Cookies!

Who doesn't love cookies, those wonderful little disks of sweetness? Enjoy!

MAPLE SANDWICH COOKIES

Prep Time: 15 Minutes; Cook Time: 10 Minutes; Ready In: 25 Minutes; Yields: 18 servings

Barbara Scacchi, who sent this to allrecipes.com, wrote, "Mom loves maple flavoring, so I created this recipe just for her. But the whole family loves these tasty cookies."

Ingredients:

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg yolk

2 cups all-purpose flour

sugar

Filling

1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

1/2 teaspoon maple flavoring

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and brown sugar. Beat in the egg yolk and flour; mix well. Shape into 1-in. balls. Dip the tops in sugar. Place sugar side up 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten with a fork. Bake at 325 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool. Combine filling ingredients in a small mixing bowl; beat until smooth. Spread on the bottom of half of the cookies; top with remaining cookies.

CHOCOLATE MAPLE COOKIES

Prep Time: 15 Minutes; Cook Time: 10 Minutes; Ready In: 25 Minutes; Yields: 24 servings

Sheree Gilpin, who submitted this to allrecipes.com, wrote"My aunt made these one year for Christmas, and my husband ate about a dozen. Since he liked them so much, I asked for the recipe and have made them often."

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups shortening

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

5 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon maple flavoring

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Frosting:

2 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate

1 tablespoon butter (no substitutes)

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup milk

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, cream shortening and brown sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and maple flavoring. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Drop by teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Remove to wire racks to cool.

For frosting, melt chocolate and butter in a microwave or heavy saucepan. Add sugar and milk; mix well. Frost cooled cookies.

SEMOLINA SESAME COOKIES

This recipe comes from Seattle's Macrina Bakery. The recipe starts off, “These cookies are inspired by acclaimed baker Carol Field, who gathered a collection of wonderful regional recipes from bakers, grandmothers, and chefs on her travels through Italy. The essence of this recipe came from one of her books (I have them all!), and is so typically Italian. The semolina, a coarsely ground wheat flour used widely for making pasta, lends a beautiful crisp texture, and the sesame seeds make them a classic accompaniment to a sweetened shot of espresso. Buttery and not too sweet, they'll totally satisfy the 4 p.m. nosh need!” Makes eighteen 3-inch cookies

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon semolina flour

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

1 large egg

1/4 cup sesame seeds

Position 2 racks in the center of the oven and preheat to 325°F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

Sift together the flours and salt in a medium bowl.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Start on low speed and increase to medium for a total of 5 to 8 minutes, stopping to scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. The mixture will be light, fluffy, and pale. Add the egg and mix on low speed until fully incorporated, then scrape the bowl down again. Gradually add the dry ingredients mixing until they're just incorporated and the dough is smooth, about 1 minute. Be careful not to overmix: the cookies may become tough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide it into 4 equal pieces, then roll each piece into a 1/2-inch-wide rope. Use a ruler to measure and then cut the rope into 5-inch segments. Each segment will become a cookie. If the dough is too soft, chill for 10 minutes to make it easier to handle.

Lay each rope in an S shape, 1 inch apart, on the prepared baking sheets. Tuck the ends under and compress slightly. Chill the sheets in the freezer for 20 minutes to help the cookies hold their shape while baking. (You may also freeze the cookies at this point, covered tightly, for up to 1 week. Let them thaw for about 20 minutes before baking.)

Brush each cookie with a little bit of water and top with the sesame seeds. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the cookies are light golden brown. Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Stored in an airtight container at room temperature, these cookies keep their great flavor for at least 1 week.

PUMPKIN POLKA DOT COOKIES

Yield: Makes about 4 dozen. Serving size: 1 cookie

View Online: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/879.shtml

Source: Equal

Ingredients

1/2 cup stick butter, softened

1-1/4 cups Equal Spoonful*

3 tablespoons light molasses

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 egg

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1-2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1-1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

* May substitute 30 packets Equal sweetener

Directions

Beat butter, Equal and molasses until well combined. Mix in pumpkin, egg and vanilla until blended. Gradually stir in combined flour, baking powder, spices, baking soda and salt until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto sprayed baking sheets. Bake in preheated 350F oven 11 to 13 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove from baking sheet and cool completely on wire rack.

Store in airtight containers at room temperature.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving): Calories: 57; Protein: 1 g; Sodium: 51 mg; Cholesterol: 9 mg; Fat: 3 g; Carbohydrates: 7 g; Exchanges: 1/2 starch, 1/2 fat

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

This was one of my grandmother's recipes, along with the oatmeal cookie recipe that follows. You can find them in my e-cookbook, Off The Wall Cooking.

1/2 C butter

1/2 C peanut butter

1/2 C sugar

1 egg, well beaten

1 1/4 C flour

3/4 tsp. soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

Cream butter & peanut butter together. Add sugar gradually & cream thoroughly. Add egg. Sift flour once before measuring. Sift flour, soda, baking powder & salt together & add to creamed mixture. Chill dough well, then form into balls the size of walnuts. Place balls on lightly greased baking sheet. Flatten with fork dipped in flour, making criss-cross pattern. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

GRANDMA'S OATMEAL COOKIES

Another one of my grandmother's recipes. When it came to baking, cookies were her specialty. You can also find these in my e-cookbook, Off the Wall Cooking

1 C flour

1 C brown sugar

3 C quick cooking oatmeal (NOT the instant oats!)

1 C butter or margarine

1/4 C boiling water

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

Mix flour & brown sugar. Add oatmeal; stir. Melt butter; add to dry ingredients. Mix baking soda into boiling water; add to other ingredients, stirring well. Place batter into loaf pan, lined with aluminum foil & place in freeze for several hours. Slice & bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.