It is cookie making time!

This was a different Christmas season. With Jim's cancer diagnosis in early December, I did absolutely NO BAKING! That is totally out of character for me as I usually have cookies, candy and other treats coming out of the kitchen almost every evening leading up to Christmas. If it were not for the generous baking gifts of friends and family we would not have had any Christmas goodies to eat this year. Needless to say they are all gone now and I needed to stock up on some treats. I have a couple favorite cookie recipes that I made between yesterday afternoon and today. I made double batches of each cookie, leaving a few out but putting most away in the freezer for consumption at a later time.

The first cookie recipe I'm going to share is one that I've been making for many years. It is the only chocolate chip cookie that I make for the family now.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies
(from www.patrywiz.com)

Yield: 3 dozen cookies (using a medium scoop)

¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter or margarine, softened (I use Smart Balance)
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
2 cups whole wheat flour
½ cup oatmeal (I added this)
¼ cup wheat germ (I added this)
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 pkg (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups) (I use ¾ cup dark choc chips)
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts (if desired)

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix sugars, butter, vanilla and egg in a large bowl. Stir in flour, oatmeal, wheat germ, baking soda and salt. Add in chocolate chips and nuts if desired.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoons about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown (centers will be soft). Cool slightly; remove from pan and put on wire rack.

This is the mixed up cookie dough.

I use Ghiradelli dark chocolate chips for most of my chocolate baking needs.

The cookie scoop makes nice rounded balls of dough.

Make sure you smash the dough balls. I use a sandwich bag that I put my hand into.

The finished product! YUM..YUM!

I get three dozen delicious cookies out of this recipe.

I found the following recipe in October of 2009 and have made in several times since. As indicated by the many pumpkin recipes that I routinely make ----I love pumpkin!

Oatmeal-Pumpkin Cookies
(from Iowa State University Extension Office – 10/09 Newsletter)

Yield: 4 doz (med scoop) or 6 doz (small scoop)

1 ¾ cup pumpkin puree (1 - 15 oz can is perfect)
1 ½ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
1 ½ cup all-purpose flour (I use half white and half whole wheat flours)
2 ½ cup quick oats, dry
1 Tbsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp salt
1 cup raisins or cranraisins
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix pumpkin, brown sugar, eggs and oil thoroughly. Blend dry ingredients and add to pumpkin mixture. Add raisins and nuts, if desired. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes until golden brown.

This is the mixed up dough.

Here is the fnished product!

These cookies are not real sweet but the pumpkin and cranberries compliment each other very nicely.

I frequently freeze cookies. Sometimes I put them into Tupperware containers with waxed paper between the layers. Other times I package them in sandwich bags (3-4 per bag) and then put the sandwich bags into a freezer bag. They keep very nicely for several months.