1 cup softened butter (2 sticks, 1/2 lb)*
2 cups sugar
3 tbs molasses
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
2 beaten eggs
2 cups crushed salted thin pretzel sticks (measure AFTER crushing)**
2 1/2 cups (packed) flour
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

*THE BUTTER SHOULD BE AT ROOM TEMPERATURE

**IF YOU CAN’T FIND THIN PRETZEL STICKS, YOU CAN USE MINI REGULAR PRETZELS. JUST MAKE SURE THAT ANY PRETZELS YOU USE ARE SALTED.

preheat the oven to 350° with the rack in the middle position.

mix the softened butter with the sugar and the molasses. beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, and the molasses is completely mixed in.

add the vanilla and baking soda. mix them in well.

break the eggs into a glass and whip them up with a fork. add them to your bowl and mix until they’re thoroughly incorporated.

put the pretzels  in a ziplock plastic bag. seal it carefully and place it on a flat surface. get out your rolling pin and run it over the bag, crushing the pretzels inside. do this until there are no large pieces and the largest is 1/4″ long.

measure out two cups of crushed pretzels and mix them into the dough in your bowl.

add one cup of flour and mix it in. then add the second cup and mix thoroughly. add the final cup of flour and mix that in.

measure out 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips and add them to your cookie dough. if you’re using an electric mixer, mix them in at the slowest speed. or, if you prefer, you can mix them in by hand.

drop by rounded teaspoons onto greased (or sprayed) cookie sheets. you can also line your cookie sheets with parchment paper, if you prefer. place 12 cookies on each standard sized cookie sheet.

bake the cookies at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until nicely browned.

let the cookies cool for 2 minutes and then remove them from the baking sheets. transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Makes approx 5 dozen cookies

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tbs sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp almond extract
3 cups flour

cream butter; add sugar and cream well. add the next six ingredients. mix in flour in small amounts making a very stiff dough. (the last cup may need to be mixed by hand.) wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour. roll out one-third of the dough at a time on a floured surface. cut into desired shapes. be sure to flour all cookie cutters before each use. place cutout cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet. bake in a 350° oven for 5-7 minutes or until light brown. allow to cool & then brush with cookie paint.

COOKIE PAINT

4 cups 10x sugar (1 box)
1 egg yolk
6-8 tbs milk
food coloring
several small paintbrushes

beat first three ingredients together. icing needs to be thin enough to roll off a paintbrush, so add milk as necessary to maintain proper consistency. measure out icing into a cupcake pan. add food coloring. paint icing into cookies. (icing can be stored up to one week in the refrigerator in a covered container,)

1 1/2 cups melted shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, well beaten
1 cup chopped nuts
1 tsp salt
4 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves

cream melted shortening with sugars. gradually stir in eggs, then mix in nuts. sift dry ingredients together and add to creamed mixture; mix well. shape into a 2 1/2″ thick roll. wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate overnight or until firm. slice cookie dough into 1/8″ slices with a sharp knife.

preheat oven to 425°. bake on ungreased cookie sheets for 5-6 minutes.

makes 75 cookies

3/4 cup softened butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 cup sugar
1 large egg, beaten
3 tbs molasses***
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves (see note)
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 cups (packed)flour

***if you spray your tablespoon with pam or other nonstick cooking spray, the molasses will slide right out without sticking.

NOTE: THE GROUND CLOVES CAN BE OMITTED FOR THOSE WHO DON’T LIKE CLOVES.

GLAZE
1 cup 10x sugar
1 tsp lemon juice

preheat oven to 350°, rack in the middle position.

in a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the butter & the sugar. beat the mixture until it’s light & fluffy.

mix in the beaten egg. add the molasses & stir until the mixture is uniform in color.

add the baking soda & the salt & stir well.

sprinkle in the ground ginger, cinnamon, ground cloves (if using), & ground nutmeg. stir until they’re thoroughly mixed in.

stir in one cup of flour, mix it all up, & then mix in the second cup of flour.

measure out 1/4 cup sugar & place it in a shallow bowl. you’ll use this bowl to coat dough balls with sugar. when the sugar gets low, add more as needed

break off pieces of dough & roll them into 1″ balls. roll the dough balls in the sugar & place them on a cookie sheet that has been greased or sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. place the dough balls in four rows with three in each row to make 12 per cookie sheet. press them down slightly so they won’t roll off on the way to the oven.

bake the ginger cookies at 350° for 10 minutes. cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet & then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

when the cookies are cool, make the glaze.

combine the 10x sugar with the lemon juice. if it’s too thick to drizzle, stir in a bit more lemon juice. if it’s too thin, add a bit more 10x sugar. when it’s just right, drizzle the tops of the cooled cookies with the glaze.

let the glaze dry before you store the cookies in a cookie jar. the glaze should be dry in 20-30 minutes.

makes 6-7 dozen cookies, depending on cookie size

5 cups oatmeal
2 cups sugar
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups butter, softened
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
24 oz chocolate chips
1 (8 oz) hershey bar, grated
3 cups chopped nuts

preheat the oven to 375°. in a blender, blend the oatmeal to a fine powder. in the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the sugars & butter, adding the eggs & vanilla. beat in the oatmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. fold in the chocolate chips and hershey bar, then stir in the nuts. turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board & roll into balls. place the balls 2″ apart on cookie sheets.

bake for 10 minutes.

makes 112 cookies

1 cup softened salted butter (2 sticks, 8 oz, 1/2 lb)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 lg egg, beaten
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamom (or an extra 1/2 tsp cinnamon, but cardamom is better!)
1 cup canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling!)
2 cups flour, packed
2 cups (12 oz pkg) white chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans (measure after chopping)

you can either spray your cookie sheets with pam or another nonstick cooking spray, or  ine them with parchment paper. either way will work fine.

mix the white sugar with the brown sugar. stir until the mixture is a uniform color.

add the sticks of softened butter and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.

add the beaten egg and mix it in thoroughly.

stir in the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. mix them in thoroughly.

mix in the nutmeg, cinnamon, & cardamom. (you can substitute 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice for the nutmeg, cinnamon & cardamom,)

measure out 1 cup of pumpkin and add it to your bowl. stir it in until the mixture is smooth.

add the flour in half-cup increments, stirring the batter smooth after each addition.

add the white chocolate chips. mix then in and then add the chopped pecans. stir everything in thoroughly.

use a teaspoon to scoop out some dough and drop it on your cookie sheet. these cookies will be small, but they will spread out when they bake. place the cookie dough balls 3 to a horizontal row, 4 rows to a cookie sheet.

bake at 350° for 12-14 minutes, or until they are firm.

remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let the cookies set up for 2 minutes. then use a metal spatula to remove the cookies from the cookie sheets and transfer them to a wire rack too cool completely.

when all the cookies are baked and cooled it’s time to frost them.

FROSTING:

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 tbs salted butter
1/4 cup milk (I prefer half-and-half)
1-1 1/2 cups 10x sugar (no need to sift unless you have big lumps)

combine the brown sugar and butter in a saucepan and bring it to a boil on the stove over medium-high heat.

boil the mixture for 1 minute or until it’s slightly thickened.

pull the saucepan off the heat and cool the mixture for 10 minutes.

add the milk (or half-and-half) and beat the mixture until smooth.

add the 10x sugar by half-cup increments, stirring after each addition. keep adding the 10x sugar until the mixture reaches spreading consistency.

frost the cookies. if you’d like to dress them up a bit, place a half pecan on top of each cookie before the frosting hardens.

NOTE: IF YOU DON’T HAVE TIME TO COOK THE FROSTING, OR YOU HAVE ANXIOUS PEOPLE WAITING TO EAT THEM, YOU CAN SKIP THE FROSTING & JUST SPRINKLE THE COOKIES WITH 10X SUGAR.

makes approximately 6 dozen cookies, depending on cookie size.

1 1/4 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbs molasses
1 lg egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup raisins

combine the oats, flour, cinnamon, baking powder & salt in a large bowl. beat the butter, sugar & molasses in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. beat in the egg & vanilla until smooth, about 2 more minutes. reduce the mixer speed to low, add the flour mixture & beat until combined. stir in the raisins by hand. for the best flavor & texture chill the dough at least 4 hours or overnight.

position racks in the upper & lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350°. line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. form the dough into 12 balls, about 2 tbs each, & arrange 3″ apart on prepared baking sheets. flatten with the back of a fork. bake until the cookies are golden, 15-17 minutes. let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

makes 1 dozen