There is something about the smell of homemade cookies baking in the oven that fills your home with warmth and comfort. When that sweet, buttery aroma fills your home, suddenly everyone is in the mood for dessert! Cookies are the perfect treat for any occasion because they are so versatile and convenient. What other dessert can be eaten on the go with one hand and no utensils?

There are endless possibilities to baking delicious cookies, but a classic sugar cookie is comfort food at its best. All you need is flour, butter, sugar and a few other simple ingredients to create a dessert that everyone loves. These drop cookies make baking homemade treats one step easier by skipping the rolling and cutting that most sugar cookie recipes call for. Sprinkle the dough with colored sugar or bake plain and serve with buttercream frosting. Either way you have a dessert that is delicious and makes your home smell warm and inviting.

Ingredients
1 1/2 c sugar
1 1/2 c butter
1 1/2 c shortening
3 tbsp milk
3 eggs
3 tsp vanilla
7 c flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt

Directions

1. Combine sugar, shortening and butter.

2. Add eggs, vanilla and milk. Mix until well combined.

3. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well.

4. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet.

5. Bake at 350 °F for 10 – 13 minutes or until golden brown.

I love having a few pantry-staple recipes on hand for an impromptu dessert. Nothing is as easy and delicious than these peanut butter cookies that require only three ingredients. The next time you want to bake something yummy, just go to your pantry and whip up the easiest cookies ever with ingredients you already have to create a dessert that tastes like perfection.

Ingredients

1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto cookie sheet.

3. Using the back of a fork, make a crisscross pattern on dough. Bake for 13 minutes.

Whether you’re looking to feed your stomach or fuel your brain, there are many foods and ingredients that come with benefits. From loads of antioxidants to natural energy boosters, plenty of items allow you to indulge in Mother Nature’s deliciousness. Below you will find a collection of desserts and beverages that let you to tap into the healing and healthy power of food.

Nuts: Overall, nuts are loaded with essential fatty acids like Omega-3s, and depending on the kinds you eat, there are other advantages to gain. Nuts also make delicious toppings for any of your favorite dessert recipes.

Cashews are high in magnesium, which provide an increase of oxygen-rich blood to your brain. Your brain function becomes enhanced when you eat foods that contain choline, and pecans can provide you with this essential nutrient. Almonds not only provide brainpower, but also help to stabilize your mood. You can think more clearly and stay focused when eating walnuts packed with Omega-3s.

Suggested Desserts: Cashew Coconut Pudding, Almond Bars, Walnut Balls, Maple Pecan Pie

Raw Carrots: We’ve all heard that carrots are beneficial to the eyes, but the raw vegetable also delivers a steady level of blood sugar that caters to the brain. A couple of ways to incorporate raw carrots into your sweet treats is to shave the vegetable as a fresh topping for Carrot Cake, Carrot Bars, and Carrot Muffins.

Berries: Fueling your brain with energy, berries are high in complex carbohydrates and possess their own health factors depending on the variety. Blackberries are packed with stress-preventing anthocyanins that work towards calming your brain during tension-filled situations. The antioxidants found in strawberries can boost your cognitive functioning. Cranberries have a high concentration of antioxidants that contributes to preventing brain cell damage associated with free radicals. The antioxidants in blueberries have been proven to lower your risk of developing Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Suggested Desserts: Blackberry Pie, Strawberry Tarts, Cranberry Squares, Blueberry Muffins, Raspberry Trifle, Berry Cobbler, Berries and Cream, Berry Crumb Cake

Yogurt: You can improve your neurotransmitters with yogurt, as well as gain calcium, phosphorus, riboflavin and iodine. Get your fill of this low-calorie ingredient by making Berry Parfaits, Yogurt Cake, Yogurt Pops, and Frozen Greek Yogurt.

Oatmeal: Apple Crisp topped with oatmeal or a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies delivers a boost in energy, as well as promotes better memory. The low-calorie raisins in the cookies also serve as a high-energy ingredient packed with antioxidants.

Bananas: Banana cream pie sounds even better when you learn that bananas possess a decent source of antioxidants and potassium. Other dessert ideas include Banana Bread and Banana Pudding.

Dark Chocolate: The possibilities are endless when you think of all the desserts that include dark chocolate. Not only can you actually stop cravings with a small bar, but also receive a burst of healthy antioxidants. Consider dipping pretzels and frozen bananas and into melted dark chocolate for a tasty sweet treat.

Watermelon: Watermelon is a low-calorie treat that increases energy levels and provides the body with nutrients. Perfect for warm weather days, consider transforming your watermelon slices into a Watermelon Cooler – often made with fresh lime juice.

Hot Cocoa: An intense surge of antioxidants comes when you drink a steaming cup of hot chocolate made with pure cocoa powder.

Peppermint Tea: Enhance your productivity with peppermint tea, which increases your focus and performance.

Green Tea: To relax your mind and jumpstart mental alertness, consume green tea with honey or drink an ice-cold glass with a sprig of mint.

Coffee: The caffeine found in a cup of coffee is known to encourage improved short-term memory when consumed in moderation.

There can be no more flavourful combination worthy of tickling your taste-buds than the classic pairing of peanut butter and chocolate. It is, in a word, perfection, and the very thought of such a wonderful partnership is enough to make your mouth water with anticipation.

So how can we get this delightful culinary treat on the go, short of grabbing a spoonful of peanut butter, slathering it in chocolate sauce and running out the door? Why, with the compactness of a cookie of course! Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip cookies – the salvation of any desperate sweet tooth. This handy little recipe, compliments of Easy-Cookies.com.

The Things You’ll Need:

Courtesy of SanFranAnnie

1/2 cup butter (softened or melted)
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup peanut butter (the creamier, the better)
2 eggs and 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (but nobody will scold you if you throw in a bit extra)

The Things You’ll Need to Do:

1. Preheat your oven to 350F.
2. Mix together butter, both sugars, salt and peanut butter (mmm!)
3. Add in the eggs (beaten), vanilla, flour and baking soda.
4. (The best part!) Add in the chocolate chips.
5. Roll the dough into generous dollops and place onto a greased cookie sheet, making sure to space them evenly apart.
6. Flatten, either with the palm of your hand, a spoon, or the bottom of a glass.
7. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
8. Hey presto! Allow to cool, and you’re done!  Easy as pie, but delicious like a cookie!

The Holiday season is here! So, we thought it would be a good idea to feature a few delicious cinnamon dessert recipes! We’ll start with Cinnamon Galaxy Cookies!

Yield: Approximately 2 dozen cookies

photo courtesy of lovenbake.com

Ingredients:
- 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup Love’n Bake™ Cinnamon Schmear
- Granulated sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Grease two baking sheets or line them with parchment paper.
2. Cream the butter and the 1 cup of sugar in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle until lightened. Scrape the bowl then beat in the egg and vanilla. Scrape the bowl then add the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix on low speed until combined.
3. Scrape the dough into a uniform ball. Drop the Love’n Bake™ Schmear in 5 large spoonfuls on the surface of the dough. Marble the Schmear through the dough by running the mixer for a few seconds. (Overmixing will blend the Schmear into the dough, and you will not have the visible swirl in the baked cookies.)
4. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate until firm, at least one hour up to three days.
5. Sprinkle some granulated sugar out onto a flat plate. Divide the dough into generous tablespoon-sized portions. Roll each piece of dough into a ball and then roll it in the granulated sugar.
6. Place the balls of dough spaced two inches apart on the baking sheets. Twelve cookies per sheet works well. Press each ball of dough with the bottom of a glass to flatted them.
7. Bake the cookies until they are lightly browned, approximately 10 to 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool on a wire rack.

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About: This recipe is courtesy of American Almond Products Company. Since 1924, American Almond Products Company has been crafting artisan-quality specialty nut ingredients for professional bakers, pastry chefs and chocolatiers. They recently created Love’n Bake™ to introduce home cooks to their products –all-natural almond paste, marzipan and hazelnut praline as well as its ready-to-use almond, chocolate and cinnamon Schmear™ fillings. The secret ingredient of professional bakers, Love’n Bake™ has been featured in the N.Y. Times, Food and Wine Magazine and newspapers nationwide. (In November, readers of O Magazine were treated to a Chocolate Pistachio Pie made with Love’n Bake™.)

Thank you all for participating to our Kookie Stationery Giveaway. As always, it’s been fun reading your comments! Now it’s time to choose some winners! We used random.org to choose 3 random numbers. Here we go:

The winners are… comments no:

28
73
48

Timestamp: 2009-11-14 08:08:44 UTC

Congratulations, Tonya, Nancy S. and Jessica Rogers!! To claim your Turkey cookie, please respond to our e-mail. If we don’t hear back from you within 2 days, other name(s) will be chosen.

Thanks again, my dear readers!