Chocolate Chip Cookies (Freezer Edition)

 From: Happy Money Saver

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cups real unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar
• 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 12 oz milk chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix to combine and set aside.

Using paddle attachment on mixer, cream butter and sugars together until just blended.

Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Add the vanilla.

Put mixer on low speed, and add in dry ingredients.

Mix until just combined. Do not overmix.

Stir in chocolate chips by hand gently.

Use a 4-tablespoon size scoop (or whatever your preference) to form your cookies.

Place on cookie sheet and bake for 15-17 minutes. It doesn't hurt for them to look a little undercooked in the middle when you take them out. They will keep cooking on the cookie sheet for a few minutes.

To freeze:

Form into balls and freeze on a cookie sheet. After they are frozen, remove and add to a freezer bag. They will last for about a month in there. To bake them just take them out and bake as directed. You may want to cook them on 325 degrees because them being frozen will change up how they cook just a little bit.

Verdict:

Thumbs up! We taste tested them immediately (of course) and then later after dinner we took some out of the freezer to try. They were great both ways! When baking from frozen, I recommend cooking for a few minutes and then flattening them out so they cook more evenly. Watch them closely, because frozen cookies will cook differently from freshly mixed cookies!

Caramel-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

From: Martha Stewart magazine

Ingredients:
3 cups AP flour
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
12 oz semisweet chocolate chips
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
24 caramels, halved

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together flour, both sugars, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add butter; beat on medium speed until combined but some pea-size butter chunks remain. Add chocolate chips and beat until combined, then beat in eggs, one at a time, and vanilla.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Scoop dough into 4-oz balls (about 1/3 cup); make a deep, wide hollow in each center. Enclose three pieces of caramel in each, roll back into a ball. Place 6 balls on each sheet. Freeze 15 minutes.

Bake, with one sheet on each rack, 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees, swap sheet positions, and bake until centers are almost but not completely set (press gently on tops with your fingers to check), 7-10 minutes more. Remove from oven. Bang sheets on a counter a few times to create cracks in tops of cookies. Place sheets on a wire rack; let cool completely.

What we did differently:
I halved the recipe and I'm SO GLAD we did. These cookies were MASSIVE!! Other than that I didn't change anything, but I will give you a tip, because I've made a lot of stuffed cookies in my day. Make sure the dough completely covers the caramel on the oven, or the caramel will ooze out of the bottom of the cookie and make it fall apart easier.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Love, love! These are SO good and super easy to make!

Chunky Macadamia Nut White Chocolate Cookies

From: Southern Living cookbook 1992

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup (6 oz) vanilla-milk morsels or 1 6-oz package white chocolate-flavored baking bars, cut into chunks
1 7-oz jar macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped

Beat butter at a medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; gradually add sugars, beating well. Add egg and vanilla, mixing well.

Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture, mixing well. Stir in morsels and nuts; drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.

What I did differently:
I used only a 4-oz bag of macadamia nuts and it was more than enough.

Verdict:
Well, these weren't terrible, but they didn't taste store-bought. In my opinion, they weren't moist enough and they weren't as sweet as I expected they would be. Honestly, if I were going to make them again (or if you are going to make them), I would double the recipe for the dough, and use the suggested amount of chips and nuts.

Oatmeal Apple Cookies

From: Ladies' Home Journal

Ingredients:
2 cups AP flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 cups dark brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups rolled oats
1 tart apple, peeled and finely chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In large bowl, combine brown sugar and butter; beat until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add flour mixture and oats separately to creamed mixture, blending well after each addition. Stir in apples.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Verdict:
I liked these cookies, but they weren't my favorite. They are best when warm. If I made them again I would use less oats. I felt that the oats made them a bit dry for my tastes. That being said, my son (4 years old) loved them and ate a ton, so maybe it's just my taste buds.  

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

From: Southern Living 50 Favorite Cookie Recipes cookbook

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 cups AP flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups uncooked quick-cooking oats
1 cup raisins
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugars, beating well. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture, beating well. Stir in oats, raisins, and pecans.

Drop dough by heaping teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly on baking sheets; remove to wire racks to cool.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Although this isn't my favorite oatmeal raisin recipe ever, you really can't go wrong with this recipe. It was simple and yummy!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies

From: Southern Living 50 Favorite Cookies cookbook

Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups AP flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
2/3 cup strawberry jam or grape jelly

Beat butter and peanut butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add brown sugar, beating well. Add egg and vanilla. Combine flour and baking soda; gradually add to butter mixture, mixing well.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls, and place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten balls in a crisscross pattern with a floured fork. Bake at 350 degrees for 9 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool 1 minute on baking sheets; remove to wire racks to cool.

Spread jam on bottoms of half the cookies; top with remaining cookies.

Verdict:
Well, this is not my favorite peanut butter cookie recipe. But sandwiched together with the jelly I actually really liked these. I used grape jelly and raspberry jam. I'd like these again, using a different peanut butter cookie recipe, perhaps.

Gaiety Pastel Cookies

From: 100 Favorite Brand Name Recipes cookbook

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter
1 cup sugar
1 package (4 serving size) Jello gelatin, any flavor
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
Additional Jello gelatin (same flavor)

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix flour and baking powder in medium bowl. Beat butter in large bowl to soften. Gradually add sugar and 1 package gelatin, beating until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture, beating well after each addition.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten with bottom of a glass. Sprinkle with additional gelatin.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from cookie sheets. Cool on wire racks. Store in tightly covered container.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! These are incredibly easy and fast to make. They are really good! The Jello cooking on top gives a little zing to the cookies. I also like that you can make any flavor you want. I made fruit punch. Yum!

Firecracker Cookies

From: MomDot

Ingredients:

• your favorite sugar cookie recipe
• butter cream or white frosting
•  2 packs of pop rocks
• white sugar + blue gel paste

1) Make your favorite sugar cookie recipe
2) Frost with butter cream
3) Create blue sugar by adding sugar and blue gel paste into a blender and turn on for 30 seconds
4) Sprinkle sugar on frosting
5) Sprinkle pop rocks on cookies…you will hear them crackle as they hit the frosting
6) Enjoy!

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I used Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix and Betty Crocker buttercream icing to make these. So they were incredibly easy to make and I loved the combination of flavors. They weren't too sweet at all. The Pop Rocks do pop less the longer they sit on the cookies, so if you want a really big pop just sprinkle them on right before putting them in your mouth. I would love to make these again though!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chippers

From: An old cookbook (Ripped out; I don't have the title of the cookbook)

Ingredients:
1 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
Granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine peanut butter, brown sugar and egg in medium bowl; mix until well blended. Add chips; mix well.

Roll heaping tablespoonfuls of dough into balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Sprinkle with granulated sugar; press a fork criss-cross onto each ball, flattening.

Cook for 8-10 minutes approximately, or until golden brown. 

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Although the recipe didn't make very many cookies (that could have been due to the size I made them though - *ahem*) they were very tasty. And it seriously doesn't get any easier than this for a recipe! You could whip this up anytime. You probably have all these ingredients in your pantry consistently! I'll be making these again for sure - but next time I'll make sure to double the recipe!

S'mores Cookie Bars

From: All You

Ingredients:
2 cups AP flour
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
16 Tbsp (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups marshmallow topping (like fluff)
2 cups milk-chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9x13 pan with foil. Mist with cooking spray.

In a bowl, combine flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt; mix well. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until light, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs until well combined. Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly beat flour mixture into butter mixture. Divide dough in half. Press half of dough into pan until dough is uniform and flat. Spread with marshmallow topping and sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Scatter remaining dough over in clumps. Don't worry about covering the top; marshmallow and chocolate chips should peek through.

Bake until golden brown, 30-35 minutes. Place plan on wire rack to cool completely. Remove from pan, peel off foil and cut into bars.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Oh my goooosh I really liked these. I actually liked them the most about 10 hours after they were cooked. Very simple, straight-forward recipe and absolutely yummy! I will be making these again.

Nutrition information: (based on my ingredients; 16 bars; 1 bar per serving)
Calories: 329
Carbs: 59g
Fat: 9g
Protein: 3g

Chocolate Chunk-Peanut Cookies

From: Southern Living

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup chunky peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 1/2 cups AP flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
1 bag chocolate chunks

Beat butter and shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; add chunky peanut butter and sugars, beating well. Add eggs, beating until combined.

Combine flour and next 4 ingredients. Add to butter mixture, beating well. Stir in peanuts and chocolate chunks.

Shape dough into 2-inch balls. Flatten slightly and place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375 F for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on pan for a couple of minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Double chocolate chunk-peanut cookies: Reduce flour to 2 cups; add 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa, sifted. Proceed as directed.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I just love peanut butter and chocolate AND cookies! What an easy recipe. I had all the ingredients on hand which I love. I think it still would have been great even without the dry peanuts though. I was surprised that the cookies had a great, cake-y consistency even though there were SO many peanuts and chocolate chips. These make a ton, so beware - around 3 dozen. I'll definitely be making them again though!

Meltaway Cookies

From: Landee See Landee Do

I made these for my daughter's birthday party last year specifically because there are no eggs in this recipe. We have a cousin who has an egg allergy so these were something sweet she could indulge in instead of cake!

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
3/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup flour
1 recipe cream cheese frosting

Cream cheese frosting:
1 3-oz package cream cheese, softened 
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

For recipe:
In a medium bowl, cream butter until fluffy.  Add cornstarch & sugar and blend well.  Beat in flour until thoroughly mixed.  Drop by small teaspoons onto baking sheet & flatten out with the bottom of a class.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Cool on wire rack & frost with Cream Cheese Frosting. 

For frosting:
Mix all ingredients together.  Color with food coloring if desired.

Verdict:
They were delicious! Thumbs up! Very easy to throw together and the flavor is amazing. I'll definitely be making these again!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

From: Little House Living

Ingredients:

• 3/4 c. brown sugar
• 3/4 c. white or turbinado sugar
• 1 c. light olive oil
• 1 can or jar of pumpkin (or fresh pumpkin)
• 2 eggs
• 1 t. vanilla
• 3 c. flour
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 1 t. pumpkin spice
• 1/2 t. salt

Mix together the sugars, oil, vanilla, and pumpkin. Mix in the rest of the wet ingredients. Then add all the dry ingredients and mix together until just blended.

Put the pumpkin mixture in a plastic bag or a pastry bag. Snip a hole in the corner. Use the mixture and the bag to make circles from the dough. Make these circles on the greased cookie sheet.

Bake for 11 - 12 minutes at 350F. Let them cool completely.

While the cookies are cooling mix together 6 T melted butter, 1 pk(8oz) cream cheese, 1 t. vanilla, and 1 1/2 c. powdered sugar. Put the frosting mixture in a plastic bag or a pastry bag. Snip a hole in the corner.

Drop blobs of frosting on the middles of half of the cooled cookies. Put another cookie on top the cookie and frosting. That's it!

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Oh my goodness, these are so good. It's basically the same recipe I used for my pumpkin roll so it's a very familiar, cozy flavor. As you can see, mine aren't that pretty. I didn't do the pastry bag thing for the cookies because that never works out well for me. You're welcome to do it. Also, I found that the next day (and the next) these cookies were awesome when put in the microwave for about 15 seconds. They will need to be refrigerated, so nuking them will make them taste much better. Of course, your best option is eating them as soon as they're out of the oven! To die for!

Elephant Ear Cookies

From: Martha Stewart

Ingredients:
1 cup pecan halves
1/3 cup sugar, plus more for surface
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
AP flour, for rolling
2 sheets frozen puff pastry (17.3 oz package), thawed
1 large egg, beaten well

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toast pecans on a baking sheet until fragrant and lightly toasted, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely.

Grind pecans, sugars, cinnamon and salt in a food processor until very finely chopped (mixture should resemble very coarse sand).

Raise oven temperature to 400 degrees. Place puff pastry sheets side by side on floured parchment; press together at seam to form a 9 1/2-by-18-inch rectangle. Roll out to an 11-by-20-inch rectangle using a rolling pin. Transfer pastry on parchment to a baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm, about 45 minutes. Brush generously with beaten egg, and evenly sprinkle with pecan mixture, patting it into dough. Starting with a short side, use one hand to roll up as tightly as possible, holding unrolled portion firmly with other palm. Brush off excess flour with a dry pastry brush as you are rolling, and press sides back into shape (they tend to splay). Roll tightly in parchment.

Freeze dough until firm, about 20 minutes. Cut crosswise into 1-inch slices. Generously sprinkle a work surface with granulated sugar, and coat both cut sides of dough slices in sugar. Press dough slices to flatten slightly. Roll out into 6- to 7-inch rounds on sugared surface, sprinkling more sugar on top as needed. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets, 3 per sheet; refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Bake in batches until golden brown, 17 to 18 minutes, rotating halfway through. Let cool on baking sheets.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I almost didn't get to taste-test these because they were gone so quickly after I made them! I made these for Hunter's 3rd birthday party a few weeks ago. They were actually really easy, especially if you've ever made a "roll" before, so don't let the instructions scare you with all the wording. I will definitely make these again in the future (although puff pastry sheets are ridiculously expensive!) and I would highly recommend this recipe to you!

Mini Nutella Cups

From: Daisy Chubb

Ingredients:

1 cup butter (softened)

1 cup white sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Nutella

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease your mini muffin tin). Cream butter and both sugar in bowl until light, smooth and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla until fully incorporated. Gradually add dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda) until all the flour is mixed in.  Roll dough into balls 1.5 inches thick. Pop them in the mini muffin tin and bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown but not too dark around the edges.

When done, remove from oven and let sit for about 2 minutes. Then make wells for the nutella with a shot glass, a similar object or a spoon. Add 1 tbsp Nutella to each cup – it will start to melt quickly so you can swirl it around and make it nice and smooth.

Let cool 15-20 minutes in tin. Remove from tin and place in your mouth. Repeat. Nutella will solidify in about an hour.

Verdict:
I don't have a mini muffin tin, so I made mine in a regular muffin tin. I'm not ashamed to admit I basically ate the middle out of these cookies. With a regular muffin tin, there was just more cookie than Nutella, and the Nutella is soooo good... we just can't have that! I would love to make these with a mini muffin tin. I would definitely recommend this recipe if you have a mini tin!

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

From: Ocean Spray Craisins advertisement

Ingredients:
2/3 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 6-oz package Craisins
2/3 cup white chocolate chunks or chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Using an electric mixer, beat butter or margarine and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mixing well. Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition. Stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate chunks. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

It helps to have really cute cooks in the kitchen:

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I tasted a cookie from all three pans I cooked, just to make sure they weren't too bad. Seriously, these cookies are delicious! And addictive! And my kids love them, so I don't feel too bad about them eating them. Oats are good for you... cranberries HAVE to be good for you, right?? Anyway, I highly recommend this simple cookie recipe! I'll definitely be making it again!

Gingersnaps

From: Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups AP flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
3 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/3 cup unsulphured molasses

Optional, for even more of a ginger kick: Add 1 to 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger (with the wet ingredients) or 1 to 2 tablespoons finely minced candied ginger (with the dry ingredients).

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars together until fluffy, about three minutes on medium. Add egg and molasses and beat until combined. Add dry ingredient and beat at low speed until just combined. Thoroughly scrape down bowl, ensuring ingredients are evenly mixed.

Transfer your cookie dough to plastic wrap. Chill in fridge for at least two hours, until firm.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and spread at least two inches apart on baking sheets that have either been greased or lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, which is a long range. In the 10 to 12 range, the cookies will be softer. In the 13 to 15 range, a bit snappier. In both cases, you’ll want to leave them on their baking sheets for long enough that they’re firm enough to be transferred to a cooling rack with a spatula, anywhere from 2 to 5 minutes. Cool cookies completely before packing up.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I am not a huge fan of gingersnaps, but my mom is, so I made these in honor of her! And she did enjoy them. :)  They were extremely simple to make, and you can even freeze the balls of dough up to 2 weeks and just bake them as you need them. Doesn't get much better than that.

The day before I made this recipe I realized I didn't have any allspice. I almost went and bought some, but the market with bulk bins was closed for the night. Then I realized how easy it is to make your own allspice:

2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground cloves

I had whole cloves, but I just ground it all together with my mortar and pestle and it worked perfectly. No more purchasing allspice for this gal!

Double Thumbprint Cookies

From: Here

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups AP flour
1/4-1/3 cup cherry jam or preserves, or seedless raspberry preserves


Preheat oven to 375 degree F. In a large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until mixture is combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour.


Shape dough into 3/4-inch balls. For each cookie on an ungreased or parchment paper-lined cookie sheet place 2 dough balls side by side with one side touching. Press thumbs into each ball to form an indentation in each. Press in center of each with thumb and taper bottom of cookie with fingers to form a heart shape. Repeat with remaining dough balls, leaving about 2 inches between cookies.

Bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and transfer cookies to a wire rack. While warm, fill each indentation with jam or preserves. Cool completely. Makes about 30 cookies.

 

Verdict:

Thumbs up! Although making the heart shape is a lot of trouble. It's cute for Valentine's Day or your anniversary, but for an everyday dessert, I say go with the regular one thumbprint cookie. Also, I prefer peanut butter jammies over these shortbread cookies, but to each his or her own. My mom loves the shortbread instead, so I like switching between recipes. :)

Vanilla-Glazed Apple Cookies

From: Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
2 cups AP flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup finely diced peeled apple
1 cup raisins
Vanilla glaze:
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 Tbsp butter, melted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
2-4 Tbsp milk

In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and brown sugar. Beat in egg and milk. Combine the flour, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Stir in walnuts, apples and raisins.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Remove to wire racks.

In a small bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, butter, vanilla, salt and enough milk to achieve drizzling consistency. Drizzle over warm cookies.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I left out the walnuts because I didn't have them on hand, but these were delicious. My house smelled so good while these were cooking. Made me think of fall coming soon! I definitely recommend these, especially if you need something kind of last minute. Yum!

Nutella Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

From: Here

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup Nutella

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a stand or electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, continue to beat until well combined. Place flour and baking soda into a bowl; mix to combine then add slowly to wet ingredients along with the chocolate chips. Scoop a large spoonful of dough and flatten it into the palm of your hand. Add in some nutella into the middle, about 1-2 tsp. Then fold cookie dough back up so that it seals and covers the nutella entirely. Bake for about 10-14 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove and let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Looking like regular ol' cookies:

*Droooool*

 "Nom, nom, nom!"

What I did differently from this recipe:
Well, at first I halved the recipe because usually cookie recipes make so many. Unfortunately, though, I was supposed to be making these as a dessert for my parents after lunch tomorrow... by bedtime there were only two cookies left! Oops. So I made some more, and this time I did NOT cut the recipe in half. I believe the halved recipe made 10-12, but it would definitely depend on how large you make your cookies. The original author of this recipe stated that the original recipe made a dozen cookies for her.

Verdict:
A resounding thumbs up! I had heard of Nutella before, mainly because my college roomie was obsessed with it but I never actually tried it until last week at my parent's house. Mom and I had both gotten a very good price on Nutella and she told me I just had to try it. After one spoonful - I knew these cookies were our destiny for this week's lunch! Go make them. Now.