Easy Sugar Cookies

These are a must for any cookie baker. These you can bake as a ball or roll it out into shaped cookies. This recipe is for regular drop cookies.

The recipe follows the traditional cookie formula, wet mix then dry mix, then blend.

SUGAR COOKIES

 

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

3 cup all purpose flour

1 egg

1/2 cup oil

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Extra sugar for dipping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combined flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. Set aside

Then, in a mixing bowl, beat the butter until creamy.

Add sugar to the butter and mix.

Next, add egg and the vanilla. Mix until smooth.

Now add the oil. It will have a soupy consistency.

Take the dry mix and add it to the wet mix a little at a time, so not to make a mess while the mixer does it's magic.

Drop the cookie ball into the extra sugar to coat the top.

Then take the cookie balls (sugar side up) and place them 1 inch apart on a prepared cookie sheet.

You can use the bottom of a glass to press down slightly on top of the balls to flatten them to a more uniform shape.

Pop in the oven for 10 minutes.
They will be very light in color and soft on the inside.

 But if you want a crisper cookie leave in for a couple more minutes.

I love the fact that a good chunk of sugar cookie recipes that I have made over the years are not overly sweet, like this one.

Double Peanut Butter Cookies

I've had this recipe for a while now and tweaked a little bit over the years to get the best look and taste. It's a fairly simple recipe.

Double Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened)

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup honey

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

2 cups peanut butter chips

(optional: your choice of chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Use your method of cookie sheet prepping (foil, cooking spray, baking mats, etc.).

Cream the butter until smooth.

Then add the peanut butter, mix until well blended and creamy.

Next, incorporate the sugar and honey, beat well.

Add the egg, then the vanilla extract. Mix until all is smooth.

In another bowl mix the flour, baking soda and powder.

The add the dry with the moist, adding a little at a time.

 

Then finally add the peanut butter chips for a few seconds.

 

Chill for about a half an hour. The dough is thin and will not take long to firm up a little. 

Use a spoon or cookie scoop and put the dough on the cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. You can use the traditional fork method of pressing down the dough.  I just wet my fingers and pressed it down.

Next, if you want, sprinkle mini chocolate chips on top.

Place them in the oven for 9 minutes. Ovens temperatures  do very, so if you know your oven well, adjust accordingly. 

ENJOY!

 With and without the chocolate chips.

Easy Fruit Salad

This fruit salad I make on a weekly basis and I take it in my lunch for work. This is where I get most of my fruit servings for the week.

It is very simple to make, just remember to rinse off your fruit first (if you are eating the skin).

 

Fruit Salad

 

All you need is:

cantaloupe

 red delicious  apples

granny smith apples

red or green grapes

oranges

Quarter the cantaloupe and cut off the skin.

Peel the oranges.

Core the apples.

Then, all you have to do it slice, cut, chop and cube your way through these yummy guys.

Store in an air tight container in the fridge.

A good tip for your apples to not turn brown is to cut them up first and soak them in a bowl of water and a tablespoon of lemon juice. Let it soak until you cut up the rest of your fruit. Ten drain and add to the rest of the fruit.

And I suggest that you drain the orange juice from the cut up oranges (if they are super juicy) so the juice won't completely kill the cantaloupe flavor.

I like to use two different kinds of apples for the contract in sweet and tart.

I usually use a whole cantaloupe to two apples and two oranges with a load of grapes to even out the cantaloupe to rest of fruit ratio.