This recipe comes from a very old Southern Living cookbook. The great thing about these cookies is that you don’t have to chill the dough before you cut out your shapes.

• 1⁄2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 3⁄4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 3⁄4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups (256 g) all purpose flour
• 1⁄2  teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄2  teaspoon salt

Cream butter in a large mixing bowl; add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, mixing well. Combine flour, soda, and salt; add to creamed mixture, blending well. (Dough will be very stiff) Roll out the dough onto a floured surface and cut out cookies with desired shapes. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely before icing.

I found this recipe via Pinterest. The peanut butter cookies aspect of this recipe is really yummy. You could leave out the snickers and just make the peanut butter cookies. Or use Reese’s instead of Snickers.

• 1 cup margarine (do not substitute for butter)
• 3⁄4  cup white sugar
• 3⁄4  cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1⁄4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1⁄4 (288 g) cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 bag mini Snickers

Cream together the peanut butter, margarine, brown and white sugar. Then beat in eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and baking soda. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the peanut butter mixture. Chill the dough for about 10 minutes. Unwrap the Snickers. I used a large cookie scoop and pushed the Snickers into the scoop, folding the batter around the bottom. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes. At seven minutes turn the cookie sheet so that the cookies cook evenly. Cool completely before serving. Drizzle with chocolate if you so desire. 

I found this recipe on Pinterest. It is courtesy of sixsistersstuff.com. Wonderfully, amazingly simple yet delicious cookies.

• 36 or so individual Rolo’s
• 1 box chocolate cake mix of your choice
• 2 eggs
• 1⁄3 cup vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 350°. Mix cake mix, oil and eggs. Take a small ball of dough and form a ball around the rolo. (Only use enough dough to cover the rolo so it can spread through the cookie.) I use my cookie scoop and press the rolo into it, then fold around the bottom. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 7-8 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.

These cookies came out of Better Homes and Garden Fall Baking magazine. There were multiple variations, but this one combined two of my favorite ingredients, pumpkin and cranberry. The results are one of the best oatmeal cookies I’ve ever eaten.

• 1⁄2  cup shortening
• 1⁄2  cup butter, softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1⁄2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1⁄2 cups (192 g) all-purpose flour
• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1⁄2 cup canned pumpkin
• 3⁄4 cup dried cranberries

Combine butter and shortening. Beat with electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Beat until combined, then add eggs and vanilla. Beat in flour until thoroughly combined, then add oats, canned pumpkin, and cranberries. Drop unto ungreased baking sheets, and bake at 375° for 8 minutes, or until light brown. Makes about 4-5 dozen. Cookies will be soft and chewy.

These are my father’s favorite cookies. I got the recipe, and this idea, from the cookbook my grandmother, Blanche Turner-Hext, put together in 1986. They are a must-have around the holidays.

• 1⁄2 cup shortening
• 1 2⁄3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1⁄3 cup milk
• 1⁄2 cup chopped pecans
• 2 eggs
• 2 1 oz. sqs. unsweetened chocolate, melted
• 2 cups (256 g) sifted flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt

Cream shortening, sugar and vanilla thoroughly. Beat in eggs, then chocolate. Sift dry ingredients together and add alternately with milk. Blend well after each addition. Stir in nuts. Chill 2-3 hours. Form into 1” balls and roll in powdered sugar, coating completely. Place on foil-lined cookie sheet 2 to 3 inches apart. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes. Makes about 4 dozen.

I found this next recipe in a magazine Christmas of 2010. They’re incredibly simple to make and darn tasty too.

• 1 18 oz. package refrigerated peanut butter cookie dough
• 1 cup chopped peanuts
• 1⁄2 cup dried cranberries
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2  cups powdered sugar
• 3  tablespoons cranberry juice

Preheat oven to 375°. In a large re-sealable bag combine cookie dough, peanuts, cranberries, and flour; seal bag. Squeeze and knead mixture together in the bag until combined. Remove dough from bag. Drop doug by rounded teaspoons 2” apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned around edges. Let stand for 1 minute, then transfer to wire rack to cool slightly.

For icing, in a small bowl stir together powdered sugar and cranberry juice until smooth. Spoon icing over warm cookies. Cool cookies completely on wire rack.