No-Bake Cookies

[Editor's note: These cookies are amazing! I've never liked no-bake cookies until I tried these, and these are still the only kind I will eat!]

1/4 cup cocoa
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup butter
1 cup peanut butter
3 cups oats

Mix cocoa and sugar. Add butter and milk. Heat over medium flame, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil. Pour in large bowl with oats and peanut butter. Stir until mixture loses shine.

--Chrissie
St. Louis, MO

Gingerbread Biscotti

1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1/4 cup molasses
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoons ground ginger
3/4 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a cookie sheet.
In a large bowl, mix together oil, sugar, eggs, and molasses. In another bowl, combine flours, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg; mix into egg mixture to form a stiff dough.
Divide dough in half, and shape each half into a roll the length of the cookie. Place rolls on cookie sheet, and pat down to flatten the dough to 1/2 inch thickness.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool.
When cool enough to touch, cut into 1/2 inch thick diagonal slices. Place sliced biscotti on cookie sheet, and bake an additional 5 to 7 minutes on each side, or until toasted and crispy.

Ice with a mixture of powdered sugar, vanilla, and a little milk.

Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

This recipe doesn't call for any flour!

1 cup chunky-style peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

In large bowl, mix peanut butter and sugar; stir in egg and vanilla. Shape into 1-in. balls and put on ungreased cookie sheet. Press with fork to flatten slightly and bake 12-15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Yield: 3 dozen

Urban Legend Cookies

This recipe comes to me via e-mail from my dad. The website he got this from claims that the $250 Neiman-Marcus Cookie recipe story is just an urban legend. Whatever the case, a recipe is a recipe, and this one looks great! Makes quite a few cookies, too!

2 cups butter
4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups sugar
5 cups blended oatmeal (measure oatmeal and blend in blender until a fine powder)
24 oz. chocolate chips
2 cups brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 8 oz. Hershey bar, grated
4 eggs
2 tsp. baking powder
3 cups chopped nuts (your choice)
2 tsp. vanilla

Cream the butter and both sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the chocolate chips, Hershey bar, and nuts. Roll into balls and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees.

Yield: 112 cookies

--Delena
Kansas City, MO

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Mix...In a Jar!

3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup chocolate chips
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
dash baking soda

Mix salt, baking powder, baking soda, and flour. Layer ingredients in 1 quart canning jar in any given order. Attach gift card providing instructions.

To make, beat 1 cup butter in bowl until fluffy. Beat in 1 egg and 1 tsp. vanilla. With a wooden spoon, stir in cookie mix into creamed mixture until well blended. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake in pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 8-12 minutes.

Yield: 3-4 dozen cookies

--Delena
Kansas City, MO

Almond Biscotti

My mother makes this recipe constantly, and will often
give a biscotti batch as a small hostess or holiday
gift.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup sliced or slivered almonds
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
2 large eggs
1 large egg white

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with
aluminum foil.

Combine flour, sugar, almonds, and baking soda in a
large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together extracts,
eggs, and egg white; add to flour mixture, first
stirring with a spatula and subsequently, kneading
with your hands, until it all forms a slightly sticky,
slightly crumbly dough.

On the baking sheet, first shape the dough into a roll
approximately 16 inches long, and then flatten it to a
one-inch thickness.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove from oven
and allow to cool (very important!!) for 15 minutes.
Removing the roll from the aluminum foil, thinly slice
it at a sharp angle. Place the slices, cut side down,
on the (unlined) baking sheet; return to the
350-degree oven for 10 minutes. Turn them over, and
then bake for 10 additional minutes.

Yield: 20-24 cookies

--Rae
Leavenworth, KS

Big and Sweet Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are very sweet and very big.

4 1/4 cups white flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups brown sugar
3 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1.5 tablespoons vanilla
1 cup coconut
1 3/4 cups your favorite chocolate chips

Stir together flour, salt, and baking soda.  In separate bowl, cream butter
and sugars.  Add eggs, yolks, and vanilla, mixing well.  Slowly add dry
ingredients.  Stir in coconut and chocolate chips.  Feel free to add nuts if
you'd like.  Use a 1/4 cup measuring utensil and place fat balls of dough
onto cookie sheet, flattening slightly.  Bake at 325 degrees until golden
brown.
Yield:  Lots of big cookies

--Kristin
Wichita, KS

Berry Good Cookies

Cream together in a large bowl:
1 cup softened butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup white sugar

In another bowl, combine:
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Slowly add dry ingredients to the
wet ingredients. Mix just until blended.

Fold in:
1 cup dried cranberries (or dried strawberries)
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls unto greased baking sheets (I used parchment paper). Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes or until the edges start to turn golden. Cool on wire racks. Makes about 6 dozen.

Note – I think next time I will cut back slightly on the white chocolate chips & walnuts.
--Beth
Kansas City, MO