Mexican Wedding Cookies

These cookies were harder than I thought. They stay very crumbly and hard to manage. They are not very sweet at all, but have a good flavor. The pecans give it a nice texture and the powdered sugar just enough sweetness.

Mexican Wedding Cookies, from 52 Cookies

1 lb softened unsalted butter

1 cup confectioner's sugar (plus extra for dusting)

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups pecans, finely chopped

5 cups cake flour

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 2 cookies sheets.

In a bowl, using an electric mixer set on medium, beat together the butter and the 1 cup of sugar until light and fluffy, 10-15 minutes. Ad the vanilla, salt, and pecans and beat just until combined. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the flour, being careful not to over mix the dough.

Form the dough into torpedo shapes the size of small walnuts and place on the cookie sheets. Bake until very lightly browned on the bottoms, 10-12 minutes, switching pan positions halfway through.

Set the cookies sheets on wire racks to cool. Put confectioners' sugar in a large bowl. When the cookies are cool enough to handle, place a few at a time in the bowl and toss gently to coat. As the cookies continue to cool, occasionally toss again with the sugar, trying to coat them as much as possible.

BonBon Cookies

These turned out great!! They stay soft and oh so yummy in the middle, and the surprise chocolate chips just add to the sweetness. This recipe only yielded about 16 cookies, but it was worth it! I had left over buttercream and used that for the frosting, rather than the icing the recipe called for. These cookies will be made for many occasions throughout the year!

BonBon Cookies, Created by Mrs. Joseph J. Wallace, Whitehall, Montana found on Cakespy.com

For the Cookies:

1/2 cup soft butter

3/4 cup sifted confectioners sugar

1 tbsp. vanilla

food coloring if desired

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/8 tsp. salt

Possible fillings: chocolate chips, chopped nuts, coconut, cherries...choose your own!

For the Icing: Mix 1 cup sifted confectioners sugar, 2 tbsp cream, 1 tsp vanilla, and food coloring

Heat oven to 350. Mix butter, sugar, vanilla, and food coloring (if using), thoroughly. Measure flour by dip-level-pour method or by sifting. Blend in flour and salt. If dough is dry add 1 to 2 tbsp. cream. Wrap a level tablespoon of dough around filling. Place 1 inc. apart on un-greased cookie sheet. Bake 12 to 15 min. Cool; dip tops of cookies in frosting; decorate with another topping if desired.

Spritz Cookies

I love, love, love my cookie press. I have an unnatural obsession with it. I would always make these cookies as a kid growing up for Christmas, and since purchasing my own cookie press, have restarted that tradition. This year we have Christmas Trees and snowflakes!!

Classic Spritz Cookies, The Pampered Chef

1 1/2 cups butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 375, Beat butter on medium until creamy. Add sugar, egg, and vanilla, beat well. Add Flour, 1 cup at a time; mix well. (dough will be soft, do not refrigerate).

Fill Cookie Press, fitted with disk of your choice (follow your cookie press instructions for use).

Bake 11 to 13 minutes or until firm but not brown. Cool 2 minutes, remove to cooling rack.

White Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

I had just enough pumpkin leftover for these cookies!! Pretty much the same idea as the bars, but in a yummy cookie!!!

From jennyscooking.blogspot.com

1/2 cup margarine
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup white chocolate chips

Cream the margarine and sugar together with a hand mixer until light and fluffly.
Beat in the egg, pumpkin, and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.
Add teh dry ingredients to the wet ones an dmixt togher well. Fold in the chips.
Drop teaspoons of the cookie dough onto a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned

Pumpkin Spice Bars

Just in time for Thanksgiving!! These bars turned out so moist! The only problem was the white chocolate, it would not squeeze out properly and ended up becoming globs, as seen above. Luckily the taste is wonderful!

Pumpkin Spice Bars from 52 Cookies

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons crystallized ginger (finely chopped)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin (not pie filling)

1/2 cup cooking oil

1/2 cup white chocolate ( I used morsels)

1 teaspoon shortening

Preheat oven to 350. In a large mixing bowl stir together the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and salt. In another mixing bowl, beat the eggs sllightly. Stir in the pumpkin and oil. Stir into the flour mixture.

Spread the batter into an ungreased baking pan. Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, 15-20 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack.

For the topping, in a small, heavy duty plastic bag combine the white chocolate and shortening. Seal the bag just above the ingredients, then set the sealed bag in a bowl of warm water utnil the contents are melted. Gently knead them together. Snip 1/4 inch from one corner of the bag. Squeeze from teh bag over the bars in a crisscross design. Cut before the topping is completely set.