BEST EVER SUGAR COOKIES from The Dispatch

These are indeed some of the best sugar cookies I've ever baked. The recipe's from The Dispatch. They're made with equal parts shortening and your choice of butter, margarine, or oil, and I used butter. I made half and added 1/4 c. chopped sweetened dried tart cherries but it wasn't enough. I got 18 dough balls using a 1 T./1.5"diameter cookie scoop. My cold dough baked in exactly 9 minutes in my Brevelle oven. I rolled the dough in sugar too but wish I hadn't because the outside of the cookies is a little too crunchy, so I'll just put sugar on top next time. The outer parts that browned lightly has that particular sugar cookie flavor and these have the right amount of salt and vanilla too.

I give these 5 stars!

SIMPLE RICH CHOCOLATE BROWNIES from Gather For Bread

 

These boxed brownie mix-type homemade brownies are very good and come from Gather For Bread. They're made with oil and Dutch cocoa powder. I made half in a 9.5"x4.5" loaf pan that was lined with foil and sprayed with nonstick spray. I thought an 8" square pan would be too big so I used one slightly smaller. They baked in 29 minutes and were thicker than I'd like so I should have used the 8" pan and will next time. These are very moist but slightly bitter from too much cocoa. Half the recipe used 6 tablespoons of cocoa but probably should have used only 4, so that's what I'll use next time. They could have used a little more salt and vanilla so I'll add more next time.

I give these 4.5 stars and recommend them.

Edit- I've made these a million times since. I make half the recipe in an 8" square foil-lined metal pan that's been sprayed with nonstick spray. It takes exactly 17 minutes in my Breville oven. I use 4 T. Dutch cocoa, not 6, double the salt and vanilla. That version gets 5 stars! The full batch in a 9"x13"stoneware baking pan takes 27 minutes in MY oven.

NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES from Very Best Baking

 

This comes from Nestlé's offical site, Very Best Baking. I made half using 3/4 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1/2 c. chopped toasted pecans, and got 27 using a 1 T./1.5" diameter cookie scoop. I baked the dough cold straight out of the refridgerator on 350 F, not 375 F, for about 9 minutes. They have decent flavor but I've made three or four other chocolate chip cookie recipes that I like better. 

I give these 4 stars. The true original recipe for this has you add the baking soda to hot water, then add it to the dough.

CHEWY BROWNIE COOKIES from Hershey's

This ultra moist cookie comes from Hersheyland. They taste OK but are too moist. They're made with shortening and Dutch process cocoa. The edges get a little crispy but if you let them go too far, the edges burn slightly and taste awful. My 1 T. dough balls baked in 7.5 minutes. I made half the recipe and got 19. I added 1/3 c. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips. The dough is sticky and needs to be refrigerated 45 minutes or so before scooping.

I give these 4 stars. 

PASTA AND BEAN SOUP from Calsundry

This comes from California Sun-Dry. The sun-dried tomatoes I used were the same brand but I used ones that came in a bag, not in a jar with oil. I used half a bag, with I think was 14 pieces, soaked them in boiling water for a short time, then pureed them in a food processor. Not sure it was necessary to soak them first. I used only one can of beans, not two, and pureed just part of the can. This would have been too thick with two cans of beans. I used 'homestyle' egg noodles in place of fettuccine. I used oregano in place of rosemary. I added 1/8 t. red pepper flakes.

I give this 5 stars.

BATTER BREAD from All Recipes

This yeast batter bread comes from All Recipes and it turned out great. I left out all the dried herbs. My loaf baked in 35 minutes, not the 40 stated in recipe. It's very moist but the next day it's not as moist, but that's alright, I only use it to make toast with.

I give this 5 stars.

ON-THE-TRAIL MONSTER COOKIES from Betty Crocker

This cookie is called On-the-trail Monster Cookies. Its been around for at least 20 years. I first had it in the early 2000s, it was in one of those small baking magazines you get in the grocery store check-out line. I hadn't made them in many years so wanted to try them again. I don't normally add chocolate chips so I didn't this time. They're made with butter and shortening. I used a 1 T./1.5" diameter scoop. The flatted dough balls baked in 9 or 9.5 minutes. This is a very good, basic cookie.

The recipe calls for no salt but I added 1/4 t. for half the recipe but it needed more. It says you can use rolled or quick oat so I used quick oats, since that's the type I've always used. 

I give it 5 stars. 

NO CHILL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES from Browned Butter Blondie

 

This recipe is from Browned Butter Blondie. They're very good but too salty. I made 1/4 of the recipe and got 13 1 T. dough balls using 1/2 c. chocolate chips. My chilled dough balls baked in 8 minutes after sitting out on the counter for an hour (they were still pretty cold). 

I give these 5 stars despite there being too much salt in them. As of right now I do think they're my favorite homemade chocolate chip cookies. I like how you just whisk the ingredients together without a mixer. I look forward to making these again and they're not too buttery.

DUTCH COCOA COOKIES from The Toasty Kitchen

This recipe is from The Toasty Kitchen. I don't have a photo of my baked cookies. I made 1/4 of the recipe, weighing my flour and egg, and mine didn't spread much and stayed puffy. I had to flatten them after taking them out of the oven. I got 13 1 T. dough balls. I have no idea why they didn't spread. The flavor isn't good at all, very buttery, and I would never make these again for that reason.

DAD'S COOKIES from All Recipes

This oatmeal cookie recipe's from All Recipes. It uses equal parts rolled oats and flour. They taste good but I don't like the texture of them. They're sort of hollow inside because of the high amount of rolled oats, which aren't very absorbent. I used equal parts oil and cooled melted butter instead of all oil. I omitted coconut and added chocolate chips. Mine baked in 8 minutes but they need a little less time as these were a bit overcooked. I made half and got 23 cookies using a 1 T./1.5" scoop.

I give these 4 stars and I'd like to try them again using quick oats and all oil, no butter like last time.

REFRIGERATOR COOKIES I from All Recipes

 

This good tasting cookie recipe came from All Recipes. I made half and got 22 slices. I added 1/2 c. dried sweetened tart cherries that I'd chopped, and 1/4 t. almond extract. They baked in just 7.5 minutes. They spread out a lot and are pretty flat. I should have formed my dough log narrower so my cookies didn't bake up so big. They're crunchy on the outside and chewy in the center, and not too buttery tasting though you can definitely taste butter. The amount of salt in the recipe is perfect.

I give these almost 5 stars.

LIP-SMACKING LEMON COOKIES

This recipe comes from The Great American Cookie Cookbook. These are slice 'n bake cookies that use lemon juice and zest. I made half and got a 1.75"x7" log that I rolled in yellow sugar, like they did in the cookbook. I got 20 from just half the recipe. They baked in 8.5 minutes, nowhere near the 15 they said it would take. These taste exactly like a lemon bar, which I'm not crazy about anymore. That's the only flavor these have. Take out the lemon and the dough would have no flavor to speak of. The outside is crunchy, the inside slightly soft.

I give these 3 stars for blandness and wouldn't make them again.