This is my Mom's recipe; she used to make these delicate cookies almost every Christmas and now I make them every Christmas and my kids leave no delicious survivors!

2 cups sifted cake flour
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) butter or margarine
8 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Iced water, spoon by teaspoonfuls until the ingredients hold together (from 2 to 4 teaspoons)

Preheat oven to 275F. Mix everything. Roll out into finger shapes (or balls, if you prefer); bake 20 minutes or until golden brown. Roll in powdered sugar.

This is a wonderful Italian cookie/candy. Paul and I were living in Florida and I was working at David's Bridal shop at one of the malls down there, and the seamstress gave me the recipe for this.

2/3 cup powdered sugar
2 egg whites
1 cup miniature chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 300F. Beat egg whites, adding sugar gradually. When stiff peaks form, fold in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by bite-sized mounds to greased cookie sheet. Place cookies into oven and bake for 25 minutes until lightly browned. Let them completely cool before you remove them from the pan.

A lady I met online shared this recipe with me and my kids (me too!) love it! Another fun idea is to put food coloring into the cups

20-ounce package refrigerator sugar cookie dough (or you can use your Momma's sugar cookie recipe)
Non-stick spray

Freeze dough for at least one hour or until firm, then preheat oven to 350F.

Turn a muffin pan upside down, and spray the outside of each cup with non-stick spray. Evenly cut dough into 1/2-inch thick slices and place one slice of cookie dough on top of each inverted cup. Bake 11-13 minutes or until golden brown. Dough will bake around cup. Cool 5 minutes and then gently remove.

Fill cookie cups with fresh fruit, ice cream, pudding, or boogers depending on you or your kids' taste.

This is an excellent recipe for munchkin parties!

1 package polka-dotted cake mix
1/3 cup oil
2 eggs
1/2 can vanilla frosting

Preheat oven to 370F. In large bowl, combine cake mix, oil and eggs; stir by hand until thoroughly moistened. Stir in candy bits from cake mix. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. With bottom of glass dipped in flour, flatten to 1/4-inch thickness.

Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet. Spread frosting over warm cookies. Immediately sprinkle each with candy bits from frosting.

My kids like to help me make these. Sometimes I'll add about 1/2 cup of semisweet chocolate chips, or 1/2 cup of toffee bits to make these cookies more interesting. Just check the cupboard and see what you have!

3 cups old fashioned oatmeal (not quick)
1 cup self-rising flour
3/4 cup shortening (I use Crisco")
1 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix together oatmeal and flour and set aside. Mix together rest of ingredients and beat until creamy.

Add oatmeal mixture to wet mixture and stir until everything is wet. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes.

When I'm in a hurry to make these cookies, I cheat like there is no tomorrow. Why spend the time making the cookie when there's a tube of peanut butter cookie dough fresh and available in your grocer's cooler? Just roll dough into small 1 1/2-inch balls, roll in sugar and place on ungreased cookie sheet.

48 chocolate kisses unwrapped (9-ounce bag; also try mini peanut butter cups)
1 (18-ounce) jar creamy peanut butter
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
** OR ** 1 Tube of peanut butter cookie dough

Preheat oven to 350F.

If you're making the peanut butter cookie, here's the cookie recipe: In medium size bowl, combine peanut butter, sugar, and eggs. The dough will be slightly sticky, so you will need to dust your work area thickly with flour and then flour your hands, face, dog, and just about everything else. Next, roll mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls and place them 1 1/2-inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

If you're using the store-bought cookie dough, roll into balls as described above, however, you won't need as much flour or the dog.

Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until cookies look dry with tops crackled. Remove from oven and immediately press a chocolate kiss in the center of each. Cool on cookie sheet, and then remove to cool completely.

For chocolate sugar cookies, add 2 squares of unsweetened chocolate, melted, just before adding flour mixture and milk. For butterscotch sugar cookies, substitute 2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar for the sugar.

2 cups sifted self-rising flour
1/2 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon sugar

Preheat oven to 400F.

Cream together butter and sugar; add egg and beat until smooth and fluffy. Stir in vanilla and milk.

Add flour and blend thoroughly. Chill cookie dough about an hour - until it's easy to handle. Roll out half of dough at a time. You can either roll it into a roll and cut 1/4-inch slices or roll out to 1/4-inch thickness on lightly floured board and cut cookies with cookie cutter. Place cookies on lightly greased cookie sheet and sprinkle with regular sugar, dry Jell-O mix, cinnamon, colored sugar, or whatever floats your boat. Bake 6 to 10 minutes. Remove cookies and cool.

Eat with reckless abandon

This recipe was give to me by a lady I worked with. She hated my guts, but was as sweet as this recipe is to my face.

1 box butter cake mix
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 egg
1 stick butter or margarine, softened
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 box powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix together first 4 ingredients, keeping in mind that mixture will be stiff. Pat into 9x13-inch pan. Mix last 4 ingredients and spread on cake mixture. Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until top browns slightly.

While technically cookies, these sweets ought to fill that sweet tooth enough to need a root canal. Makes 3 dozen.

16 ounce package of caramels
2 tablespoons water
3/4 pound pecan halves
6 ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chips

Combine caramels and water in a saucepan. Stir until all caramels are melted. Arrange 36 groups of pecans 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Drop melted caramel by teaspoons on top of nuts. Cool. Melt chocolate chips and frost top of each turtle.

This is a great idea to get the younguns to eat your bananas!

1-1/2 cups chocolate wafer cookies crumbs (about 30 wafers)
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons margarine or butter (melted)
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup chocolate flavor syrup
2 small ripe bananas (smashed)
2 cups (1 pint) whipping cream (whipped)

Line 9x5-inch loaf pan with aluminum foil, extending foil above sides of pan; butter foil. Combine wafer crumbs, sugar and margarine; press firmly on bottom and halfway up sides of prepared loaf pan. In a large bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, syrup and bananas; mix well. Fold in whipped cream. Pour into prepared pan; cover. Freeze 6 hours or until firm. To serve, remove from pan; peel off foil. Garnish as you desire; slice. Return leftovers (if any) to the freezer.