After Christmas my husband and I went to purchase my favorite tea from a local restaurant and while we were waiting, we perused the bakery case. Front and center was an oatmeal raisin cookie and my husband immediately asks me to make some when we get home. The recipe I found proclaimed it to be the “best”, but according to the hubs we have not tried every single oatmeal cookie recipe and therefore cannot say that, hence the “really really good” moniker. Recipe and photo courtesy of http://www.thegeneticchef.com.

• 1 1/2 cups raisins, I prefer golden
• 2 sticks salted butter
• 3 cups oats
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 ¾ cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium saucepan (4 quarts works), melt the butter then stir in the raisins and oats. Set aside to cool. Whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs with the sugars and vanilla. Add the flour and the oats to the sugar mixture and stir together with a spatula or wooden spoon. Scoop up golf ball size rounds (2 tablespoons) spacing about 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes until cookies are light golden. Repeat with remaining dough and cool on racks.

I found this recipe years ago and saved it on Pinterest but somehow never got around to adding it to my site. That oversight is now fixed and I don’t have to scroll through my Pinterest boards trying to find it any longer! The ricotta makes these cookies so soft, and the lemon flavor is just enough without being overpowering. It is a hit to whatever gathering I bring it to! Recipe and photo courtesy of justalittlebitofbacon.com.

Cookie

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp table salt
• 8 tbsp unsalted butter, cool room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup ricotta, whole or part skim
• 1 large egg
• lemon zest from one lemon

Lemon Glaze

• 1 tbsp cream cheese, room temperature
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 cups (8 oz) confectioners’ sugar
• 3 tbsp colored sugar, optional

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a standing mixer with the flat beater, cream the butter and sugar together on medium-high until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. With the mixer on medium, add the ricotta, egg, and lemon zest mix until thoroughly blended. Pour in the flour mixture and mix on low until just blended, but with some dry flour remaining. Use a large silicone spatula to give the dough a couple of quick turns. Transfer the dough to the refrigerator and chill for 20-30 minutes.

While the cookies are chilling, preheat the oven to 350. Using a medium cookie scoop, fill your cookies sheets, keeping in mind that these cookies won’t spread very much. Bake for 11-12 minutes, or until you see the edges just starting the brown. The tops won’t look very dark, but you want the bottoms to lightly brown. Let them cool on the pan for about 5 minutes, then move to a cooling rack.

Once the cookies have cooled, whisk together your glaze ingredients and dip the tops of the cookies into the glaze. You want the glaze to be on the thinner side, but not runny. Sprinkle with sanding sugar if desired.

I was perusing Pinterest a couple of days ago and found a recipe for Graham Cracker Chocolate Chip cookies that looked intriguing. After reading the ingredient list and seeing the 3 cups of graham cracker crumbs I knew I needed to add in marshmallows and use chocolate chunks and make this a smores cookie. It was a super delicious cookie and knew it needed to be saved here on the website.

• 3 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks
• 1 cup marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheet(s) with parchment paper. Set aside. In a bowl, whisk together graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium-high speed until light and creamy. Add vanilla and eggs to butter mixture and beat again until well combined. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture to the wet mixture, increasing speed as needed. Mix only until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips and marshmallows, mixing to evenly distribute. (The cookie dough may feel drier than most other chocolate chip cookie batters, but it should hold together if you press it with your fingers.) Using a 2 tablespoon scoop, place balls of cookie dough onto the prepared cookie sheets. Fold a marshmallow on top of the cookie dough to make it look pretty. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. The edges of the cookies will be slightly golden and the centers still soft. Cool cookies on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling. (The cookies will firm up as they cool.)

This recipe comes out of the Joy the Baker cookbook. I know, you’re thinking, another chocolate chip cookie but the thing that intrigued me about this recipe was the addition of some more uncommon ingredients, like molasses. I made it my own by adding in nonfat milk powder like I have been doing in all my other baked goods, which just pushed it over the top. This cookie was super delicious and while it was slightly more involved than some of my chocolate chip cookies it was totally worth it.

• 1 cup (2 sticks), plus 1 tablespoon of butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon molasses
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 large egg, plus 1 egg yolk
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 heaping teaspoon nonfat dry milk powder, optional
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Brown 1 stick plus 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat in a shallow sauce pan, stirring constantly. Once browned, transfer to a bowl and stick in the fridge or freezer to cool off. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the remaining 1 stick of butter with sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add in the vanilla extract and molasses and beat until incorporated. Once the brown butter has cooled slightly (I found it had cooled enough in the freezer that by the time I had mixed in the ingredients preceding this), add to the mixer along with the brown sugar and mix for about 2 minutes. Add in the egg and yolk and beat for 1 more minute. Add in your dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated, then add in your chocolate chips and pecans. Cover the bowl and refrigerate while your oven preheats to 375. Once the oven has preheated, line your baking sheets with parchment paper. I used my 2 tablespoon scoop and got 24 cookies. Bake for 12-14 minutes, rotating halfway, until the cookies are lightly browned on the outside, but still a little soft in the center. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then move them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

*If you are like me and are wanting to bake cookies but don’t have softened butter, just grate your butter straight out of the fridge with a cheese grater. You will almost instantly have softened butter!

Every October we go to our local pumpkin patch to get pumpkins for the house. Some years we carve them, some years we don’t, but we always pick up a couple of jars of apple butter while we are there. I was in the mood to make some cookies the other day and found this recipe. These cookies are so good, slightly chewy with a wonderful apple butter flavor. My oldest son called them a national treasure, so I knew it was a winner.

• 1/4 cup butter, I used salted
• 1/4 cup apple butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup cinnamon sugar, for rolling

Cream together butter, apple butter, and sugar. Mix in egg, and vanilla. Mix until well combined. In a medium bowl, combine cinnamon, flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar.  Slowly add dry ingredients to butter mixture. Mix until dough forms. Place into fridge and chill for 2 hours. When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375°. Using a 2 tablespoon scoop, roll cookies into a ball and roll each ball in cinnamon sugar. Place cookies onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake 11-13 minutes, or until the bottoms have started to brown. Move baked cookies to wire rack to cool. 

I saw an article not too long ago that ranked 4 different peanut butter cookies, and this recipe from Ovenly was the hands down winner. Naturally this meant I had to make this cookie and see if I agreed. After making this cookie, I will agree that it is very good. With only four ingredients it comes together very quickly and baked up well. My only note on this recipe would be to not eat this cookie hot out of the oven. It tastes like hot peanut butter, and you don’t get an opportunity to enjoy the sweetness this cookie has to offer. It was light years better after it had cooled completely. Also, the recipe states that while you can use natural peanut butter in this recipe, Skippy, Jif or Peter Pan are the preferred brands.

• 1 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
• coarse salt to finish

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, vigorously whisk together the light brown sugar and eggs until incorporated. Whisk in the vanilla extract. Add the peanut butter and mix with a spatula until smooth and completely incorporated, and until no ribbons of peanut butter can be seen. You know the dough is ready when it has the consistency of Play-Doh. Using a scoop or a spoon, form the dough into 12 approximately 2-inch (2- to 2 1/4-ounce) balls and place them on the prepared rimmed sheet pan. For smaller cookies, use a heaping tablespoon. Sprinkle the dough balls lightly with coarse-grained sea salt just before baking. Bake for about 16 minutes, turning the rimmed sheet pan once halfway through baking (for smaller cookies, bake for 14-16 minutes). When finished, the cookies will be lightly golden and cracked on top. Let cool completely before serving. You can bake these cookies as soon as the dough is prepared, but they will retain their shape better if you freeze them for 15 minutes before baking. 

This recipe comes from the Cookies and Cups cookbook and was really delicious. I’m not usually a fan of white chocolate chips in my cookies because I feel like it makes them overly sweet, but this recipe struck just the right balance.

• 1 cup salted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 3 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and both sugars on medium speed for 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla, salt and baking soda and continue mixing until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Turn the speed to low and add the flour, mixing until incorporated. Beat in the coconut, then mix in the oats and white chocolate chips until evenly combined. Using a large (3 tablespoon) cookie scoop, drop the dough 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the centers have set. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

I am always down with trying a new chocolate chip cookie recipe and I’ve seen the Neiman’s one floating around Pinterest for a long time. Now it would seem that there is a very involved Neiman’s cookie recipe out there and this is not it. It is, however, extremely delicious. A couple things set this recipe apart from your average chocolate chip cookies recipe. First off, it has significantly more brown sugar than normal, is a slightly stiffer dough due to the amount of flour and it is cooked at 300 for 15 minutes instead of 350 for 10. All in all I was very pleased with this cookie, it was so so good.

Update! I have made some changes to this recipe to incorporate some aspects of other chocolate cookie recipes I have tried over the last six months, like adding bread flour and an extra yolk. I think this will be my only recipe from here on out!

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened*
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 large egg, plus 1 egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup bread flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 – 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, based on personal preference

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees and lightly grease cookie sheets (I used butter Pam but normal butter or even just parchment paper will work). In a medium bowl beat together the butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in the egg and yolk and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Carefully mix the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Turn off the mixer and stir in the chocolate chips. Form the dough into balls about 2 tablespoons in size and place at least 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until you see the edges starting to brown. I would err on the side of under-baking these cookies to make sure they stay nice and chewy.

*I always use salted butter in my baked goods, so do what makes you happy.

I saw this recipe on the website of one of my favorite bloggers but it took me a little while to actually make them. Once I did I knew I had to give them all away because they were seriously addicting. The recipe as posted makes giant cookies so if you want smaller ones, cut the dough into smaller sections. Recipe and photo courtesy of cookiesandcups.com.

Filling

• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Cookie

• 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

Icing

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1-2 tablespoons milk

For the filling, in a medium bowl combine the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Set aside. In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine the butter and the granulated sugar, mixing on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, cream, baking powder, and salt.  Mix for 1 minute, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Turn the mixer to low and add in the flour, mixing until just combined. On a lightly floured piece of wax or parchment paper, press the dough out into a 15×10 rectangle. This doesn’t have to be exact or neat. Spread the filling mixture on top of the dough, leaving about an inch at the edges. Roll the dough up tightly from the long edge. Cut the dough into 10 equal slices. Roll each slice into a ball and place on a lightly floured plate or baking sheet. Place into the freezer for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place 5 of the dough balls onto the prepared pan, leaving space for them to spread. Place the remaining dough in the refrigerator while the first batch bakes. Bake for 15-17 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. For the icing, in a medium bowl combine the powdered sugar, butter and 1 tablespoon milk. Whisk until no lumps remain. Add more milk if a thinner icing is desired. Dip the tops of the cooled cookies into the icing, or drizzle on top. Allow the icing to set.