re: vanilla cookies

[Connie]

MaryH,
Thanks for the recipe! The cookies sound great!

[Jeanne G]

Mary H,
Those cookies do sound good! And Oh Man! I can speak for my sister Connie, she WILL make them(she's an awesome baker) and love them with her sweet tooth! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif Not that you'd know it from looking at her! And Connie, I looked for my vanilla bean to put in my sugar and couldn't find it! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/frown.gif Looks like I'll purchase another one!

[Connie]

Jeanne,
Are you trying to butter me up so I'll share the cookies with you?!?! You know I will share anyway! I'll have to buy some vanilla beans to make that vanilla and vanilla sugar for this recipe. Tim has been asking about the vanilla sugar anyway. Seems like while he was growing up, the only kind of sugar his mom had was vanilla. Hmmm...

[MaryH]

Connie, here is the Cherry Vanilla White Chocolate Chunck cookie recipe I mentioned that has vanilla sugar. RunnerKim - I also found a recipe for egg nog cookies (which doesn't contain vanilla but I'm sure you could add some).

CHERRY VANILLA WHITE CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES

4 1/2 cps flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cps butter
1 1/4 cups vanilla sugar or granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp almond extract
3 oz. dried cherries, about 3/4 cp coarsely chopped
9 oz white chocolate chopped to lima bean sized chunks

Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until very light and fluffy.

Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in vanilla and almond extracts. Stir in cherries. Press cherries against bowl with back of spoon to separate clumps.

Add flour mixture all at once. Stir in gently, working dough as little as possible. When no longer floury, add white chocolate chunks and mix completely.

Drop cookies on battered baking sheets by rounded tablespoon, keeping cookies well separated. Slightly flatten each cookie with fingertips. Bake at 350 degrees until edges are light brown, about 15 minutes. Cool on wire racks and store aurtight. Makes about 40 cookies.

Each cookie contains about:
174 calories; 162 mg sodium; 36 mg cholesterol; 10 grams fat; 20 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.05 gram fiber

NOTE: Vanilla sugar is granulated sugar that has been stored in closed jar with split vanilla bean, which leaves intense, unfading flavor quite different from that of extract. One bean can be used over and over. Keep replacing sugar for up to 1 year. Vanilla sugar and dried cherries are sold in many grocery, specialty and healt food stores.

MY NOTES: parchment paper works really well instead of greasing a baking sheet; can use white chocolate chips but chunks seem better

EGG NOG COOKIES

1/4 cp unsalted butter
6 tbsp sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp dark rum
1 tbsp whipping cream or milk
3/4 cp cake flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
dash salt
1/8 to 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Cream butter and sugar in medium mixer bowl until light. Beat in egg yolk, rum and whipping cream.

Stir together cake flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in separate bowl. Stir into egg mixture. Drop batter by heaping tablespoons onto ungreased baking sheet 2 inches apart to form 10 cookies. Bake at 350 degrees until cookies are puffed and lightly browned, 17-19 minutes. Allow cookies to set on baking sheet 5 to 10 minutes, then gently remove to wire rack to cool completely. Makes 10 cookies.



[This message has been edited by MaryH (edited 10-10-2000).]