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Welcome to the 2nd Annual #HousefulOfCookies blog hop! 26 other bloggers and myself are sharing recipes and yummy creations. Just in time for those cookie swaps! Instead of turning to your old faithful recipes, why not check out these posts and find something new to add to your rotation! Use the hashtag #HousefulofCookies to follow along.
Cake Cookies
There are 3 cookies that immediately make me think of baking as a kid. Snickerdoodles, Peanut Butter cookies and Peanut Blossoms. I like to make them most holidays and some times I trade off. This year I decided to make Snickerdoodles and Peanut Butter cookies but throw in a little twist. I use a recipe I have perfected after trying it a few times.
Snickerdoodles are part of my Pennsylvanian Dutch heritage and are the first cookies that my grandmother taught me how to make. Her recipe called for lard and a heavy hand with the cinnamon. While those cookies are delicious, they aren’t really conducive to the waist line. 😉
No one can really agree the origin of Snickerdoodle cookies, whether they are German, Dutch or from a New England tradition of naming cookies whimsical names. My Gram always swore they were German – her Grossma told her so. According to her Grossma they are called Snickerdoodles because when you make them with just enough cinnamon and let them fall when cooling, the cinnamon makes funny face shapes in the cookies. I have to agree with my Gram and Grossma….they do tend to make interesting creases that look like faces in the dough. Whether or not it’s true, it’s a story I keep from my childhood and have passed onto my kids.
Snickerdoodle Cake Cookie
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 42 cookies
Cinnamon-y, yummy goodness. You will love the light flavor of these cookies that my family can't stop eating!
Ingredients
- 1 box of white cake mix
- 1/2 cup of butter, melted
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 tablespoon of cinnamon (to taste)
- Non-stick, dark cookie sheet
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees
- Mix cake mix, butter and egg in a large bowl by hand or with a whisk until all dough is mixed.
- Make sure there is NO dry mix left.
- Using a cookie scoop or spoon shape dough into 1 inch balls.
- Mix sugar and cinnamon in a small, high sided bowl.
- Roll balls in cinnamon-sugar mixture.
- Place about 2 inches apart on a ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake no more than 10-12 minutes.
- Place cookies on cooling rack to cool. (This makes the faces)
Notes
It is super important with the cake mix cookies to mix by hand or with a whisk. We have tried using a spoon or a mixer....they don't come out the same.
Courses dessert
Cuisine cookies
Peanut Butter cookies are the first cookies I taught myself how to make. They are also my husbands favorite cookie next to plain ole chocolate chip so when we were dating I made an awful lot of them. The way to their hearts are their stomach’s right? The problem with making them for the holidays is that peanut butter cookies can be finicky. Place them too close together they overcook each other. I don’t know the science behind it but I suspect it’s the oil in the cookies. Or I am sure if you have made cookies you know that they tend to spread and attach to each other. Peanut butter cookies also have a tendency to go from raw to burnt in 3.5 seconds.
Peanut Butter Cake Cookie
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 50 servings
A new twist on an old recipe that is quick, easy and tastes fantastic.
Ingredients
- 1 box of yellow cake mix
- 2 tablespoons of water
- 1 cup of creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup of packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup of vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
- Dark, non stick cookie sheet
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
- In a large bowl mix brown sugar, peanut butter, water, oil and eggs BY HAND until smooth.
- Shape into 1 inch balls ( I used a cookie scoop).
- In a small bowl, roll the balls in the sugar until coated.
- Place on a ungreased cookie sheet 2 inches apart, no more no less.
- Flatten in a criss-cross pattern with a large fork dipped in sugar.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. (make sure you check with a toothpick)
- Remove and put on a cooling rack.
- Make sure you store covered or in a plastic bag. They harden quickly.
Notes
With this recipe it's imperative that you mix by hand. Any other way separates the oil.
Courses dessert
Cuisine cookies
I played around with the cake cookie recipe to adapt it to my recipes and I actually love how they come out. No they are not from scratch, but when I have a bunch to whip out this recipe is a fantastic alternative and it tastes just as good as my scratch recipe. The cookies are actually lighter and do not harden as fast either so they are perfect for kids parties, cookies swaps or shipping to friends. The best is I have yet to burn a batch yet while distracted. My cats thank me, they hate when I burn food. I get dirty looks for days. So enjoy this new twist on an old faithful recipe. Let me know how you like them!
