Cookie Jigsaw Dee Dees Recipes

DEE'S OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• With beaters at med-high speed, cream the butter, and the two sugars together.
• Add the eggs and vanilla, continue beating until well blended.
• In a separate bowl, combine the flour, soda, baking powder and salt.
• On low speed, add the flour mixture about 1/2 cup at a time into the butter mixture, mixing until smooth.
• Stir in the rolled oats and chocolate chips.
• Spray cookie sheets with cooking spray, drop dough by teaspoons onto sheets.
• Bake for 8- 10 minutes, then cool on racks for 5- 8 minutes before removing from pan.

WHIMSICAL SWIRL COOKIES - DEE DEE'S

Steps:

• 1. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugars and whisk until well blended. Place in large mixing bowl of a stand mixer.
• 2. Add butter in, gradually, and continue mixing. Add in vanilla extract. At this point, your dough will form a ball on your paddle. NOTE: I did find it necessary to add more flour at this point.
• 3. Remove all your dough and divide into two equal parts. Return one portion back in to the mixer and add the food coloring and any extra extracts. I used Wilton gel food coloring in pink and vanilla extract for this batch. You can coordinate your colors and flavors, for example green food coloring matched with a mint extract or yellow with a lemon extract, etc. Also, if you are using liquid food coloring, you will need to add a few tbsp. of flour to keep the dough from becoming too wet. Mix until the color is spread out evenly.
• 4. Roll out each portion of your dough, between two sheets a wax paper until is reaches about 11 x 9 inches and is 1/4 inch thick. Slide both unto a cookie sheet and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. NOTE: I found that the dough became very firm in about 30 minutes.
• 5. When firm, remove the top sheets of wax paper from both. Brush the uncolored vanilla dough lightly with water using a pastry brush. Then flip the colored dough onto the vanilla uncolored dough so they are stacked atop each other and even. Press the edges lightly with your fingertips to seal them together. Using a small paring knife; trim the edges of the dough to make straight, even lines.
• 6. Pour out sprinkles onto a large platter and set aside. Be sure your dough is still cold, but flexible. Once it's ready, begin rolling the long side of dough into a swirl, jelly-roll style. Now, don't get nervous if the outer layer of uncolored dough tears a bit. It's no problem, just pinch and pat those tears and voila, then just keep rolling. NOTE: the outter layer did tear and I pinched it back together as instructed. Cookies turned out beautiful!
• 7. Now gently lift your dough log onto the sprinkles and roll away. Cover the log completely with your sprinkles. Wrap the colorfully decorated log in plastic wrap twice. Depending on when you want to bake the cookies, either place the wrapped dough into refrigerator for about 3-4 hours or you can put it the freezer and keep it there for up to 2 months. (If freezing, give yourself time for the dough to defrost in the fridge overnight before cutting.)
• 8. Slice your dough into 1/4-1/8 inch slices and bake on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 15-17 minutes until edges are slightly golden. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, and then move them to a cookie rack to finish cooling. Enjoy your whimsical cookies!

MELTING MOMENTS - DEE DEE'S

Steps:

• 1. In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat until incorporated. Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least one hour or until firm.
• 2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• 3. When dough is firm, form into 1 inch balls and place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets spacing about 1 inch apart. Bake for about 12 - 14 minutes or until the edges of the cookies start to brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 5 minutes.
• 4. Meanwhile, line another baking pan or tray with parchment or wax paper. Sprinkle about half of the confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar onto the bottom of the pan and then place the slightly cooled cookies on top of the sugar. Put the remaining sugar in a fine strainer or sieve and then sprinkle the tops of the cookies (or you can just roll the cookies in the sugar).
• 5. These cookies store very well. Place in an airtight container between sheets of wax paper and they will keep a couple of weeks.

BUTTER CUT OUT COOKIES - DEE DEE'S

Steps:

• 1. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy; add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. NOTE: If making Christmas Cookies add the Anise Oil.
• 2. Stir salt into flour; add to butter and sugar mixture 1 cup at a time. NOTE: This will be a stiff dough.
• 3. Place dough in freezer for 1/2 hour. This will make dough easier to work with.
• 4. Flour the surface you will be working on and flatten dough onto the floured surface; lightly dust top of dough. Roll out and cut into desired shapes.
• 5. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes. Do not over bake. Allow cookies to cool 5 minutes on cookie sheets before transferring to wire rack to finish cooling.
• 6. Directions for Frosting: Mix all ingredients together. Spread on cookies. NOTE: Add candy sprinkles if you like but keep in mind these cookies are very good with just the frosting.
• 7. Directions for Glaze: Place all ingredients, except the food coloring, into a medium sized bowl; whisk to combine. You want a thick syrup. Add more powdered sugar to thicken, and more milk to thin.
• 8. Add the food coloring, stir until well combined.
• 9. Pour the icing into a condiment bottle. Be sure to put the cap on to ensure it doesn't dry out.
• 10. Repeat steps for each additional color.
• 11. To decorate: cover cookie with glaze (your choice of color). For patterns and designs, pipe a different color onto the cookie while it is still wet, or pipe another color on, after it has dried (for 5 minutes). Choose technique depending on the look you perfer. NOTE: for a sandwich cookie, spread raspberry jam between cookies before decorating.

DEE DEE'S ULTIMATE AUTUMN HARVEST COOKIE

Steps:

• Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves; set aside.
• Cut both sticks of butter in to several pieces and cook 1/2 of the butter in a small heavy saucepan over a medium high heat, stirring frequently, until it has a nutty fragrance and turns an amber brown, anywhere from 4 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and add remaining solid butter to the burnt butter; stir until solid butter is melted. This will speed up the firming of the melted butter. Transfer butter to a large mixing bowl and chill until just firm, about 15 minutes.
• Beat together butter and sugars with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add cream, orange rind, vanilla extract and eggs. Mix until well combined.
• Add 1/2 of the flour mixture and incorporate into the batter with an electric mixer. Add the rest of flour and mix until thoroughly combined. Stir in raisins, crasins and walnuts. Cover bowl with plastic and chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop up rounded tablespoons of cookie dough and place on cookie sheet, leaving about 1 1/2 inches of space between cookies. NOTE: I USED A PAMPER CHEF COOKIE DOUGH SCOOPER.
• Bake 12 to 14 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet placed on a rack for about 5 minutes and then transfer to a rack to cool.
• Store in airtight tins.