Thursday, July 30, 2009

Cookies for the Troops!



So, as some may know...my Hubby currently serving overseas in Iraq. So, one day, about a month ago, me and my sister-in-law decided to take a day and bake some cookies!! Then we packed them up in tin cans and shipped them out and they were duly devoured! They were very very yummy!

These are the cookies that we made:
  1. Monster Cookies
  2. Welcome to the Neighborhood Cookies (White Chocolate Citrus Cookies)
  3. Chocolate Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies
It took almost all day! Mostly it was the baking part, but there is some assembly! We did have a fun time eating cookies that were already done while waiting for others to bake! haha!

Well, here are the recipes that I used:


~Monster Cookies~
(from Trinity Lutheran Church Cookbook)
6 eggs
2 2/4 c. (1 lb.) brown sugar
2 c. sugar
1/2 tbsp. vanilla
1/2 tbsp. light corn syrup
4 tsp. baking soda
1 c. (2 sticks) butter or margarine
3 3/4 c. (1 1/2 lbs.) peanut butter
9 cups. oatmeal
1 bg. chocolate chips
1/2 - 1 c. butterscotch chips
1 bg. mini M&M's

Mix all ingredients together well. Drop by large spoonfuls on a greased cookies sheet (or use parchment paper). Bake at 350F for 10 min. Take out of oven while still a little puffy. Let sit on tray for 1 min. then transfer to cooling racks. This recipe makes a LOT of cookies! What I have posted here is a half batch!

~White Chocolate Citrus Cookies~
(AkA: Welcome to the Neighborhood Cookies, from 2000 Taste of Home Cookbook)
2 c. (4 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1 c. sugar
1 c. packed brown sugar
2 eggs
4 1/2 c. flour
4-6 tsp. grated orange peel*
2-3 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 pinches ground nutmeg
2 pinches ground cloves
2 pgks. (24 oz.) vanilla chips

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars; beat in eggs. In another bowl, combine the flour, orange peel, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cloves; add to the creamed mixture. Stir in the vanilla chips. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350F for 12-14 min. or until lightly browned. Remove from pan and cool on wire racks. This recipe makes a good amount of cookies, but they do not spread out a lot in the oven and thus are small 2-bite cookies. *Grate the orange while it is still whole, then make some freshly squeezed OJ!

~Chocolate Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies~
(from 2000 Taste of Home Cookbook)
1 c. (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1 c. sugar
1 c. packed brown sugar
2 c. creamy peanut butter, divided
1 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp. vanilla
3 c. flour
1 c. baking cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, sugars add 1/2 c. peanut butter. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Combine flour, cocoa and baking soda; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Remove from mixer. In clean mixing bowl, blend confectioners sugar with remaining peanut butter (1 1/2 c.) until smooth. Roll this mixture into 48 balls, 1 in. each. Divide chocolate dough into 48 pieces; flatten each into a 3 in. circle. (I did this by using a flat bottomed cup with Saran wrap on it.) Place on peanut butter ball on each circle; bring edges over to completely cover it. (Dough may crack; reshape cookies as needed.) Place cookies with seam side down on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten each cookie slightly with a fork dipped in sugar. Bake at 375F for 7-9 min. or until set. Remove from oven and cool on wire racks. This recipe makes a good amount of cookies, about 4 dozen.

Phew!! This is all of the baking that we did in one day! It was well worth it when you are sending them to the hard-working troops overseas! They were all very good cookies, the Monster ones are a hit with kids, and my new favorite are the White Chocolate Citrus Cookies...they have such a different and good flavor!

I hope that you enjoy the cookies and try some for yourself!


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