As the holidays approach, students look for the perfect treat. Here are several cookie recipes as well as our favorite.

White Chocolate Cherry Cookies

Ingredients

1 stick butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts
1/2 cup candied cherries
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chunks

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a medium bowl, with electric mixer, cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until just combined. Set aside. Sift together flour, soda, and salt. Add milk to the butter mixture and then add the flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Batter should be stiff. In another bowl, combine nuts, cherries, and white chocolate. Then add to batter, stirring only to blend. Drop by heaping tablespoons onto a greased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake for approximately 11 to 13 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Almond Snowball Cookies

Ingredients

3/4 cup sliced almond
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Directions

Pulse the almonds and sugar in a food processor until very finely ground. Add the butter and process until smooth for about 1 minute. Scrape the dough off the inside of the bowl, if needed. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and pulse to combine. Add the flour and salt and pulse to make a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a large piece of waxed paper and roll into a log about 15 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut the chilled dough into 1/2-inch pieces and roll by hand into balls. Space the cookies evenly on the prepared baking sheets and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until slightly golden, rotating the sheets once. Put the confectioners’ sugar in a pie plate. Briefly cool the cookies on a rack, then gently toss in the confectioners’ sugar until evenly coated. Return to rack, cool to room temperature, and then toss again in the confectioners’ sugar.

Hershey’s Kisses Peanut Butter Blossoms

Ingredients

48 Hershey’s kisses
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg

2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar

Directions

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until blended. Add 1/3 cup sugar and brown sugar and beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla to mixture. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually beat into peanut butter mixture. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Roll in sugar, then place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately place a chocolate into the center of each cookie, it will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack to cool.

Butter Cookies

Ingredients

1/2 stick butter (unsalted)
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cup cake flour
1/2 tablespoon baking powder

Directions

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Cream sugar and butter until almost white. Add eggs, milk, vanilla and flour in small amounts at a time and continue beating. Shape dough into 1 inch balls and place onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes.

Pecan Graham Cracker Squares

Ingredients

1 box graham crackers
1 cup brown sugar

2 sticks butter (unsalted)
1 1/2 cups crushed pecans

Directions

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Break up graham crackers into squares and lay out completely covering a jelly roll pan. In a saucepan heat brown sugar and butter, boil for about 1 minutes once butter is melted. Pour brown sugar mixture over graham crackers so all are completely covered. Pour crushed pecans over squares. Bake for approximately 10  minutes.

Oops! What went wrong?

Sometimes things don’t bake as planned. Here are some tips to help make the perfect batch of cookies

If cookies stick to the cookie sheet…
•    The cookies were left on cookie sheets too long before removal.
•    The cookie sheets were not greased and the recipe called for greasing.
•    The cookies were under-baked.
•    The cookie sheets are warm or hot before baking.
•    The cookie batter is too warm (hot kitchen).
•    The cookie sheets were not sufficiently cleaned between uses.

If cookies did not spread enough during baking…
•    The cookie dough was over-mixed.
•    The cookie dough was too cold.
•    The oven temperature was too hot.
•    Solid vegetable oil shortening was substituted for butter in the recipe.

If cookies spread too much during baking…
•    The oven temperature was too cold.
•    The cookie sheets were greased too heavily.
•    Diet margarine or vegetable oil spreads were substituted for butter or regular stick margarine
•    Dark brown sugar was used instead of light brown sugar generally called for in recipes.
•    The cookie sheet was still warm when the cookie dough was placed on the sheet.

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