Bunny's Rocky Ledge Bars

A cookie party recipe in July?!?! That's almost as good as finding an unwrapped Christmas present in March!

Sister in law Bunny brought these yummy bars to the party back in April. They are chock full of tasty little morsels...milk chocolate, white chocolate, butterscotch, caramel, marshmallow. There's something for everyone.
They would be excellent to take to a family picnic.

Rocky Ledge Bars
(Martha Stewart recipe)

2 1/4 cup flour
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp
1 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 cup semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used milk chocolate chips)
1 cup white chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used chips, again)
1 cup butterscotch chips (next time, I might substitute toffee bits...mmmm)
18 soft caramel cubes, coarsely chopped (maybe into quarters)

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 9x13 pan. Line with parchment paper with an overhang and butter. (Cooking spray will work as well.)
Whisk flour, baking powder, salt in bowl. In another bowl, mix butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; mix until well combined. Mix in flour mixture until combined. Fold in half of each of the marshmallows, chocolates, butterscotch chips and caramels.
Spread batter into prepared pan. Scatter remaining marshmallows, chocolates, butterscotch, and caramels on top. Bake until top is golden brown and cake tester comes out clean about 35 minutes. Let cool on wire rack. Lift out of pan and transfer to refrigerator until set, at least 30 minutes. Remove parchment, cut, and enjoy!

Her Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cousin Tami has quite a reputation. She is known (at least by me...and now you) for her FANTASTIC treats. Seriously. We get together for book clubs, craft nights, cousin nights...and her assignment is always: "cookies, please".

They always have the perfect flavor and texture. And she makes them bite size so you can just pop them in your mouth. You can easily eat 5 or 6 before you know it.

I warn you, you won't stop at 6.

She entered these little beauties in the 2010 Fest and ended up taking home the trophy for "best classic with a twist".



Her Chocolate Chip Cookies*
1 C sugar
½ C brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
¼-½ tsp almond extract (depending on tastes--I used 1/2 tsp of course)
¾ C shortening
3 C flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1-2 cups of chocolate chips (Use any kind you like, Tami's winning combination was a mixture of dark, milk and white chocolate chips)
Preheat oven to 350°.
Cream sugars, eggs, vanilla, almond and shortening. Add flour, salt and soda. Mix in chocolate chips.
Form the dough into teaspoon size cookies (they will look tiny, but will puff up into the perfect bite size cookie). Bake for 6-8 minutes, until they just barely start to brown. Cool on a wire rack.

*Not to be confused with His.

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

Cousin Linsey brought these tasty strawberry cookies to the cookie jamboree. They are just what their name implies: a buttery biscuit, strawberries, and cream baked into a tidy little cookie.

I was the vote counter and, while I probably shouldn't divulge confidential matters, I will tell you that these gave the prettiest cookie a run for the money!*

Lin's Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

from Martha Stewart

• 12 ounces strawberries, hulled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (2 cups)
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• Sanding sugar, for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining 7 tablespoons granulated sugar in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, or rub in with your fingers, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cream until dough starts to come together, then stir in strawberry mixture.
2. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment, spacing evenly apart. Sprinkle with sanding sugar, and bake until golden brown, 24 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool. Cookies are best served immediately, but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day.

I added a glaze of 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 4 T heavy cream and a splash of vanilla. They are delicious with or without.

*(It WAS a legitimate vote...don't go thinking the cyclist's win had anything to do with his looks or charm).

Jill's Peanut Butter Cookie Bars (People's choice winner at the 2010 cookie fest)

So Jill brought the best cookie this year.

I know why... that peanut butter and chocolate combination just can't be beat!


I baked up a batch of these this afternoon. They will certainly go on my list of treats to take to picnics and pot lucks.

Jill's Peanut Butter Cookie Bars

3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup creamy PB
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups oats
1 1/2 cups flour
1 bag of milk chocolate chips

Cream together butter and sugars. Add PB and eggs. Beat until smooth. Add vanilla, soda, salt, oats and flour and press into a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes at 375. Place chocolate chips over hot bars and melt in oven for a few minutes. With a knife smooth out chocolate chips. Allow to cool completely.

Frosting:
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup softened butter
1 - 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (add until it's at a desired consistency...I used 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 T milk

Mix all ingredients together and spread over cooled bars.

To add some color, I grated a little semi-sweet chocolate over the top.

These are best if served completely cooled.

Anna Marie's Molasses Cookies

Anna Marie brought a tasty cookie this year. I heard a LOT of people talking about these spicy little numbers. They are from The Silver Palate Cookbook. This is an excellent cookbook. Filled with all sorts of delicious recipes (I'm obviously partial to the cookie section).

MOLASSES COOKIES
"The Silver Palate Cookbook"

12 Tbsp. sweet butter (sweet=unsalted)
1 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. molasses
1 egg
1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Melt butter; add sugar and molasses, and mix thoroughly. Lightly beat egg and add to butter mixture, blend well. Sift flour with spices, salt and baking soda, and add to first mixture; mix. Batter will be wet. Lay a sheet of foil on a cookie sheet. Drop tablespoons of cookie batter on foil, leaving 3 inches between the cookies. These will spread during baking. Bake at 350 degrees until cookies start to darken, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven while still soft. Let cookies cool on foil, but remove foil from cookie sheet. Makes 24 very large flat cookies. These soft, chewy, spicy cookies will stay moist, in an airtight tin, for at least a week.

Note - It is easy to overbake these cookies. Remove them from the oven earlier than you think.

Coconut-Almond-Crusted Brownies

Here is another recipe from COOKIE PARTY 2010. This was brought by Jacqui. She is an excellent cook. Her salads are incredible.

And these brownies...to DIE for! The salty, sweet, crunchy topping...I now crave it fortnightly.

Coconut-Almond-Crusted Brownies
adapted from Gourmet, 1996

For topping
3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
3/4 cup almonds (or pecans, walnuts), chopped
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt (I add a tiny bit more for a saltier bite)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4-1/2 c. mini-chocolate chips

For brownie layer
1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 large eggs
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
More mini-chocolate chips, to taste

Preheat oven to 350°F. and butter and flour an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan, knocking out excess flour.

Make topping:
In a bowl stir together topping ingredients EXCEPT chocolate chips until combined well. When topping has cooled, add chocolate chips.

Make brownie layer
In a 1 1/2-quart saucepan melt butter over moderately low heat--or melt butter in large glass bowl in microwave. Remove pan from heat and stir in sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well with a wooden spoon after each addition. Into a bowl sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt and stir into butter mixture until just combined well.

Spread batter evenly in pan, sprinkle with additional mini chocolate chips and topping. Bake brownies in middle of oven 30 to 35 minutes, or until a tester comes out with crumbs adhering to it. DON'T overcook. They will seem a little gooey due to the melted chocolate pieces and the topping will be browned. Cool brownies completely in pan on a rack before cutting into small squares. Brownies keep, layered between sheets of wax paper in an airtight container at cool room temperature, 5 days.

These are excellent served hot with a scoop of high-quality vanilla bean ice cream.

P.S. This is another one of those great recipes that tastes delicious, looks impressive, but requires no "special ingredients". You might just have everything you need in your pantry right now.

If you do, get crackin'!

Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

The cyclist has been after me for years to make a sugar cookie with royal icing. I think royal icing is fine, but my preference is a tangy cream cheese frosting.

Well, he finally realized that if he wanted anything done around here, he was going to have to do it himself.

After much study and deliberation, he chose the "Baked" sugar cookie. (Love this cookbook. LOVED this cookie.)

He entered them into the COOKIE PARTY 2010 lineup and won for "Prettiest Cookie".

Not the most masculine prize, but he's taking what he can get.

Classic Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing
From "Baked"

1 3/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 T cold vegetable shortening
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, shortening, and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until just combined. Add the flour mixture and mix until incorporated. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Preheat the oven to 325. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Dust a work surface with a sprinkling of flour. Unwrap the chilled dough and put it directly on the work surface. Roll the dough 1/4 inch thick. Use your favorite cookie cutter to cut shapes in the dough and transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets.

Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, until they are set but not browned. Remove from the oven and place the baking sheet on a cooling rack for 5 minutes. Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to the rack to cool completely.

Make the Royal Icing

2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 large egg whites
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
food coloring (optional)

In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, egg whites and lemon juice until the mixture is completely smooth. The mixture should have the texture of a glaze. If the mixture is too thin, add a bit more sugar. If it is too thick, add a few drops of lemon juice.

The best way to ice sugar cookies is with a pastry bag fitted with a small or medium tip. First, outline the cookie or design, then fill it in. Let the icing harden before serving.

Cookie Bake-Off 2010

L-R: Nancy ("Tastiest"), Jill ("Best Bar" and "People's Choice"), Anna Marie, Stephanie, Zoe, Heather, Brenda ("Best Classic"), Olivia, Zach, Quinn, Erin G, Bunny, Ben (Lynda), Summer, Tami ("Best Classic with a Twist"), Seth ("Prettiest"), Linsey, Erin B, Jerry, Katie, Suzanne, Matt ("Most Unique"), Ashley, Jenn and Jacqui!

Christmas of 2008 we threw a Cookie Smackdown. It was meant to be an annual affair. Well, December 2009 came and went in a flash. We never had a free night.

This weekend, the oven mitts came off. 25 treats converged on our dining room table. The competition was fierce.

I can't wait for 2011.

Stay tuned for recipes.

Categories: Tastiest, Prettiest, Best Classic, Best Classic with a Twist, Most Unique, Best Bar, and Peoples Choice (Most overall votes)