13x9x2 cookie sheet.
3. In a bowl, thoroughly mix all ingredients together into a dough.
4. Divide the dough into 24 uniform balls.
5. Place the balls on the greased cookie sheet forming peaks at the top like a kiss and bake for about 35 minutes. They should be golden.

Servings: 24 cookies.

Alternatives
Can dip the finished product in chocolate and/or nuts

Chocolate Chip Mandel Bread

Ingredients

* 1 cup of sugar
* 1 cup of oil
* 3 cups of flour
* 1 tsp. baking powder
* 1 tsp. of vanilla
* 12 oz. chocolate chips
* 4 eggs

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Mix the Mandel Bread Wet Ingredients
First put the sugar, the eggs and the oil into a large mixing bowl. Mix with an electric mixer on medium speed. Using a recipe with 4 eggs will make this a more cookie-like rather than a brittle type of mandel bread.
Mix in the Mandel Bread Dry Ingredients
Next, add the baking powder to the flour and whisk them together. Now, a little bit at a time, mix the flour into the wet mixture. Once you've got the flour worked in, add the vanilla. Mixture will be thick and sticky. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips with a spoon. You can add walnuts at this time, but I will leave it as is.
Bake the Chocolate Chip Mandel Bread
Spoon about half the mixture onto each of the two parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake them for about a 1/2 hour.
Cut the Chocolate Chip Mandel Bread
Take them out of the oven and cut the loaf into 1-inch slices. If your loaf is wide like mine, I like to also cut the loaf down the middle. Then, put back in oven for another 5 minutes.

Take out of the oven, serve, and enjoy!

Soft & Chewy Sugar Cookies

These are always a hit!

Serves: 30
Prep time: 1hr 10 min

• 2-3/4 c all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1-1/4 c margarine (use butter ONLY if you want them to be crispy)
• 2 c granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 c granulated OR colored sugar - for garnish

1. Stir together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cram together margarine and 2 cups sugar until fluffy.
3. Beat in eggs one at a time, then beat in vanilla.
4. Gradually stir in dry mixture just until blended.
5. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls then roll in remaining sugar or colored sugar.
6. Refrigerate balls for at least 20 minutes OR freeze until ready to bake.
7. Place cookies 2" apart on an ungreased cookie sheet and flatten slightly with the palm of your hand.
8. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned at the edges.
9. Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then remove to cool on a wire rack.
   

Pizelles

You make these on an iron, kinda like a waffle iron but has pretty designs on both sides and makes a thinner cookie.

1 lb Butter-room temp and creamed
8 eggs
2 3/4 cups sugar

4 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp anise oil, other flavors can be used but you need to use an oil

Cream butter with mixer, on low speed mix in eggs one at a time. The mixture is pretty funky looking. Don't over beat. By hand mix in sugar. Add in flour and baking powder 1/4 at a time, mix until incorporated and then next 1/4 until all is added. Add oil last and mix well.

Get iron hot and spray with non stick spray.

Place one tsp of batter on each iron and cook for about 10-15 seconds. Cookie will not brown much. Batter burns easily so if it is browning it is starting to burn. Cookies will be soft and moist when taken off the iron. I use a rubber spatula and my hands to do this. Set on a raised cooling rack. If you set them flat they will absorb the moisture and be soft. When the cookies cool they should be crisp, shatter if dropped.

** Anise oil is sometimes easier to find online at gormet cooking sites. Here is one I have found. http://www.lorannoils.com/homepage_consumers.htm

Raspberry Cheesecake Cookie Pizza

This recipe is amazingly good and super easy to make. Comes from a Better Homes And Gardens "More Christmas Cookies"

12-16 servings

45 min 15 min prep

• 3/4 cup butter or margarine
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

1. Beat the butter or margarine in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.
2. Add the 3/4 cup sugar and beat till combined.
3. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla till combined.
4. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer.
5. Stir in any remaining flour with a spoon.
6. Spread dough in a lightly greased 12 or 13 inch pizza pan.
7. Bake in a 350° oven about 20 minutes or till golden.
8. Meanwhile, beat together cream cheese, 1 egg, and the 1 tablespoon sugar till smooth.
9. Spread over hot crust.
10. Spread preserves on top.
11. With a knife, carefully swirl preserves to marble.
12. Sprinkle with almonds.
13. Bake 5 to 10 minutes more or till filling is set.
14. Cool in pan on a wire rack.
15. Cut into wedges.
16. Store in refrigerator.

Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

This is my most favorite recipe that I have found for these cookies. I altered it from the original Quaker Oats recipe. Also I found using the old fashioned vs. quick oats make nice sturdy yet chewy cookies.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) margarine or butter, softened
• 1 c firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 c granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1-1/2 c all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt (optional)
• 3 c Quaker Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
• 1 c raisins (boiled, i found this makes the raisins nice plump and juicy)

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350F. In large bowl, beat margarine and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats and raisins; mix well.
2. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
   
3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.

Yields about 4 dozen

For bar cookies
Press dough onto bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch baking pan. Bake 30-35 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars. Store tightly covered. Makes 24 bars.

Variations

• Stir in 1 c chopped nuts
• Substitute 1 c semisweet chocolate chips or candy-coated chocolate pieces for raisins; omit cinnamon
• Substitute 1 cup diced dried mixed fruit

High Altitude Adjustment
Increase flour to 1-3/4 c and bake as directed