I ran out of vanilla extract. And so these cookies were born. They are amazing. I don’t know if I’ll ever go back to plain old vanilla. For sugar cookies anyways. The fresh lemon zest adds a bit of freshness to them and they are worth every calorie. I made these babies small so you can consume more and not feel guilty. And perfect for little fingers too!

Lemon-Almond Sugar Cookies

4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup shortening, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon almond extract
zest of 1 lemon

Almond Frosting
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons butter, softened
4 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon almond extract

Directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. Using a mixer, cream together the butter, shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time until well incorporated. Add the milk, almond extract and lemon zest. Mix until creamy. Slowly add the flour mixture until well blended. Chill in the fridge for 30-60 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to desired thickness (I like mine a bit thicker). Cut out into desired shapes using a lightly floured cookie cutter. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 9-12 minutes, less if you like them softer, more if you like them crispier.

For the Frosting:
Using a mixer, mix the cream cheese and butter until well blended and creamy. Add 2 cups of the sugar, milk, and almond extract. Blend until smooth. Slowly add the remaining sugar until smooth and creamy.

Enjoy!

xoxo

Steph

Hey everyone!  How has your summer been? Mine has been busy but very fun! It has been so weird not posting and hearing from ya’ll, so I am very ready to come back and try to get back into blogging again.  I’m sure it will be a little slow but I will be back full time soon enough.  I just wanted to check in with everyone and also to let you locals know about a boutique I am selling my sweets at next week in Layton (Utah).  Stephanie’s Sweet Shop will be selling the very best yummy treats and I would love it if you stopped by to check it out!  Email me at steph@stephanieskitchen.com if you want the address.  The boutique will also have some awesome crafts made by my family and it will be so much fun so you don’t want to miss it!  It is on Friday, September 25 from 9:00 am to 5:00 p.m and Saturday, September 26 from 9:00 am to 5:00 p.m.

Anyways, if you want to check this yummy recipe out, go to the Zupas blog and try these amazing cookies out!  Talk to you later guys!

I’m finally feeling human these days.  It’s such a relief.  I swear the last 6 months have been really challenging for me, but I’m trying to be positive and keep going.  I do apologize for the lack of blogging. I’m sorry I haven’t been around to comment on your blogs either.  I can’t promise I will get better because when I have this baby in just a few months, I’m sure it will become even more challenging.  Three kids will keep me very busy, I’m sure.  But I’m not giving up my blog.  I love it and I’m proud of it and I am just going to do the very best I can.  I appreciate everyone’s support.  Food bloggers are the best!  Everyone has been so kind and supportive and it sure means a lot to me!  :)

Anyways, you have to try these cookies.  I’m sure there are dozens of recipes out there for them, but I had a mint brownie recently that was similar and I wanted to turn it into a cookie.  And that is just what I did! They are divine in every sense of the word. I devoured many in a very short period of time.  Am I ashamed? No, I just blame it on the baby.  I can do that you know.  And I’m probably going to finish them off pretty soon.  So there!  Give them a try if you have any willpower!  

For the cookies:

2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the middle layer:
1 cup Guittard green mint chips, melted

For the frosting:
1/2 c. butter, at room temperature
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
4 1/2 c. confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
milk

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.
2. Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar and mix until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg, milk and vanilla. Slowly add the flour mixture until well combined.
3. Using a 2 inch ice cream scoop, scoop the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes or until firm. You don’t want to underbake or overbake these cookies. Let cool.
4. Spread a layer of the melted mint chips over the cookies. Put them into the fridge to let them set for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, make the frosting.
5. Using a mixer, cream the butter. Whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa until well combined. Slowly add to the butter. Add the vanilla and a dash of milk at a time until the consistency is thick enough to spread on the cookies. Beat until smooth. Spread the frosting over the mint layer.

Enjoy!

Hey there everyone, can you believe I’m posting so soon? It’s only been 4 days!  I surprised myself too. All of a sudden, my cooking is back in full force and I’m having to pace myself or I would be in the kitchen all day everyday, and my kids wouldn’t handle that very well.  Since they still need me for almost EVERYTHING I have to put them first, but when I have time it’s all I want to do!  Yay!  

I’m actually surprised I haven’t posted this recipe before.  Yes, everyone has a snickerdoodle recipe, but these are by far the BEST recipe I have ever tried.  And I’ve tried a lot.  But I’ve been making these for my husband almost every weekend for years, only because he begs me too.  He loves them.  No, he worships them.  They are scrumptious!  Give them a try!

And just a heads up for all of you lovely Utah-ns.  Is that what we call ourselves? Anyways, I was asked by a local news talk show (Studio 5) to do a cooking segment on Thursday the 22nd at 11:00 if you want to tune in.  This is my very first EVER cooking segment and I am super nervous, but I couldn’t pass up this opportunity.  I’m really excited.  I will also be having a little chat with the hosts about us Foodies, who we are and why we do what we do.  If anyone more experienced than me has any advice for me, I would love it more than anything!!! So, if you live here in Utah, tune in!  Channel 5, KSL, Studio 5. Have a great week!

Snickerdoodles
makes 3 dozen

3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tarter
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs

1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tarter, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
2. Using a mixer, cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add in eggs. Slowly add the flour mixture and mix until well incorporated.
3. Mix together the 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Shape in to 1 1/2 inch balls and dip in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 350 degrees for about 10-12 minutes. Do not over bake or they will be too crispy. Bake just until light and golden.

Sorry for the long absence yet again.  I’ve still been struggling to get in the kitchen.  And when I do, it’s usually just for Chocolate Chip Cookies and I can’t necessarily blog about the same old cookie time and time again, right? This pregnancy has been challenging for sure.  And it hasn’t let up yet, so keep your fingers crossed for me will you please? Hopefully the sun will shine again here soon!  I promised myself not to go that long between posts again.  I just have to get back in the swing of things.  Otherwise I start feeling stressed and very guilty.  But please, bear with me…again.  

So an excellent foodie and fellow Cafe Zupas blogger, Jen from Delightful Delicacies, posted these Andes Mint cookies the other day and as soon as I laid eyes on them, I knew we were meant to be, the cookie and I that is.  Just up my alley.  I love chocolate and mint, as you can tell from my last posts which have been all chocolate.  I need to start mixing it up a bit don’t I? Well if you haven’t checked her blog out yet, do.  You will love it instantly.  And if you love chocolate and mint, try these cookies. Now.  So good!

Andes Mint Cookies

recipe from here

¾ c. butter (1½ stick)
1½ cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons water
12 oz. (2 cups) chocolate chips (I do 1 cup bittersweet, 1 cup semi)
2 eggs
2 ½ cups flour
1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt

In a large bowl melt together the butter, brown sugar, water and chocolate chips. *I microwave it for a minute at a time stirring after each until melted.
Beat in eggs, add in sifted remaining dry ingredients until blended. Chill 1 hour or overnight. Shape into 1 inch balls and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake @ 325°F for 8-10 minutes. Place mint on top, you may want to place back in the oven for a second or two. Spread when melted. Let cool completely; or not.

I hope everyone has a Happy Holiday!

I could easily sum up this post in one word.  Yum.  Yes, simple but true, these cookies are awesome.  But first, I hope everyone here in the US of A enjoyed Thanksgiving.  I know I did.  I hosted the festivities at my house this year.  Wow.  It’s a lot of work.  My Mom came and stayed the night before and we literally started baking the afternoon before and didn’t stop until the food hit the table.  We were exhausted.  And it always gets me that your work soooo hard for sooo long and it takes 2.5 seconds to fill the gut and clear the table.  But, it was well worth it because we had some amazing food.  Thanks for all of your help Mommy!  Yes, I still call her Mommy.  

Now onto the cookies.  As Christmas time approaches, my friends at Keebler, (okay they really aren’t my ‘friends’), bring out the holiday cookies.  No, these are not your Grandmother’s homemade holiday cookies, but I have to admit that I have become addicted to a certain cookie called the Merry Mint Pattie.  Now, these cookies are not cheap.  You get about 12 cookies in the box and they are almost $4 a box.  So I decided to take matters into my own hands and make these myself.  They are simply a shortbread cookie, topped with a mint frosting and dipped in chocolate.  Well my re-creation are sooo much better than the box, sorry Keebler.  You must try them.  They are rather simple, just a few steps and you’ve got yourself a beautiful and tasty cookie.  You can’t beat it my friends!  Give them a try and just try and tell me I’m wrong!  

I hope you all have a happy weekend.  I promise I will try and post a little more often.  I can feel the baking mojo returning little by little.  Cheers!

Shortbread Mint Sandwich Cookies

 

For the shortbread:

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the mint icing:

2 cups confectioners sugar

1 teaspoon mint extract

4 tablespoons milk

For the glaze:

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

2 ounces white chocolate

1. In a bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.  Set aside.  In a mixer, cream the butter and confectioners sugar.  Add vanilla.  Slowly add the flour mixture until well combined.  

2. Chill in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.

3. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch thickness.  Using your choice of cookie cutter, cut the cookies and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Chill for an additional 10 minutes.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden.  Cool completely on a cooling rack.  

4. In a small bowl, mix the confectioners’ sugar, mint extract and milk until smooth.  Add more milk or sugar, if needed, to make a frosting like consistency.  Spread on cooled cookies and top with another cookie to make a sandwich.  Chill in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes, or until icing is set.

5. Melt the chocolate in the microwave or over a double broiler and stir until smooth.  Dip the tops of the cookie sandwiches into the chocolate and let stand on the cooling rack.  Set in the refrigerator to let the chocolate harden. 

Hope you enjoy these!

I know, I know, I know.  Every time there has been a post, which have been far and few between, I have some excuse as to why I’ve been away.  Sickness, sickness and more sickness have been the main reasons. Another reason I feel comfortable in saying now is that I am pregnant.  And all that comes with pregnancy has come and has left me quite miserable.  I have had no desire to cook or bake let alone eat anything that I would cook or bake.  So I do apologize my poor blog has been neglected for the last couple of months.  I’m hoping that I will be feeling better soon, but I have no idea when that will be. Please bare with me and don’t give up on me quite yet.  Please don’t take me off of your must read lists or anything. I can feel the sun right around the corner and I will be on a roll again here shortly.  And I am starting right now.  

This morning I had something pop in my head, and I couldn’t resist attempting this idea and I indulged! Boy was it worth it.  Molton Chocolate Lava Cake is one of my favorite treats of all time.  That ooey gooey center gets me every time.  Well, I thought, why couldn’t I turn it into a cookie? So I did.  What I got was a deliciously chewy chocolate cookie with an oozing center of chocolaty goodness.  My oh my.  I have had 4 and it’s not even lunch time yet.  I’m in trouble.  You must eat these warm.  Mine haven’t even cooled off yet to see how they will be when cooled, but I’m guessing these are cookies that you must eat fresh. I’ve put a dozen in the freezer just so I can make some fresh for my hubby, because I know he will love these! So, give them a try, they will be a perfect holiday cookie!  

And again, please, please, please, don’t give up on me!  I appreciate every single one of my readers and I don’t want to disappoint anyone.  I am trying my hardest right now.  And before long, I will definitely be back to my old self.  Have a great week!  And Happy Thanksgiving!

Molton Chocolate Lava Cookies
makes 3 dozen

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cups cocoa
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time until well incorporated. Add vanilla. Slowly add cocoa and mix until well combined.
3. Slowly add flour mixture to butter mixture.
4. Shape dough into 1 1/2 inch balls. Use your thumb and press a hole in the center of the dough. Fill with a piece of chocolate and fold the dough over to cover the chocolate completely.
5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake cookies at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Dust with confectioners sugar. Serve warm.

So lets get right to the giveaway! I had so many wonderful comments and so many great fall baking and cookies ideas, thanks everyone!  It made me hungry just reading them.  So using Random.org, I got to random numbers:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

53

72

Timestamp: 2008-10-28 21:04:35 UTC

So, that means the first winner of the lovely French Linen Apron goes to Dawn of Vanilla Sugar!  Yay! You have 1 week to email me your address so I can mail this beauty out!  

And the second winner, of The Gathering Of Friends Cookbook goes to Aubrie of We Eat, What Else Is There?.  Same goes for you, you have 1 week to email me your address so I can get that cookbook out to you!  

Thanks so much everyone for participating and hopefully we’ll have another great giveaway soon!  So, are you in the mood for a really awesome cookie recipe? Great.  These cookies are probably one of my favorites so far.  Oatmeal Chocolate Chip M&M Cookies.  Yes, they sound so simple, but these cookies are extraordinary.  They are delicious.  My husband had been requesting them for months, and I finally got around to making them and now I want to make them every week.  That’s how good they are.  I added the cute Halloween m&m’s just for some pizazz, and my kids love the cute colors.  Hope you all have a great week and I’ll be back tomorrow for Daring Bakers, so be sure to check back!  Happy Tuesday!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip M&M Cookies

2 ½ cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 ½ cups oatmeal

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1 cup m&m’s

1. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

2. Cream together the butter and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time until mixed through. Add vanilla. Slowly add dry ingredients until well combined.

3. Stir in oatmeal, chocolate chips and m&m’s.

4. Bake at 375 degrees for about 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Do not overbake.

I found a great blog called Sunday Baker.  Tanya makes my kind of food. I seriously have 6 or 7 recipes bookmarked to try very soon.  So anyways, back to the cookies.  I have a fetish with cookies.  I have tried so many different kinds of chocolate chip cookies, and I have loved most of them.  When I saw her recipe for Pudding Cookies, I literally stopped what I was doing to see if I had a box of vanilla pudding mix.  I had to try them, and I couldn’t wait another second.  30 minutes later, I had hot cookies out of the oven.  They were delicious!  You must try them. Click here for the recipe.

So, 2 great cookie recipes from 2 great blogs.  And I do have many more recipes from fellow food bloggers to share.  I love using your recipes!

And by the way, I love comments people.  They make me smile and feel really special and important.  When someone actually takes a couple of seconds out of there busy day to write me a note, it just makes me feel so darn happy and bubbly inside.  I almost always try to comment back on your blog, (sometimes it doesn’t happen and I apologize.  I still love you, but it’s probably just at a moment when my 18 month old is throwing his bowl of milk and cereal onto the clean floor. And I loose track of what I was doing.)  Anyways, I have found so many new and awesome blogs this way.  Just by someone being so nice and dropping a note.  Thanks everyone!

After baking, poke the cookie down so that you have room for the yummy filling.

Fill with the white chocolate peanut butter mixture, and chill.

Fill with the chocolate peanut butter mixture.

Top with crushed granola bars and you now have one twisted peanut butter cup.  

These cookies are the reason this cookbook jumped out at me and said “Buy Me!!”.  I couldn’t resist.  I was intrigued.  I have made many cookies out of Martha’s Cookie Book, and this one I couldn’t wait to try.  Unfortunately, I screwed up the recipe and added WAY to many chocolate chunks.  Okay double the chocolate chunks the recipe called for.  Not sure why, the bag just seemed to dump out all on it’s own.  I guess I was thinking how could too much chocolate hurt the recipe?  But I was wrong.  I could hardly even taste the gingerbread.  Now, if I had added just the right amount of chocolate, I know that this would be a cookie that you would never forget. They are chewy, sweet, and very distinct in flavor.  So different than what you expect.  I absolutely love gingerbread cookies, and I love chocolate, so I guess that is why this cookie intrigued me so much.  Why not put the two together? Very good, but don’t mess with the recipe!

Ever since I saw Jenny at Picky Palate’s post about Cinnamon Chips, I have been on the hunt for these beauties! I finally found them at a local grocery store and went home and created a lovely cookie with Oatmeal, Chocolate Chips and Cinnamon Chips. Oh my, these cookies melt in your mouth. I can usually contain myself around cookies and limit myself to 2, but these cookies are on a whole different playing level. It’s so much different than just adding cinnamon. The cinnamon chips melt and combined with the chocolate and they truly are a delicacy! Yum, Yum and Yum, are the only three words that I can use to describe these delights. Make sure you pour yourself a glass of milk with these babies, dunking is perfect for these chewy cookies!

Oatmeal Chocolate and Cinnamon Chip Chipsters
recipe by stephanie
makes 4 dozen

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups quick cooking oats
2 cups cinnamon chips (I found Hershey brand)
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat 1 stick (1/2 cup) of the butter in a mixer until smooth. Add sugars and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined. In a seperate bowl, add flour, baking soda and salt and whisk until combined. Add the remaining butter (1 stick) to the flour mixture and using your hands break up butter into flour until well combined and the butter is at least pea sized within the flour. Slowly add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture until well combined. Stir in oats, cinnamon chips and chocolate chips. Chill for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator. Scoop onto baking sheet and bake for 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned.

Tip: I baked 2 dozen and scooped the remaining dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in the freezer until frozen and than place in a ziplock freezer bag and bake at your own convenience! Fresh cookies any time you want!

Chocolate and mint together is my heaven.  I love a lot of things, but if I have chocolate and mint anything, I go to my happy place.  And there I stay, until it’s gone, and than I just have my memories.  Okay, so that might sound really lame, yes I just used the word “lame”, but it’s true, chocolate and mint are a perfect match!  I occasionally make Paula Dean’s Creme de Menthe Brownies, and if you’ve never had them before, you are really missing out because they are perfectly wonderful.  I was in the mood to make them and prepared to make them.  But I decided I wanted the same flavor but a little lighter, not so heavy of a treat.  So, I went searching on the internet for a good chocolate fudge cookie recipe.  I found this one, and tweaked it to my specifications, and crossed my fingers that they would actually turn out as wonderful as I had hoped they would.  I switched the chocolate chips for Andes Mints and added extra cake flour, because most recipes are best at “sea level”.  And my altitude here in Utah is somewhere around 4000 feet.  I always have to add extra flour in everything. They turned out absolutely delicious and perfect in every way.  These cookies have a brownie like texture, very crisp outer layer, flaky and delicate. But when you actually take a bite, they literally melt in your mouth.  If you love chocolate and mint, these cookies are definitely right for you!

Chocolate Fudge Mint Cookies

Ingredients:
3/4 cup cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter
4 ounces best quality bittersweet chocolate (65% cocao)
12 ounces best quality semi sweet chocolate
4 eggs
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup pecans, coursely chopped, toasted
2 cups Andes Mints (Creme de Menthe) chopped

Method:
1. Sift or whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a double broiler or a bowl sitting on top of a pan with boiling water, melt butter and both chocolates together. Stir constently until smooth.
3. In an electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar until thick and pale in color, about 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla and chocolate mixture.
4. Fold in dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated. Fold in mints and nuts.
5. Cover and chill until batter is firm, at least 30 minutes.
6. Cover cookie pans with parchement paper (very important)!!
7. Drop by 1/4 cup, space evenly and flatten slightly.
8. Bake at 350 degrees, about 12-14 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE!
9. Let cool on cookie sheets until firm, than transfer to wire cooling rack.
Enjoy!

These cookies are very delicate and crack on the top, this particular cookie cracked in the shape of a heart! How awesome is that!

Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Gourmet Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are scrumptious! I’m usually not a marshmallow kind of gal, unless they are melted in rice crispy treats or toasted around a campfire for s’mores, but I saw a picture of these and HAD to have them. I bought a new recipe book, Martha Stewarts Cookies, which I highly recommend to anybody. It has some delicious treats, and I want to make every single recipe in this book. Every single thing sounds tasty. I’ve been a baking fool lately! My husband comes home from work and just rolls his eyes. And I have to say…Yes I’ve been baking again. But I can’t help it, I’m addicted! Anyways, these were definitely worth the mess in my kitchen they made, and I will definitely make them again!

Chocolate Marshmallow Delights

For the cookies:

1 3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp course salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
About 15 marshmallows, halved crosswise

For the frosting:
3 cups confectioners’ sugar (you may need to add a little more )
6 tbl unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup milk
3/4 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make cookies: Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. (I just use a whisk, it does the same thing.)
2. Put butter and sugar into the bowl and mix on medium high until fluffy and pale, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium low; mix in egg, milk and vanilla. Mix in flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, until combined.
3. Using a 1 3/4-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until firm, 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately press a marshmallow half on top of each cookie. Bake until marshmallows begin to melt, 2 minutes more. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.
4. Make frosting: Put powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Melt butter with the cocoa in a sauce pan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Add butter mixture to the powdered sugar. Whisk in milk and vanilla.
5. Spread about 1 tbl of frosting on top of each cookie to cover marshmallow. Let stand until set, about 10 minutes. Cookies can be stored in single layers in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 days.

Soft Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter
1 egg
1 cup powdered sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cream of tarter
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla

In a large bowl, cream butter. Add egg and mix. Add powdered sugar and beat well. Add remaining ingredients and mix. On a floured surface, roll out dough about 1/2 inch thick. Add additional flour if dough is too sticky. Cut dough into desired shapes. Bake on greased cookie sheets at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Cool on wire rack and frost with Buttercream Frosting.

Buttercream Frosting

1/3 cup butter
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
milk

In a bowl beat butter until fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, beating well. Slowly beat in the 1/4 cup milk and vanilla. slowly beat in remaining sugar. Beat in additional milk, if needed, to make of spreading consistency. Tint with food coloring, if desired.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 c. sugar 1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. brown sugar 2 eggs
1/2 c. shortening 1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. butter 1 tsp. salt
2 3/4 c. flour
1/2 pkg of chocolate chips

Cream together sugar, brown sugar, shortening, and butter. Add vanilla and eggs and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Mix with a wire whisk until well blended. Add slowly to creamed mixture until well mixed. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto cookie sheet and bake in 375 degree pre-heated oven for 8-10 minutes.

Recipe from: Lindsay Rodriguez