My favorite cookies are called “Jello Cookies.” They’re very similar to jali’s lemon drops except you use powdered Jello instead of lemon.
I make mine from an old recipe book (Betty Crocker?), and I can’t find the right recipe online. None of the ones I can find include the glaze, which is the best part and makes the cookies taste more tart like Jello. I bet you can follow a recipe you find online by Googling “Jello cookies” then work on making a glaze with a bit of leftover Jello plus confectioner’s sugar and water.
I also like Oatmeal Scotchies, which you can find on the back of the Tollhouse Butterscotch Chips bag. My brother and I make them every year!
Hit me up if you want me to get a copy of the Jello Cookies from my mom.
Beat together:
1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
Beat in:
2 eggs
2 tsp. rum or brandy extract
Beat in:
2-1/3 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
You’ve got a really thick batter at this point. (I have killed a hand mixer making these cookies). Roll up your sleeves, and by hand, stir in:
1-1/2 cups (6 oz.) pecan pieces
1 lb. (large tub) candied fruitcake fruit
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets about 2" apart. Bake just until edges start to brown, about 12 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets for a minute before moving them to wire racks.
I think the best cookie I ever had was one of those russian tea cake cookies (I think that’s what they’re called), the kind that is so light and crumbly that it almost melts in your mouth, dusted with powdered sugar. And don’t they have a clove stuck in them, too? My dream cookie…haven’t had one in years.
That looks like a winner. I seem to remember dates or raisins or some other kind of dried fruit, as well. My friend said she thought they called them Million Dollar Bars because they cost a fortune to make.
My mom makes a version of those Million Dollar/Hello Dolly/7 layer bars. She uses a recipe similar to the one here, but she throws in a bag of Heath Bar bits into the mix as well.
1 cup butter
generous 2 cups flour
generous 1/2 cup light brown sugar
12 oz chocolate, either milk or dark depending on your taste
caramel:
3/4 c butter
generous 1/2 cup light brown sugar
3 T light corn syrup
1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If you want, line the bottom of a 9x13 pan with parchment paper. (I never do. it just protects your pan from the knife and makes it slightly easier to get the cookies out.) Process the sugar, butter, and flour in a food processor until it starts to bind together. (stand mixer will work fine) Press into the prepared pan and level the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden.
while the crust is baking, make the caramel. Place the caramel ingredients in a heavy bottomed pan. Heat gently until the sugar has melted (I use medium heat.) Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 6-8 minutes, stirring, until very thick. Pour over shortbread and let chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours or until firm.
Melt the chocolate and let cool, then spread over the caramel. Let chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours, or until set. These are easier to cut if they are at room temperature, so you can let them sit out for a bit before you cut them. Once the chocolate is set, they don’t really need to be refrigerated any more. Be sure to cut them into small pieces because it’s a very rich cookie. I usually do 42 (6x8) small cookies.
Seconding snickerdoodles because they are the perfect cookie.
But I am also pro toffee bar:
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)
Cream butter and sugar. Blend in egg, vanilla, and flour. Spread in a greased 13x9-inch baking pan. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes. Evenly sprinkle with chocolate chips and return to oven for 2 to 3 minutes. Spread the melted chocolate over the top then sprinkle with the chopped pecans if you like. Cut into squares while still warm and cool completely in the pan.
I do something similar, but leave out the spices, and use lightly toasted slivered almonds, with a mixture of candied peel and chunks of crystallized ginger. Brown sugar, of course, is best.
(Toast the almonds in a dry pan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly just until they smell good, then dump them on a plate to cool. Adjust the proportions of peel and ginger to taste. And brown sugar is still best.)
I am about to make my brother’s recipe for soft ginger cookies, which are great. We need most of our baked goods to be non-dairy so we both use margarine, but I’m sure they’d be even better with butter. His recipe, with his notes:
Soft Ginger Cookies
Preheat oven to 350
2 1/4 c flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 c margarine - They say “softened” - I say Bah! (Bah, I say)
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons white sugar (for rolling cookies in)
Mix flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.
Mix together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until fluffy.
Add and mix egg, water, and molasses.
Stir the dry ingredients into the molasses mixture.
Shape dough into golf-ball sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten a little (they will flatten in baking).
Bake for 8 minutes. The recipe says 10, but these cookies firm up earlier in the baking process (about 6 minutes) and continue to cook a bit after they come out so I say 8.
I vote for seven-layer cookies as outlined by eleanorigby. Make them a couple of days ahead because they settle into themselves and the flavor gets even better.
