Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hooray for holiday baking! I love this time of year. It's going to be a little bit trickier this year to make food I can enjoy since I can't have milk, but so far so good. With only slight changes I was able to make these beauties milk-free. This is based on a recipe I found online somewhere last year.


Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp milk or non-dairy milk
1 cup pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cooking oil
1 egg
1 TBS vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips (I used non-dairy chips)

Directions:
Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt ingredients in large mixing bowl. In medium bowl combine baking soda and milk. Mix together. Add pumpkin, sugar, oil, and egg and mix. Dump pumpkin mixture into flour and stir together until completely mixed in. Add vanilla. Mix. Add chocolate chips and mix. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Note: dairy-free chips are not difficult (or expensive) to find. Check labels. I found that the Kroger's store-brand chips are milk-free.

Mom's Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are my mother-in-laws specialty. They are simple and turn out making very soft yummy cookies. These and no-bake cookies are my husband's favorites. Occasionally I throw him off by making another kind, but these always get 5 stars.

Note: One thing I really love about this recipe is that I can use a 1/2 cup measuring cup and a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon and that's it! I love to cook, but I hate dishes, so anyway to avoid them is a wonderful.

Ingredients:
1 cube (1/2 cup) margarine
1 cup pack brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
Cream together margarine and both sugars. Add eggs and mix until smooth. Mix in soda, salt, and vanilla. Stir in flour (1/2 cup at a time) to make a stiff, not sticky dough. Add chocolate chips. Place on cookie sheet and back at 375 degrees for 9-12 minutes, or until golden brown.

Tip: I'm not sure if it's in my head or actually the case but these cookies seem to turn out better when mixed by hand instead of using hand mixer.

No-bake Cookies

This is Ryan's Mom's recipe. For some reason the recipe my family used growing up never really setup quite right. This one works every time for us. Very yummy!

Ingredients

1/2 cup margarine
1/2 milk
2 cups sugar
3 TBS cocoa
pinch of salt
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 TBS vanilla
4 cups oats

Directions
Combine margarine, milk, sugar, and cocoa in medium pan on medium (to medium high) heat.


Stir often to prevent scorching.


Heat to a rapid boil, then boil 1 minute. Remove from heat.


Add peanut butter, salt, and vanilla. Mix until peanut butter is completely melted.


Add oats.


Drop spoonfuls onto wax paper to make cookies. Let cool, cookies should hardened as cooled. Once cooled store in an air tight container to prevent drying out.

Margie's Cowboy Cookies

*From the kitchen of Katie Hancock

This recipe is from a book my mom got me a few years ago called, "Nesting it's a chick thing." We first made them just because of their name. But honestly, my mom, Margie, did not invent them. Lol. The recipe claims to only make 4 dozen, but I was shocked when it made 7 dozen. They are definitely a favorite at family gatherings.

1 1/2 c. margarine, room temperature
2 c. brown sugar
2 c. white sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
4 c. unbleached flour
4 c. old fashioned oats
2 c. chocolate chips
1 c. shredded coconut
1 c. chopped nuts

1. Preheat oven to 350. With an electric mixer, whip up the margarine and sugars in a large bowl until fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla, and salt and beat well.

2. In a large bowl, whisk the baking powder and baking soda into the flour. Tap this mixture into the creamed ingredients, mixing slowly with a sturdy wooden spoon, and stir in the oats until the dough comes together. Finally, add in the chocolate chips, coconut, and nuts.

3. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and scoop dough with a 2-ounce ice cream scoop. Press the top of the cookie dough mound down lightly with a spoon. Bake fore 7 to 12 mins, until light golden with tiny cracks on top. Yield: 4 (or more) dozen :)

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

*From the kitchen of Katie Hancock

My mom got this recipe from her friend, Joi in 1970. These are still the best oatmeal raisin cookies I have ever tasted, or like, for that matter. I know it sounds crazy to put the cookies on newspaper topped w/wax paper, but it really does make all the difference.

1 c. raisins
1 c. water
3/4 c. shortening
2 - 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. nuts (opt.)
1 - 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cloves
2 c. rolled oats

Simmer raisins and water for 20-30 mins. Drain raisin liquid into measuring cup - add water if necessary to make 1/2 c. Heat oven to 350. Cream shortening and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Stir in raisin liquid. Blend flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices; stir into batter. Add oats, nuts, and raisins. Drop by teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 13-16 minutes. When each sheet is baked, put newspaper on table with sheets of wax paper over it to lay hot cookies onto and top with more wax paper. This will keep them soft and moist. Store in an air-tight container. Yield: 6-7 dozen

Mom's Swedish Pepper Cookies

*From the kitchen of Katie Hancock

My mom is famous for these cookies. They are wonderful dipped in hot chocolate or milk.

1 c. butter
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 egg, beaten
3 1/4 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. each ground cinnamon, ginger, and cloves
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 Tbs. syrup (any type, Karo or maple)

Beat sugar and butter until fluffy. Add egg and syrup, mix. Add all other ingredients, mix well. Roll out on a floured surface and cut in star shapes. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. These keep for weeks in an air-tight container.

Soft Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups quick cooking oats

In a medium bowl, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in oats. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls, and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Flatten each cookie with a large fork dipped in sugar.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.