Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup raisins (I use CRAISINS for extra cranberry oomph, its a nice change!)
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh or frozen cranberries (I use fresh)
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
1 package (12 ounces) vanilla chips

In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda; add to the creamed mixture. Stir in oats, raisins, cranberries and orange peel. Stir in vanilla chips. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto greased baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Cool on wire racks.

Gingerbread People

Ingredients
6 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons ground ginger
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Icing and candies of your choice

Directions
In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the molasses, egg, vanilla and lemon peel. Combine the flour, ginger, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and cloves; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Divide dough in half. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until easy to handle.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out each portion to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 4-in. gingerbread boy cookie cutter. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Reroll scraps.
Bake at 350° for 7-9 minutes or until edges are firm. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. Decorate as desired. Yield: 2-1/2 dozen.

Soft & Spicy Gingerbread Cookies

adapted from allrecipes

Ingredients:
1 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 c. molasses
1 egg
4 c. sifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg

Directions:
-In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth.
-Stir in molasses and egg.
-Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg; blend into the molasses mixture until smooth.
-Cover, and chill for at least one hour.
-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line with parchment.
-On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness.
-Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters.
-Place cookies 2 inches apart on cookie sheets.
-Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until firm.
-Let cool for 10 minutes on pan.
-Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.
-Frost or decorate when cool.

Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:
3/4 c. butter, softened
2/3 c. packed dark brown sugar
a little more than 1 1/2 c. oatmeal
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 c. dried cranberries
2/3 c. white chocolate chips

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment.
-In bowl of stand mixer, combine butter and brown sugar and beat on medium high until light and fluffy in texture and color, about 3 minutes, while you gather other ingredients.
-In large bowl, combine oatmeal, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, stirring to combine.
-To butter and sugar add eggs, one at a time, beating to combine well after each addition, then add vanilla.
-Stop mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl and turn back on lowest setting.
-Add oatmeal mixture, then cranberries and white chocolate, beating just until barely combined.
-Remove bowl from stand mixer and bring over to baking sheets.
-Best way to do this is with your fingers (albeit messy) - pick up loose balls of dough about 2 to 2.5 inches in diameter and place onto baking sheets at least 2 inches apart (I place 11 cookies on each sheet, dividing dough into 22 cookies total).
-If you have leftover cranberries and white chocolatre chips, top cookies with a couple of each.
-Place in preheated oven and bake for exactly 10 minutes.
-Remove from oven, cookies will be slightly golden around edges and middles look a bit underdone.
-Let cool 5 minutes on cookies sheets and then place on wire racks to cool completely before serving.

Oreo Truffles

Oreo Truffles

1 pkg. (1 lb. 2 oz.) Oreo Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, finely crushed, divided
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened
2 pkg. (8 squares each) Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, melted

Mix 3 cups of the cookie crumbs and the cream cheese until well blended. Shape into 42 (1-inch) balls. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Dip balls in melted chocolate; place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet. (Any leftover melted chocolate can be stored in tightly covered container at room temperature and saved for another use.) Sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs.

Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Store any leftover truffles in tightly covered container in refrigerator.

Gingerbread People

Prep Time: 20 min
Total Time: 1 hr 32 min
Makes: 20 servings

What You Need

3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Butterscotch Instant Pudding
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. ground ginger
1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Make It
BEAT butter, sugar, dry pudding mix and egg in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Mix remaining ingredients. Gradually add to pudding mixture, beating well after each addition. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm.

HEAT oven to 350°F. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch-thickness. Cut into gingerbread shapes with 4-inch cookie cutter. Place, 2 inches apart, on greased baking sheets. Use straw to make hole near top of each cutout.

BAKE 10 to 12 min. or until edges are lightly browned. Let stand on baking sheets 3 min. Remove to wire racks; cool completely. Decorate as desired. Insert ribbon through holes to hang cookies on tree.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Mix until well blended:
3 eggs
2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups softened butter (3 sticks)
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin (one can from the store)

Add in:
2 tsp. cinnamon (which I think I used about 3 tsp...I really like cinnamon!)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
4 cups of flour (which I always add more...and you should since you live in Colorado!)
12 ounces of Chocolate Chips (I like the mini chips)

Bake at 375 until golden brown. My mom's recipe says bake for 6-7 minutes...but mine always seem to take longer, like 10 minutes. Just bake them enough so the bottoms aren't mushy!