Best Cookie Recipes

* 1 cup butter, softened
* 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
* 1 cup white sugar
* 1 egg yolk
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease cookie sheets.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter, cream cheese, and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla. Stir in flour until well blended. Drop dough by spoonfuls or make into small ball shapes. If using floral cookie press design, make an indentation in the center with a thimble, fill with preserves, or press candy into center.
3. Bake for 15 minutes in preheated oven. Cookies should be pale.

* 1 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough
* 1 pound chopped nuts
* 1 cup butter (do NOT substitute )
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 cup water
* 1 cup white sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/2 cup honey

DIRECTIONS - ( Don't be intimidated by this recipe...it's really quite easy & REALLY delicious.)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F(175 degrees C). Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9x13 inch pan.
2. Chop nuts and toss with cinnamon. Set aside. Unroll phyllo dough. Cut whole stack in half to fit pan. Cover phyllo with a dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work. Place two sheets of dough in pan, butter thoroughly. Repeat until you have 8 sheets layered. Sprinkle 2 - 3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top. Top with two sheets of dough, butter, nuts, layering as you go. The top layer should be about 6 - 8 sheets deep.
3. Using a sharp knife cut into diamond or square shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan. You may cut into 4 long rows the make diagonal cuts. Bake for about 50 minutes until baklava is golden and crisp.
4. Make sauce while baklava is baking. Boil sugar and water until sugar is melted. Add vanilla and honey. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
5. Remove baklava from oven and immediately spoon sauce over it. Let cool. Serve in cupcake papers. This freezes well. Leave it uncovered as it gets soggy if it is wrapped up.

* 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
* 2/3 cup dark corn syrup
* 1 teaspoon ginger
* 1 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
* 2/3 cup butter
* 1 egg
* 4 cups flours

DIRECTIONS

1. Put sugar, syrup, spices and salt in a large saucepan ( mix cookies in saucepan) bring to a boil.
2. Add soda and butter; stir until butter melts.
3. Quickly stir in egg, then add flour, mix well.
4. Chill until firm enough to roll, then roll on lightly floured surface to about 1/4" thickness.
5. Cut in shapes.
6. Bake on parchment paper in preheated 325 degrees F. oven about 15 mins.
7. Cool on racks.
8. Decorate with frosting, using pastry tube with fine point.
9. Makes about 36 five inch cookies.

Frosting
1 egg white
1 cup plus 2 to 3 Tablespoons powdered sugar

In a small bowl of mixer, beat the above until smooth enough to squeeze through a pastry tube for decorating ** add more powdered sugar if necessary.

If you are a person who enjoys Turtle Chocolates, then you won't be able to resist Turtle Brownies. The words decadent and delicious immediately come to mind when describing these fudgy brownies that are covered with smooth caramel that is mixed with toasted pecans and then topped with a nice drizzling of melted chocolate.

The brownies are made with unsweetened chocolate which gives them a deep chocolate flavour. Unsweetened chocolate is chocolate in its rawest form which means it does not contain sugar so that is why this recipe uses more sugar than brownie recipes that contain semi sweet chocolate. You can buy unsweetened chocolate in an 8 ounce box of individually wrapped one-ounce squares at your local grocery store.

Once you bake the brownie layer, the next step is to make the caramel. I offer you two ways to do this; one is to simply melt store bought caramels (Kraft are my favorite) with a little heavy cream. The second way is to make your own caramel sauce. If you decide to make your own caramel, it is important to cook the sauce only until it is a golden caramel colour. While you should not stir the sauce once it boils, it is a good idea to swirl the pan as the sauce starts to colour so the caramel cooks evenly. But be careful not to overcook it or you will find the caramel will taste burnt.

This recipe makes a large batch (9 x 13 inch pan) which makes enough for a large gathering or to take to a bake sale. You can store the brownies in the refrigerator for about 10 days, or you could even freeze them for longer storage.

BROWNIES:

3 ounces (90 grams) unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) (170 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

3 large eggs

1/2 cup (105 grams) light brown sugar

1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (90 grams) all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

CARAMEL TOPPING:

40 Kraft caramels (10 ounces) (280 grams), unwrapped

1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream

2 cups (200 grams) pecan halves, toasted

or

HOMEMADE CARAMEL TOPPING:

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (225 grams) granulated white sugar

1/2 cup (120 ml) light corn syrup

5 tablespoons water

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 cups (200 grams) pecan halves, toasted

GANACHE TOPPING:

2 ounces (55 grams) semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven. Butter, or spray with a non stick vegetable spray, a 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 cm) rectangular baking pan.

BROWNIES: Melt the chopped chocolate and butter in a stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from heat and set aside while you make the brownie batter.

Meanwhile, in the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the eggs and sugars until smooth. Beat in the vanilla extract and then the melted chocolate mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and, on low speed, beat in the flour and salt.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 20 minutes, or just until the brownies are barely firm to the touch. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack.

CARAMEL: Place the unwrapped caramels and cream in a saucepan and melt, over low heat (stirring frequently), until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the toasted pecans, making sure all the pecans are coated with caramel. Spread the caramel topping evenly over the still warm brownies and let cool to room temperature. Then cover and refrigerate brownies for about an hour or until the brownies are firm.

If making Homemade Caramel Topping: In a three quart heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt. Over medium heat, stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a boil. Once it boils, stop stirring, and cook the mixture until it turns a golden caramel color, about 10 - 12 minutes. (Swirl the pan as needed so the caramel cooks evenly.) Remove from heat and carefully add the cream and vanilla (the mixture will sputter and steam so be careful). Stir in the pecans and immediately pour over the still warm brownie layer, spreading evenly. Let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate brownies for about an hour or until the brownies are firm.

GANACHE: Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat (alternatively, heat the cream in the microwave). Bring just to a boil. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir with a whisk until smooth.

Remove the brownies from the refrigerator and, using a fork, drizzle the Ganache over the brownies in a zigzag pattern. Cover and refrigerate until the chocolate is set. Using a sharp knife, cut the brownies into 48 bars.

Store, covered, in the refrigerator for 7 to 10 days, or in the freezer for longer storage.

Makes about 48 brownies.

Note: To toast pecans - Bake in a 350 degree F (177 degree C) oven for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant.

* 1/4 cup margarine
* 1/2 cup butter
* 1 cup white sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1 teaspoon lemon extract
* 2 1/2 cups flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F
2. Mix thoroughly butter, sugar, eggs and extract.
3. Blend in flour baking powder and salt.
4. Cover and chill.
5. Roll dough 1/4" thick on lightly floured cloth-covered board or ROLL THE DOUGH OUT DIRECTLY ON THE PARCHMENT-LINED COOKIE SHEET.
6. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutter.
7. Place on un-greased baking sheet.
8. Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until very light brown.
9. Sprinkle with colored sugar while still hot.