Derry's Recipes: Cookies

Grammy's Chocolate Cookies

1. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, 2 cups sugar, and eggs on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla, and mix to combine. Gradually add dry ingredients, and combine with mixer on low speed. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and chill until dough is firm, about 1 hour.
3. Heat oven to 350º. Line baking sheets with Silpats (French nonstick baking mats). Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Dip top of each ball into sugar. Place on prepared baking sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until set, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Makes about 10 dozen.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1. Beat melted butter until homogenized.
2. Add brown sugar, sugar, eggs and vanilla and blend well.
3. Add salt, baking soda, flour, mixing until well blended.
4. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
5. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls on cookie sheet lined with brown paper.
6. Bake in 350º oven for approx. 9 minutes.

Chocolate Crackles

1. Melt chocolate, blend in oil, sugar, vanilla. Add eggs & beat well.
2. Sift dry ingredients into chocolate mixture. Mix in nuts.
3. Chill several hours.
4. Drop teaspoonful of dough into powdered sugar. Bake at 350º 10-12 minutes.

Chocolate P-nut Butter Surprise

1. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, vegetable shortening, granulated sugar, and 1 cup light-brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until fully combined between each addition. Add vanilla, and beat to combine. Gradually add dry ingredients, and mix on low speed until fully combined. Remove from mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in chocolate chips. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and chill until firm, about 1 hour.
3. Heat oven to 350º. Line baking sheets with Silpats (French nonstick baking mats)
4. In a small bowl using a rubber spatula, stir together peanut butter and remaining 1/4 cup light-brown sugar.
5. Using a 1 1/4-inch scoop or heaping tablespoon, drop dough onto prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Make a thumbprint in the center of each cookie. Fill thumbprint with 1 teaspoon peanut-butter mixture. Top with a second scoop of dough, and carefully mold dough to cover ³surprise.²
6. Bake until firm, about 12 minutes (15 min. on airbake sheets). Transfer sheets to wire racks to cool for 5 minutes before transferring cookies to racks. Makes about 3-1/2 dozen.

Gingerbread Men

1. Cream margarine and sugar. Add remaining ingredients, folding in flour. Chill at least one hour.
2. Sprinkle flour on clean counter, and roll out dough to 3/16"-1/4" thickness. Cut cookies and gently transport to baking sheets.
3. Bake on ungreased sheets at 350º for 10 minutes. Makes about 72 5" people.