Cookie & Candy Recipes

*COOKIES & CANDY*

A little cookie history: The first cookies were created by accident.  Cooks used a small amount of cake batter to test their oven temperature before baking a large cake. These little test cakes were called "koekje". meaning "little cake" in Dutch.  In addition, the Dutch first popularized cookies in the United States.  The British took a liking to them in the 19th century, incorporating them into their daily tea service and calling them biscuits or sweet buns, as they do in Scotland.

No matter how or why cookies were invented, they have got to be one of my favorite things to snack on.  I hope you enjoy and, even, try some of these recipes...

*Linzer Cookies*

Sometime in the 1930's, so the legend goes, a Massachusetts innkeeper ran out of nuts while baking cookies.  Therefore, she substituted a bar of baking chocolate, breaking it into pieces and added them to the flour, butter and brown sugar dough.  The Toll House Cookie, so named after the inn in which it was served, was a hit.  Historians credit the innkeeper, Ruth Wakefield, with inventing what has become an American classic - the chocolate chip cookie.

*The Original Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie*

INGREDIENTS

2 1/4 cups AP flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1-12 ounce package semi-sweet chocolate morsels

1 cup chopped nuts

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in bowl.  Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large mixing bowl until creamy.  Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.  Gradually beat in flour mixture.  Stir in chocolate & nuts. Drop by tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

3.  Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool for 2 minutes and transfer to wire racks to complete cooling.

Here's a yummy variation on the Chocolate Chip Cookie.

*Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie*

*Sugar Cookies*

INGREDIENTS

1 cup sugar

1 cup powdered sugar

2 eggs, well beaten

1 cup butter

1 cup canola oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp baking soda

4 1/4 cups AP flour

1. Cream sugars, butter and eggs.  Stir in oil and vanilla.

2. Sift dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture.  Refrigerate until dough is firm.

3. Use a small ice cream scoop and place on baking sheet.  Flatten with fork.  Sprinkle with sugar and bake at 35o degrees until golden brown.

Everyone loves candy, but if you ask people, how many of them actually know the history of candy?  Probably not very many people could answer the question.  I can because I looked it up but I won't put you to sleep with a lengthy "Candy" history lesson.  It's not that interesting so it's on to some candy recipes...

*Peppermint Bark*

*Peanut Butter Cups*

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup peanut butter, creamy

2 tbs unsalted butter, room temp

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

9 ounces semi-sweet chocolate. coarsely chopped

9 ounces milk chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 tbs shortening

1. Line 36 mini-muffin cups with paper liners.

2. Place peanut butter, butter, and salt in a microwaveable bowl and heat in microwave until just soft, not melted.  Stir in confectioners sugar.

3. Melt chocolates and shortening in a double boiler.

4. Drop a teaspoon of the melted chocolate into each muffin cup. Top with a teaspoon of the peanut butter mixture.  Then top with another teaspoon of the melted chocolate,  Refrigerate until set.

*Candy Sushi*

*Note* If you're a Diabetic, like me, you can substitute "Splenda" for the sugar in your recipes. The measurements are the same!