BERRY-GLAZED Cookie bites...

SOFT SUGAR COOKIES

WITH FRESH STRAWBERRY (OR BLUEBERRY)

GLAZE

SOFT SUGAR COOKIES

These cookies look about as cute as an Easter bunny rolled over in glitter while holding sparklers. These little guys look delicious and with a berry glaze are sure to pack a two fisted punch with sweet sugar cookie + berrylicious glaze. As you eat these Lady Gaga's of the cookie world you can savor each bite (raw meat not required).

A Bad Romance... of FLAVOR.

INGREDIENTS:

5 oz. Unsalted butter, room temperature (1/2 Cup + 2 Tbl)

3 oz. Butter-flavored shortening (1/4 Cup + 2 Tbl)

1C. Granulated sugar

1C. Brown sugar, packed

2 large Eggs, room temperature

2 oz. Sour cream, room temperature (1/4 Cup)

1 1/2 tsp. Pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. Pure almond extract

4C. All-purpose flour

1 tsp. Baking soda

1/2 tsp. Salt

DIRECTIONS:

PreHeat Oven to 350 F Degrees. 

1. Cream together in a large bowl until combined (it will still look a little lumpy).

2. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar to butter mixture and cream until light and fluffy.

3. Add eggs, sour cream, vanilla and almond extract to the mixture and mix until combined.

4. In a medium bowl sift together flour, baking soda and salt, then add to the butter mixture in 3 batches, mixing well after each addition. 

5. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

6. Scoop 1 Tablespoonful onto cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart. 

àBake for 10-12 minutes, the bottom edges should just start to brown.

Remove from oven.  Leave on cookie sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to cooling racks to cool completely.

FRESH STRAWBERRY/BLUEBERRY GLAZE

2C. Powdered sugar, sifted

4 Tbl. Fresh strawberry/blueberry puree (hull and slice strawberries, puree until no chunks remain)

àWhisk together in a medium bowl.  Dunk or drizzle over cooled cookies.

Recipe sent in by Jane G. and can be found on Yelp.com as she tells you the places your stomach is beggin to go... 

Peanut Butter Bars... the non alcoholic kind

PEANUT BUTTER BAR
You may not be hung-over from this kind of bar hop, but these cookies are soo easy that you may want to make them while you pre-game. Five ingredients never combined so good. This cookie is definitely a winner in my cookie swap. Better yet - No oven! And who needs an oven when you living on the Islands.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Peanut Butter  

2 cups confectioner's sugar

1 cup Butter                

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

DIRECTIONS:
1. Melt Peanut butter and butter together in microwave.
2. Combine with sugar and crumbs.
3. Put into 9"x13" pan and cool in fridge for 10 mins.

THEN

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 tbsp peanut butter

4. Melt chocolate + peanut butter together in double broiler.

5. Spread evenly over crumb mixture.

Cool in fridge for one hour or put them in the freezer for a few hours to make them harder. 

You can follow Ka'ili H. as she reviews her way across the world @ svedkaloveskaili.yelp.com

GingerSnap... whaaaa?

GINGERSNAP
 
Sweet, chewy, nearly gooey - these 'snaps will having you eating them three at a time and with your favorite Creme Brulee coffee concoction you will be in Molasses heaven.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup Packed Brown Sugar

3/4  Cup Shortening (preferably butter flavored Crisco)

1/4 Cup Molasses (Brer Rabbit brand, full flavor)

1 Large Egg

2  1/4  Cups All Purpose Flour (unbleached)

2 Teaspoons Baking Soda

1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1 Teaspoon Ground Ginger

1/2  Teaspoon Ground Cloves

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

Granulated Sugar (apx 3/4  cup)

DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
1. Lightly grease cookie sheet with shortening or spray with cooking spray or use parchment paper.
2. In large bowl, beat brown sugar, shortening, molasses & egg with electric mixer on medium speed.
3. Stir in remaining ingredients except Granulated Sugar.
4. Shape dough by rounded teaspoon full into balls (I use a 1 inch scooper).
5. Dip tops into granulated sugar. Place balls on cookie sheet, sugar side up, about 3 inches apart.

Bake 10-12 minutes or just until set. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack to prevent condensation beneath the cookies.

Recipe from Derek G. who's digital opinions can be followed on twitter @dsghi

Checkerboard Cookies ...

CHECKERBOARD COOKIES

Definitely a cookie for the professional in all of us, the Checkerboard cookie is a meshing of three different cookies, married into one amazing looking, but time extensive cookie.

You start off with two different cookie doughs. The second dough, Short Dough is then cut into two and cocoa is added to half, to form a third, cocoa cookie.

Vanilla Butter Cookies

Ingredients

1 pound + 11 ounces of unsalted butter at room temperature

1 tsp of vanilla extract

10 ounces of powdered sugar

2 pounds + 3 ounces of bread flour

Directions

1. Using the dough hook at low to medium speed, mix the butter, vanilla, sugar, and flour to make a smooth dough.

2. Place the dough on a paper-lined sheet pan.

3. Press the dough as flat as possible

4. Cover and refrigerate.

Short Dough

Ingredients

12 ounces of granulated sugar

1 pound + 12 ounces of unsalted butter at room temperature

2 eggs

2 tsp of vanilla extract

2 pounds + 2 ounces of bread flour

Directions

1. Place the sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla in a mixer’s bowl. Mix on low speed using the dough hook, just until the ingredients are combined.

2. Sift the flour with the cocoa powder.

3. Add to the dough and mix only until smooth.

4. Place the dough on a paper-lined sheet pan.

5. Press the dough as flat as possible

6. Cover and refrigerate.

CHECKERBOARD COOKIES:

1 batch of Vanilla Butter Dough

1 batch of Short Dough

1 ounce unsweetened cocoa powder

egg wash (1 egg white)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F.

1. Divide the Short Dough in half.

2. Mix the cocoa powder into one half of the Short Dough to make a Chocolate Short Dough.

3. Chill the dough until it is firm enough to work with.

4. Roll out the plain Short Dough and the Chocolate Short Dough into rectangles of equal size 5/8 inch thick.

5. Brush egg wash on the Chocolate Short Dough and place the plain Short Dough on top.

6. Refrigerate until firm.

7. Cut the layered Short Dough rectangle into 5/8 inch thick strips.

8. Lay half of the strips on their sides, brush with egg wash.

9. Arrange the remaining strips on top of the egg-washed strips. Stack them so that they form a checkerboard pattern.

10. Refrigerate until firm.

11. Roll out the Vanilla Butter Cookie dough to 1/8 inch thick and the same length as the checkerboard strips.

12. Brush with egg wash.

13. Place the stacked cookie strips on top of the egg-washed Vanilla Butter Cookie dough.

14. Refrigerate until firm.

15. Slice and bake at 375°F for 15 minutes and rotating half way.

This extensive recipe was sent in by Artie T. who is found on Yelp @ artie808.yelp.com

BACON, makes the world go around...

CHOCOBACON Chip Cookies


You add bacon to anything and ninety-nine percent of the time, you will have something pretty damn tasty. It it one of the universal ingredients that can save any dish, it is a culinary juggernaut that is found in the best of dishes. So why not add it to the cookie classic and twist up you memories of enjoying chocolate chip cookies. You mom probably didn't let you have chocolate chip cookies for breakfast, but now that you're all grow'd up, you can have a little breakfast for cookies. I use Maple Bacon to add to that breakfast feel when you bite into two of you childhood favorites - home cooked Saturday morning breakfast and home-baked cookies. 

CHOCOBACON CHIP COOKIES

Ingredients

Chocochips with Bacon bites!

3/4 cups Butter (1 + 1/2  stick of butter)

1/4 cup rendered Bacon fat

2 1/4 cups Flour

1 tsp Kosher Salt

1 tsp Baking Soda

1/4 cup Sugar

1 1/4 cups Dark Brown Sugar

1 egg + 1 egg yolk

2 tbsp Milk

1 1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

1 1/2 cups Chocolate Chips

1 1/4 cups cooked maple bacon diced 
into tiny delicious bites

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.



2. Cook your bacon to crispy deliciousness and save the bacon fat.

3. Add 1/4 cup of the bacon fat (there may be more left behind, but try to refrain from adding it all) to a saucepan and mix with 3/4 cups of butter and let it melt, mingle and marinade.

While you let the butter and bacon love melt together

4. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.



5. Pour the melted “baconbutter” into a mixer's work bowl.

6. Add the sugar and brown sugar and cream the butter and sugars on low ‘stir’ speed.

7. Add the egg + yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.

8. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined.

9. Stir in the chocolate chips.


10. Stir in the bacon bits.


11. Chill the dough in the fridge.

12. Scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets.

13. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies at 8 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Now that you're all big boy (or girl), you are free to do what you want; And for me, a plate of these with a grande caramel flavored, soy coffee sounds like an amazing start to that work day at that big boy career.

Recipe added by Esteban W. Yelper @ thesandiegan.yelp.com or do the tweet thing @sdca2hnlhi

Iced Pumpkin Spice Cookies

ICED PUMPKIN SPICE COOKIES

ICING:

• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 Tbsp milk
• 1 Tbsp melted butter

• 1 tsp vanilla extract



Photo from allrecipes.com



COOKIES:

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg   
• ½ tsp ground cloves

• ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup butter, softened
• 1 ½ cups white sugar

• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 egg    

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:



1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, cream together the ½ cup of butter and white sugar.



4. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy.

5. Mix in dry ingredients.

6. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.

7. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven.





Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.

To Make Icing:

1. Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.

2. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.

Added by Nicole B. whos at Yelp.com and her reviews will make your taste buds 'achieve a drizzling consistency'... check her out @ .yelp.com



OREO + CHEESECAKE = AWESOME COOKIES

OREO CheeseCake Cookies


Prep Time 10 Minutes
Cook Time 12 Minutes

Servings 20
Ingredients: 
1/2 cups Unsalted Butter, Softened
3 ounces, weight Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 cup All-purpose Flour
1/2 cups Mini Chocolate Chips
1 cup Oreo Cookie Crumbs
1/2 cups White Chocolate Chips, Melted (optional)
Preparation Instructions1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and cream cheese using a hand mixer until they are well combined.
3. Add the sugar and vanilla and mix until ingredients are well combined. 
4. Add the flour and mix on low until the flour is incorporated. 
5. Stir in the mini chocolate chips.
6. Scoop the dough into 1 balls (I used a scoop to insure all measured the same) and roll in Oreo cookie crumbs so cookie is covered. 
7. Place covered cookie balls onto the prepared baking sheet. 
8. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the tops are slightly puffed.

Cool on the pan for two minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. 
Once cool, drizzle cookies with melted white chocolate. 


Enjoy it with some hot cocoa or cold milk!


No joke we're going to be enjoying these with no matter what we drink.
Mahalos to Racquel "Kel" S. whose not only an amazing cookie creator but shares her love of food to the world on Yelp.com   she can be found @ racquels.yelp.com