Peach Oatmeal Flax Cookies

I still have a sweet tooth. I try to satiate that sweet tooth with fruit, but every once in a while a good cookie is the only solution. I now bake all of my cookies with at least half whole wheat flour, honey or molasses instead of refined white sugar (not always possible due to moisture content), and I love to add ground flax!

These cookies were inspired by my breakfast one day last week, where I topped my oatmeal with fresh peaches. So good! And the cookies turned out great too! (Excuse the bad picture, they really tasted good!)

Peach Oatmeal Flax Cookies

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons ground flax
2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
2 medium peaches, pitted, peeled and diced
1 cup raisins

In a large bowl, cream together the sugars, butter, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy. In a medium bowl, combine flour, flax, baking powder and salt. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until smooth. Fold in the oats, peaches and raisins. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drop dough by tablespoonful onto nonstick cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden. Remove from baking sheets and cool on wire racks.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Brownies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 Tbs canola oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch pan. Mix first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and stir until blended. Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes until set and lightly brown around edges.

Butterscotch Brownies

I made these for a meeting this week, and they got rave reviews! I needed something quick, easy, and made with ingredients I had on hand, so I turned to my trusty Betty Crocker cookbook. These are so simple, it's almost embarrassing! No chocolate in these brownies, but they are G-O-O-D!!

For more Tempt My Tummy Tuesday kitchen tips and recipes, click over to Blessed with Grace. And don't forget to visit my main blog, Not a DIY Life.



Butterscotch Brownies
1/4 cup shortening (I used real butter, don't be afraid of butter, people!)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of an 8x8x2 square pan.

2. Melt shortening (ahem, butter) in 1.5 quart saucepan over low heat, remove from heat when melted. Stir in brown sugar, vanilla, and egg. Stir in remaining ingredients. Spread in pan.

3. Bake 25 minutes. Cool slightly in pan on wire rack. Cut into 2-inch squares while still warm.

Russian Tea Cakes

This is one of my all-time favorite Christmas cookies! It's not Christmas without Russian Tea Cakes. You might know this cookie by another name, but this is the recipe that our family has always used from the Betty Crocker Cookbook.

Don't forget to check out more Saturday Stirrings recipes here.
And check out my Christmas cookie collection here.


Russian Tea Cakes

1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
3/4 cup finely chopped nuts
1/4 teaspoon salt
Powdered sugar

1. Heat oven to 400ºF.
2. Mix butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and the vanilla in large bowl. Stir in flour, nuts and salt until dough holds together.
3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set but not brown. Remove from cookie sheet. Cool slightly on wire rack.
5. Roll warm cookies in powdered sugar; cool on wire rack. Roll in powdered sugar again

Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

This is the second installment of my Christmas cookie posts for December. Click here for all of my Christmas cookie recipes.

I remember my mom making a small crisp coconut oatmeal cookie when I was growing up. This recipe is close to hers, and we modified the baking (see NOTES below) to make a crisper cookie. This recipe is on Recipezaar.

Thanks to Lisa and Lana for hosting Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays! Check them out for more great recipes and kitchen ideas.


Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup coconut
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup nuts, chopped (optional)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Cream together; butter and brown sugar.
3. Add flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and rolled oats.
4. Stir in coconut, eggs, vanilla and nuts.
5. Either drop by teaspoonfull or roll into little ping pong-sized balls (for a more uniform/cute look) and place on greased cookie sheet.
6. Bake for 15 minutes.

NOTES: I wanted a smaller, crisper cookie. So I divided the dough, formed each half into a log on wax paper, then wrapped the wax paper around the dough, and froze the logs for 1 hour. Then, I sliced the frozen dough into smaller cookies.

Also, I used both metal cookie sheets and a stoneware bar pan for baking. The cookies released much easier from the metal pans.

Rum-Pum-Pum Thumbprints

I will be posting a lot of Christmas cookies this month; this is the first installment! I have so many great memories of baking Christmas cookies with my family. Every Sunday in December would be time for baking. Mom would have Dad stir while he was in front of the TV watching football. She would add ingredients and tell him to stir.

I love this variation of a thumbprint cookie. The rum extract and nutmeg are a great combination. Make sure your dough is not sticky before putting it in the refrigerator. They'll be hard to roll and will spread out too much.

Don't forget to check out more Saturday Stirring recipes over at Carol's blog. And don't forget to come back all month long for great cookie recipes!


Rum-Pum-Pum Thumbprint Cookies

Cookies:
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons rum extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Frosting:
2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon rum extract
2 to 3 tablespoons milk
food color, if desired

1. In a large bowl, combine 1 cup butter and brown sugar; beat until light and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, and 2 teaspoons rum extract; blend well. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. Stir in flour and nutmeg; mix well. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate 1 hour for easier handling.

2. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. With thumb, make imprint in center of each cookie.

3. Bake at 325 degrees for 11 to 14 minutes or until firm to the touch. Cool one minute; remove from cookie sheet.

4. In a small bowl, blend all frosting ingredients until smooth, adding enough milk for desired spreading consistency. Spoon or pipe about 1/2 teaspoon frosting into center of each cookie.

Makes 4 1/2 dozen cookies.

Tip: If any thumb indentations fill in during baking, indent them again immediately upon removing the cookies from the oven.

Homemade Graham Crackers

I tried this recipe this week, and these do taste like honey graham crackers! You definitely need to roll the dough very thin. If it's too think, the edges will burn before the center is done. Trust me on this, okay?

These are very good, and I'll make them again. Next time, I'll probably add the cinnamon/sugar before baking.

For more recipes, visit Carol who hosts Saturday Stirrings.


Homemade Graham Crackers


1/3 cup shortening
3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp granulated sugar
3 Tbsp honey, warmed
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
1-3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp water



Preheat oven to 300 degrees. combine shortening with sugar, honey (warmed for 20 to 30 seconds in the microwave), and vanilla in a large bowl. blend with an electric mixer until smooth. combine flours, salt, baking powder,and baking soda in another large bowl, and then add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients and blend well with an electric mixer. Slowly add the water to the mixture while beating. you may have to mix by hand until the mixture forms a large ball of dough.


Divide the dough in thirds and roll 1/3 out in the shape of a rectangle that is at least 1/16 inch thick on wax paper. This dough should be paper thin! It will double when cooked to the desired 1/8-inch thickness. use a knife to trim the dough so that it has straight edges in the shape of a rectangle slightly smaller than the size of the baking sheet you are using. Grease the baking sheet with a light coating of shortening. Turn the dough over onto the baking sheet,and carefully peel away the wax paper.


Use a knife to score the dough in 5x 2 3/8-inch rectangles. Use a toothpick to poke holes that are 1/4-inchapart across the entire surface of the dough. Bake for 22 to 24 minutes oruntil the dough begins to turn light brown around the edges. be sure to turn the baking sheet around about halfway through the cooking time. Cool the graham cracker sheets before breaking them apart along the scoredlines. Repeat the process with the remaining dough.


Makes 44 crackers.


Tidbits.... if you would like to clone the cinnamon variety of graham crackers, simply combine 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar in a small bowl. before you put the graham cracker dough in the oven, sprinkle a light coating of this cinnamon/sugar mixture over the top surface of the dough. Shake the baking sheet around gently to evenly distribute the cinnamon/sugar and bake as instructed.

Andes Creme de Menthe Chunk Cookies

Is anyone else a huge fan of Andes Creme de Menthe candies? I remember that these were my Aunt Mary Jo's favorite, and that we would get them at restaurants after dinner when we were with her. She passed away when I was twelve, so memories like that are special.

Aunt Mary Jo was the sister next in line after my mom, third daughter of my grandma, to whom this site is dedicated.

My mom found this recipe on a bag of Andes Creme de Menthe baking chips and made them last year. She saved the bag for me so I could have the recipe too. So here it is, straight off the bag...

Andes Creme de Menthe Chunk Cookies

1/2 c salted butter, softened

3/4 c dark brown sugar

1/2 c white granulated sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 pkg (10 oz) Andes Creme de Menthe baking chips

2 2/3 c sifted all-purpose flour

Blend butter, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla and eggs until mixed. Stir in Andes Creme de Menthe baking chips and then flour.

Chill approximately one hour in refrigerator. Measure out approximately 1 oz of dough. Form ball and slightly flatten. Raise oven rack one level above middle and bake on non-stick baking pans.

Bake at 350 F for approximately 8-10 minutes. Cool on pans for two minutes before removing.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Don't forget to visit Pam's blog for more Random Recipes!

Four Foods on Friday - The Sniff Test

Time for FFOF hosted by Fun, Crafts, and Recipes. Today's theme is all about your sniffer!


#1. Fruits and veggies. Do you prefer them peeled or not? I prefer them unpeeled, because the peels have tons of great nutrients and fiber. We all need our fiber, don't we?

#2. What’s your favorite fresh fruit or vegetable smell? My favorite fresh fruit smell is peaches! And they're in season now! (Fresh strawberries are a very close second.)

#3. What’s the worst food smell you’ve ever smelled? It would have to be a dish that I smelled while in Japan in 1993. I was a short-term missionary, didn't speak much Japanese, and a lot of people I met were very eager to share their favorite dishes with me. I liked a lot of the things I ate, but a few did make me a little green.

#4. Share the recipe for the dish that you love to smell cooking in your oven. Since I have such a sweet tooth, and I love cookies, I'll share my snickerdoodle recipe.

Ingredients
1 cup margarine
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups self-rising flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Coating
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions
1.Mix the cinnamon with the sugar in a bowl and set aside.
2.Mix the margarine, sugar and eggs.
3.Add the dry ingredients and form small balls.
4.Roll the balls in the cinnamon/sugar mixture.
5.Place on a cookie sheet 2 inches apart (they spread as they bake).
6.Bake for 8-10 minutes at 375 F.
7.Remove from the tray immediately.

Banana Oatmeal Cookies

I saw this recipe at Genesis of a Cook and wanted to try it. I love to bake, but we are trying to stay away from lots of extra sugar and white flour. So a recipe with bananas and rolled oats sounds healthier to me.

I did have to make a few adjustments to the original recipe that I read. I don't know if it was an altitude difference, but with only 1 1/4 cups of flour the cookies flatten out way too much. So I added about another 1/2 cup of flour and they looked better. This made about 3 dozen cookies for me.

These are not overly sweet and I think they would make a great afternoon snack (or bedtime snack!).

1 3/4 cups flour (I used 1/4 cup of wheat flour, and 1 1/2 cups of white flour)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
6 tbsp. butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup rolled oats
2 bananas, ripe

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a small bowl, stir the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together, set aside. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars until smoothly blended. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until blended.

3. Slowly add the flour mixture with the butter mixture, mixing just until it is incorporated. Stir in the oatmeal. Use a large spoon to mix in the ripe bananas and mash, mixing just until they are evenly distributed.

4. Drop by tablespoonfuls of dough onto prepared baking sheets. Bake until edges are lightly browned and the tops look dry, about 18 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Strawberry Pizza

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 2 minutes
Bake: about 10 minutes
Yield: 24 cookies



1 package ready-to-bake sugar cookies
1/4 cup strawberry jelly
12 Tbs light strawberry cream cheese
6 large strawberries, chopped


1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake cookies as directed and let cool for at least 10 minutes.


2. While cookies are baking, heat jelly in a small pot over low heat until liquefied, about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.


3. Spread each cookie with 1/2 Tbs cream cheese, and top with chopped strawberries. Brush melted jelly on top. (Garnish with a mint sprig, if you'd like.)


Per serving: 144 calories, 7 g fat (3 g saturated), 155 mg sodium, 13 mg cholesterol

(As seen in Parenting magazine, September 2007)

Oatmeal Applesauce Bars

I think my last several posts for Saturday Stirrings have been oatmeal related. I guess I'm thinking about extra fiber lately! This is an adaptation of your standard oatmeal raisin cookie.

Visit DeeDee at It Coulda' Been Worse for more Saturday Stirrings recipes. Thanks for visiting!

Oatmeal Applesauce Bars

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup stick butter or margarine

2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 large eggs

3 cups quick cooking or old fashioned oats

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup raisins, chopped nuts, or semisweet chocolate chip, if desired

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Mix all ingredients except oats, flour, and raisins in a large bowl. Stir in oats, flour, and raisins.

3. Spread dough into 9x9 ungreased squared pan. Bake about 25 minutes or until light brown. Cool in pan on wire rack. Cut into 2 inch squares. Makes about 16 squares.

HG's Swirls Gone Wild Cheesecake Brownies

from http://www.hungry-girl.com/
I think Hubby is getting these for Valentine's Day!



Ingredients:
One box Pillsbury Moist Supreme Reduced Sugar Cake Mix, Devil's Food
One 15-oz. can pure pumpkin
6 oz. fat-free cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)
1 tsp. Coffee-mate Fat Free or Sugar Free French Vanilla powdered creamer, dissolved in 2 tbsp. warm water
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix and pumpkin. Stir until completely blended (the mixture will remain very thick). Spread batter into a large baking pan (about 9" X 13") sprayed with nonstick spray, and set aside.

Combine softened cream cheese with Splenda, Coffee-mate mixture, and vanilla extract. Using a whisk, mix vigorously until completely blended, smooth and lump-free. Spoon cheesecake mixture over the brownie batter, and use a knife to swirl it in. (Don't worry if your swirl isn't perfect -- your brownies will taste delicious no matter what!) Place pan in the oven, and bake for 20 - 25 minutes. Allow to cool, and then cut into 16 pieces. MAKES 16 SERVINGS


Serving Size: 1 brownie Calories: 133 Fat: 2g Sodium: 312mg Carbs: 29g Fiber: 1.5g Sugars: 8g Protein: 3g POINTS® value 3*

Ginger Cookies

Ginger Cookies (with Pumpkin)
Created by Jessica Seinfeld
Makes 24 cookies
These festive cookies are perfect for the holidays…and any time of the year!

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup trans fat-free margarine spread, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg*
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin (solid pack pumpkin in a can), room temperature
1/3 cup of molasses
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a small bowl, mix together the flour, spices, salt and baking soda. In a large mixing bowl, beat the margarine spread, sugar, egg and pumpkin until smooth and fluffy. Add the molasses. Slowly, add the dry ingredients to form a smooth, soft dough. Prepare the topping by mixing the cinnamon and sugar together into a small bowl. Drop teaspoonfuls of dough onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. With a teaspoon or your fingers, sprinkle the cinnamon sugar topping over each cookie before baking. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. For crispier cookies, bake a little longer. Cool on wire racks.

* For chewier cookies, add an additional egg.

Pecan Tassies

This is my grandmother's recipe for Pecan Tassies, but I found some filling variations that I think I'll try this year. (I noticed that the variations call for different baking temps. I will probably stick with 325, as I don't want the crust to burn.) (Click here for more Virtual Cookie Exchange recipes!)

Crust
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour

Filling
1 egg
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup chopped pecans

Crust---------------.
Blend cream cheese and butter, add flour.
Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
Divide dough in 24 balls and press in mini muffin pans.
(Note: Do not use dark coated pans.)

Filling---------------.
Combine egg, brown sugar, vanilla and nuts.
Fill cups 3/4 full.
Bake ate 325 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until light brown.
Cool 5 minutes and remove from pans.


Pumpkin Ginger Filling

FILLING
3/4 cup firmly pkd brown sugar
1/2 cup whole canned pumpkin (not pie mix)
3 tablespoons half-and-half (can use low fat)
1 teaspoon grated gingerroot
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg

TOPPING
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar, pkd
1 tablespoon butter, softened

In medium bowl, combine all filling ingredients; blend well.
Spoon scant tbls filling into each crust lined cup.
In small bowl, combine all topping ingredients; mix until crumbly. Carefully sprinkle 1 tsp topping over each filled cup.
Bake at 350* for 18-22 minutes or until puffed and tip of knife inserted in center comes out clean.
Immediately run flat sided knife around edges of cookies.
Cool cookies in pan 5 minutes. Carefully remove cookies from muffin cups, place on wire racks to cool.
Cool 30 minutes or until completely cooled.
If topped with small dab of whipped cream or cool whip, these tassies are spectacular of dessert buffet.


Pecan/Cranberry Filling

1 egg
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup finely chopped cranberries
3 tablespoons chopped pecans

For filling: Beat egg, sugar, vanilla til smooth.
Stir in nuts and cranberries.
Spoon filling into cups.
Bake 325 for 30-35 minutes until brown.
Cool on wire racks.
Remove by running a knife around the edges.


Apricot/Pecan Filling

Filling
3/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup dried apricot halves, diced (about 4 oz)
1/3 cup pecans, chopped


Combine brown sugar, egg, 1 tbsp buter, vanilla and salt in a bowl until smooth. Stir in apricots and nuts.
Preheat oven to 325°F Shape dough into 2 dozen 1 inch balls and place in paper lined or greased miniture muffin tins. Press dough on bottom and up sides of each cup. Fill each with 1 tsp apricot-pecan filling. Bake 25 minutes or until golden and filling sets. Cool and remove from cups. Cookies can be wrapped tightly in plastic and frozen up to 6 weeks.


Chocolate/Pecan Filling

2/3 cup pecans, chopped
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 ounce square semisweet chocolate, melted, cooled
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg


Divide 1/3 cup of the nuts evenly in pie crust-lined muffin cups. In small bowl, beat brown sugar, chocolate, butter, vanilla, and egg only until smooth (do not overbeat; mixture should not be bubbly).
Spoon teaspoonful of filling over nuts in each cup.
Sprinkle with remaining nuts.
Bake at 375°F for 18-22 minutes or until filling is set and crust is light golden brown.
Cool 1 minute; remove from pans.