Hello Friends,

Thanks so much for stopping by and Cheryl, thanks for the Cookie recipe. Sounds delicious.

Kathleen, you're welcome to post your side dishes and fruit recipes in the Papa's Kitchen thread, or if you wish, you could start a separate thread just for the fruit. I have a number of Cobblers that I just love, and I would add those as well.

I love baking Cookies, especially at Christmas. Of course, there are a number of No-Bake Cookies that I like as well.

The first is a year-round favorite at my house. It's an easy cookie for kids to make. Cocoa, peanut butter, and oatmeal make a chewy delicious cookie with some nutritional value.

Chocolate No-Bake Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 cups white sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup margarine
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
• 3 cups quick cooking oats

Directions

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, cocoa, milk and margarine. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat and stir in the vanilla, salt, peanut butter and oats.
2. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto waxed paper. Allow cookies to cool for at least 1 hour. Store in an airtight container. Makes Dozen.

These peanut butter bars taste just like peanut butter cups, and they are so simple to make.

Peanut Butter Bars

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 4 tablespoons peanut butter

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the butter or margarine, graham cracker crumbs, confectioners' sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter until well blended. Press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a metal bowl over simmering water, or in the microwave, melt the chocolate chips with the peanut butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Spread over the prepared crust. Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares. Makes One Dozen Bars.

This incredibly easy and quick to prepare traybake tastes like heaven on a plate with its marshmallow, coconutty goodness! I like to use a combination of white and pink marshmallows.

Fifteens

Ingredients

• 15 large marshmallows
• 15 digestive biscuits, crushed
• 15 red candied cherries, halved
• 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Directions

1. Cut the marshmallows in halves using scissors, and place in a large bowl. Toss with the digestive biscuits and candied cherries. Gradually stir in the sweetened condensed milk until the mixture becomes a soft, moist dough. It should not be too dry, so you may need to add a bit more of the milk.
2. Spread a generous layer of coconut out on a clean surface, and place the dough on top of it. Use your hands to form the dough into a long thick sausage, making sure it is well coated with coconut. Wrap in a double layer of plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.
3. Unwrap the long piece of dough, and cut into slices to serve. Yields 20 Cookies.

Finally, these cookies remind me of peanut butter fudge. My Grandmother made them for us, and now I make them for my family. There is nothing healthy about this recipe but it is a great sweet-tooth fixer.

Grandma's Corn Flake Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 3 cups cornflakes cereal

Directions

1. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Bring the sugar and corn syrup to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat; stir in butter and peanut butter until thoroughly mixed, and remove from heat.
2. Place the corn flakes into a large bowl, and pour the peanut butter mixture over the cereal. Mix until the corn flakes are coated with the mixture. Drop by tablespoon onto the waxed paper; flatten slightly if desired. Allow to cool before serving. Make 2 Dozen.

Wishing You A Safe & Happy New Year,

Phil

i didn't make fruitcake this year....bummer. maybe i will make these cookies on new years eve and hubby & I will hog out.

http://heartofwisdom.com/heartathome/2008/11/26/fruit-cake-cookies/

Fruitcake Cookies

Hi Pat,

Although I got sidetracked by my health for awhile there at the end of the Holidays, I wanted to be sure and let you know how much I appreciated the Fruitcake Cookies. Matter of fact, I passed the recipe on to my Sister over the Holidays and she made a another batch just this past weekend. They were delicious.

Although we're out of the Holiday Season as far as baking for awhile, here's a favorite of mine that's good anytime of year. I still remember the first day that I finally bit into an Oreo Cookie over at a friend’s house. There was just somethuing "special" about that creme-filled chocolate! A few years later, I created my own version of an Oreo, made with real chocolate and bittersweet cocoa and filled with a creamy mixture of sugar, butter, and a little vanilla. It’s a decidedly grown-up version of the treat, and it’s delicious.

Homemade Oreos

For the cookies
1 cup (2 sticks/228 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup (200 grams) semisweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled slightly
1 egg
1-1/2 cups (210 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (90 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp.baking soda

For the vanilla cream filling
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1-2/3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbs. milk
Pinch of kosher salt

In a medium bowl, whisk together the butter and granulated sugar until well combined. Whisk in the vanilla and chocolate. Add the egg and whisk until thoroughly incorporated.

In another medium bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda until well mixed. Using a wooden spoon, stir the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture. The dough will start to seem too floury, and you will find it easiest to switch to mixing it with your hands until it comes together. It will have the consistency of Play-Doh. Let the dough sit at room temperature for about 1 hour to firm up.

Transfer the dough to a 15-inch square sheet of parchment or waxed paper. Using your hands, shape the dough into a rough log about 10 inches long and 2-1/2 inches in diameter. Place the log at the edge of the sheet of parchment paper, and roll the parchment around the log. With the log fully encased in parchment, roll it into a smoother log, keeping it at 2-1/2 inches in diameter. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until firm. The log may settle and sink a bit in the fridge, so reroll it every 15 minutes or so to maintain a nice round log, if you like. If not, your cookies will be more oblong than round, which is not a bad thing taste-wise, though they won’t look like the famous packaged cookie. (At this point, the dough log can be well wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 1 month. If the dough is frozen, thaw overnight in the refrigerator before proceeding.)

Position a rack in the center of the oven, and heat the oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or butter it.

Cut the dough log into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place the slices about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cookies are firm to the touch. Check them frequently after 16 or 17 minutes, poking them in the middle. As soon as they feel firm to the touch, remove them from the oven. You can’t judge by color because they start out black. Let cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack to warm or room temperature. They don’t have to cool completely before you fill them, but you can’t fill them while they are hot.

While the cookies are cooling, make the frosting. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a handheld mixer), beat the butter on low speed for about 30 seconds, or until completely smooth and soft. Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla and beat until the mixture is perfectly smooth. Add the milk and salt and again beat until smooth. It will look like white spackle and feel about the same—like putty. You can also mix this frosting by hand. Make sure the butter is very soft, and use your hands to mix and knead the confectioners’ sugar into the butter. You should have about 1 cup. (The filling can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Bring to room temperature before using.)

Scoop about 1 rounded tablespoon of the filling onto the bottom of 1 cookie. Top with a second cookie, bottom side down, then press the cookies together to spread the filling toward the edges. Repeat until all of the cookies are filled. Make 16 to 18 Cookies.

Have A Terrific Week My Friend,

Phil