National Cookie Month!
...staff favorites

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cups packed dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1½ cups raisins
• 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 or 4 cookie sheets covered with parchment or foil
  
  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  
  Stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and oats.
  
  Beat together butter and sugars until well mixed. Beat in eggs, then vanilla.
  
  Lower mixer speed and beat in dry ingredients, then add raisins, nuts, and chocolate chips.
  
  Drop by tablespoons about 3 to 4 inches apart onto pans. Flatten mounds with the back of a fork.
  
  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until cookies spread and color evenly and become firm.
  
  Slide papers off the pans onto racks.
  
  After cookies have cooled, detach from the paper and store them between sheets of parchment or wax paper in a container with a tight-fitting cover.

Fabulous Chocolate Chocolate Chip Raisin Cookies

• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
• ¼ cup vegetable shortening, preferably Crisco
• ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 to 1½ cups raisins
  
  Heat oven to 350 degrees.
  
  In a mixing bowl or in the large bowl of mixer, cream butter and shortening together until soft and completely mixed. Add, in turn, brown sugar and granulated sugar, beating after each addition, until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla.
  
  Sift together flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda. Sift flour mixture into creamed mixture. Add chocolate pieces and raisins and stir them in. Wrap dough and chill it thoroughly, three hours or longer.
  
  Grease a cookie sheet with Pam. Scoot cookies on to cookie sheet with ice cream scoop or spoon. Push down slightly. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. After you take them out, leave for a minute before removing from sheet
  
  MMMMMMMM!

Butterballs

• 1 cup butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 4 tablespoon sugar
• pinch salt
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup diced pecans
  
  Cream butter and sugar. Add flour. Add other ingredients. Roll cookies into small balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 35 minutes in an oven preheated to 300 degrees. While still warm, roll in powdered sugar.

Russian Tea Cakes

• 1 cup butter, softened
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2¼ cups all purpose flour
• ¾ cup finely chopped nuts
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• powdered sugar
  
  Heat oven to 400 degrees.
  
  Mix butter, ½ cup powdered sugar and vanilla in large bowl. Stir in flour, nuts, and salt until dough holds together.
  
  Shape dough into one inch balls. Place about one inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
  
  Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set but not brown. Remove from cookie sheet. Cool slightly on wire rack.
  
  Roll warm cookies in powdered sugar; cool on wire rack. Roll in powdered sugar again.