Gingerbread Cookies
1/2 cup Butter or margarine
1/2 cup Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 Egg
1/2 cup Molasses
1 tablespoon Vinegar
3 cups All-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon Baking soda
2 teaspoons Ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon Ground cinnamon

Cream together margarine, sugar, and salt. Stir in egg, molasses and vinegar. Add remaining ingredients. Chill 3-4 hours. Roll out 1/8" thick on lightly floured board. Place 1" apart on greased cookie sheet. Bake 375º about 8 minutes. Cool before removing from cookie sheets.

Angel Fingers
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.

Forget Cookies
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.

Fun Cookie Cups
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.

Fun Confetti Cookies
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.

Oatmeal Pecan Cookies
You can add in a 1/2 cup of: semisweet chocolate chips, raisins, dried cherries, or toffee bits for some different options.

3 cups old fashioned oatmeal (not quick)
1 cup self-rising flour (or 1 cup all-purpose flour + 1/2 tsp baking soda + dash salt)
3/4 cup shortening (I use Crisco)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup water
2 1/2 tablespoons molasses (or dark corn syrup)
1 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Mix together oatmeal, flour and pecans 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 spoonful onto greased cookie sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes.

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies
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.

Ye Olde Fashioned Sugar Cookies
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

Cream Cheese Squares
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.

Chocolate Caramel Turtles
These sweets ought to fill that sweet tooth so much you'll 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.

Wedding Cookies
I forgot to toast the almonds in this the first time I made it, so I had to bake the cookies about 5 to 7 minutes longer than what the recipe stated. The kids gave this a thumbs up, and my hubby Paul said that they "didn't suck."

1 cup butter (no substitutions), softened
1/2 cup granulated (not smack-u-lated) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup ground almonds (about 3 oz.), preferably toasted
1 cup powdered sugar

Cream together butter, (granulated, not smack-u-lated) sugar, and vanilla. Gradually add flour; mix well. Stir in the almonds. Shape into 1-inch balls; place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 300º for 18-20 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Cool on wire racks. Gently roll cooled cookies in powdered sugar.

Pecan Crisps
This is my mother-in-law, Genevieve's recipe. She made these for our 1999 Christmas Eve shin-dig, and I had to get the recipe!

2 cups self-rising flour
1 cup sugar
1 3/4 sticks of butter or margarine
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 egg (separated)
Lots of pecans - chopped

Cream sugar and butter together. Add in egg yolk. Add dry ingredients and pat in a pan. This makes a stiff dough. Top with pecans. Brush top with the egg white. Bake at 350º for 20 or 25 minutes; cut immediately while cookie is warm. Gen suggests cutting in squares, triangles, or your own design.

Preacher Cookies
Yield is 46 cookies. Note: a rolling boil is a boil you cannot stir down.

2 cups sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup butter, or margarine
3 cups Quick one-minute oats

Mix butter, sugar, cocoa, and milk in a large sauce pan. Bring to a rolling boil and cook for 2 minutes, and then remove from heat and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla. Next, stir in the oatmeal.

Stir for 1-2 minutes and then drop by teaspoonful onto wax paper. Let set until cooled and then remove and store in airtight container.

Marbled Brownies
This is a great dessert to take to a party; it looks hard, but I whipped it up in no time!

1 (20.5-oz.) package brownie mix
1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (use whichever size you have)

Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare brownie mix as directed on package. Pour into 9x13-inch baking pan that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Beat cream cheese and sugar in small bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Pour cheese mixture over brownie mixture; cut through batter with knife for marble effect.

Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake 35 minutes or until cream cheese mixture is lightly browned. Cool; cut into squares.

Snickerdoodles
This is a big time favorite at my house! I use White Lily® brand flour. Once I used another brand and my cookies turned out totally flat!
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening (MUST use Crisco™!!!)
2 eggs
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Cinnamon sugar, optional

Heat oven to 400º. Mix 1 1/2 cups sugar, the margarine, shortening, and eggs. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Place the dough in the freezer (bowl and all!) for about 10-15 minutes to firm up the dough and to let it "rest". Next, shape dough by rounded teaspoonfuls into balls. Mix 2 tablespoons powdered sugar and the cinnamon; roll balls in mixture to coat. Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until set, 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately remove from cookie sheet; sprinkle with cinnamon sugar (if desired).