GRAND PRIZE WINNER!
Pitzelles (Diane Coppola)

The Italian Pitzells are an old family recipe...not exact but done by eying the batter which should be thin but not watery. They are baked in a special iron for about a minute each.

1 doz. eggs
1&1/4 cups sugar
2&1/2 sticks very soft butter or margarine
pinch salt, 2 tablespoons anise seeds (more or less to taste)
1 tsp anise oil....not extract
1 tsp orange peel, 1 tsp lemon peel, grated
1 tsp baking powder
2 to 3 cups flour


Mix all ingredients but flour until smooth then add flour one cup at a time mixing well until batter is thin but not watery. Pour small amount of batter onto pitzell iron and bake until firm...about 1 minute. Remove from iron and cool on wire rack. Store in open paper bags. Cookies must sit in open container or they will get soft and rubbery.

Easy Lemon Cookies (Debbie Kusy)

Ingredients
1 (18.25 ounce) lemon cake mix
2 eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar for decoration


Preheat oven to 375° Pour cake mix into a large bowl. Stir in eggs, oil and lemon extract until well blended. Drop teaspoonfuls of dough into a bowl of confectioner’s sugar. Roll them around until they’re lightly covered. Once sugared, put them on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 6 to 9 minutes in the preheated oven. The bottoms will be light brown, and the insides will be chewy.

             

White Chocolate and Cranberry Cookies (Debbie Kusy)

Ingredients
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon brandy
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
½ tsp. Baking soda
¾ cup white chocolate chips
1 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 375°. Grease cookie sheets.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and brandy. Combine the flour and baking soda, stir into the sugar mixture. Mix in the white chocolate chips and cranberries. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. For best results, take them out while they are still doughy. Allow cookies to cool for one minute on the cookie sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Holly Cookies (Donna Brown)

What you need -
  1/3 Cup Butter or Margarine
  30 Marshmallows
  1-1/2 Tsp. Green Food Coloring
  3 Cups Corn Flakes
  2 Tbsp. Cinnamon Red Hot Candies

Make it -
  Melt butter in large saucepan on low heat.
  Add marshmallows
  Cook & stir 3-4 minutes or until melted
  Stir in food coloring
  Add cereal, stir to evenly coat
  Drop by tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper-covered baking sheets sprayed lightly with cooking spray
  Press candies into cereal mixture, flattening each mound slightly
  Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes or until firm

Kitchen tips -
  For less sticking, spray spoon lightly with cooking spray

Microwave Instructions -
  Microwave butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 45 seconds or until melted
  Add marshmellows, stir to coat
  Microwave 1 to 1-1/2 minutes or until marshmallows are melted, stirring every 30 seconds
  Stir in food coloring, continue as directed

Store -
  Store in tightly covered container at room temperature


Linzer Cookies (Elena Wood)

1 ½ cups flour
½ cup ground almonds
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 ½ sticks salted butter, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract

FILLING:
½ cup raspberry jam
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

TOPPING:
¼ cup confectioner’s sugar
2 ounces sliced almonds (1/2 cup)
Yield about 2 dozen
Preheat oven to 300°
Combine flour, almonds, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon with wire whisk. In large bowl with electric mixer cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolks and the vanilla and almond extracts, and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the flour mixture and blend at low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.
Roll dough into 1 ½ inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. With your index finger press an indentation in center of each ball to hold the filling.
Bake 22 to 24 minutes or until just golden brown on bottom. Transfer cookies to cool. In a small bowl, combine jam and grated lemon peel. Sift confectioner’s sugar over cookies. Place ½ teaspoon of filling mixture in center of cooled cookie and place sliced almonds in the jam filling.

Italian Meatball Cookies (Kathy DePietro)

1 c. oil or butter
1 1/2 c. sugar
3 eggs
1 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
5 c. flour
5 tsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. cinnamon, cloves & nutmeg (note, I omitted the cloves)
3/4 c. cocoa
1 c. chopped nuts
1 c. chocolate bits
1 c. raisins
Frosting of choice (Sprinkle w/confectioners sugar or a light glaze)
Cream butter, sugar and eggs. Add milk and vanilla a little at a time. Add dry ingredients and spices. Mix well. Add chocolate, nuts and raisins. Add oil to hands and roll into small balls. Bake at 375° for 10 to 15 minutes. Frost. These go over well at holidays, weddings and graduation.

Land O’ Lakes Butter Cookies (Kathy DePietro)

1 cup LAND O' LAKES Butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Combine 1 cup butter, sugar and egg in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add orange juice and vanilla; mix well. Reduce speed to low; add flour and baking powder. Beat until well mixed.
Divide dough into thirds; wrap in plastic food wrap. Refrigerate until firm (2 to 3 hours). Heat oven to 400°. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface, one-third at a time (keeping remaining dough refrigerated), to 1/8- to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with 3-inch cookie cutters. Place 1 inch part onto ungreased cookie sheets; sprinkle with decorator sugar. Bake for 6 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool completely.

Jif Peanut Butter Blossoms (Kathy DePietro)

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup CRISCO Butter Shortening
1/2 cup JIF Creamy Peanut Butter
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups PILLSBURY BEST All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Sugar
48 foil-wrapped milk chocolate pieces, unwrapped

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 375°
2. Cream together shortening, peanut butter, brown sugar and 1/2 cup sugar. Add egg, milk and vanilla. Beat well.
3. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture. Beat on low speed until stiff dough forms.
4. Shape into 1-inch balls. Roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
5. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Top each cookie immediately with an unwrapped chocolate piece, pressing down firmly so that cookie cracks around edge. Remove from cookie sheets to cool

Famous Quaker Oatmeal Cookies (Kathy DePietro)

3/4 c. vegetable shortening
1 c. firmly packed Imperial brown sugar
1/2 c. Imperial granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 c. water
1 tsp. vanilla
3 c. Quaker oatmeal, uncooked
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda
1 tsp cinnamon
¾ cup dried cranberries
¾ cup dried cherries
Preheat oven to 350°. Beat together shortening, Imperial sugars, egg, water and vanilla until creamy. Combine and add remaining dry ingredients; mix well. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. For variety, add chopped nuts, raisins, chocolate chips or coconut. Makes about 5 dozen cookies

Laura's Linzer Tarts (Kathy DePietro)

1 1/2 c. butter
4 c. flour
1 c. light brown sugar
1 jar raspberry preserves
Confectioners sugar for dusting
Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Slowly add flour. Blend well. Wrap in wax paper and chill until firm. Roll out on lightly floured surface. (Not too thin.) Cut with cookie cutter or water glass, even number of cookies. Using small cutter or bottle cap, cut hole in center of half of the cookies. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Cookies will almost look uncooked. Cool on rack. Place cookies on flat surface. Warm preserves and place about 1 tablespoon preserves on cookie half. Cover with top. Gently press to close. Add a bit more preserves to hole to fill if desired. Allow to cool and set completely. Dust with confectioners sugar.
Cook down the preserves. Once cooled, add about 1 cup of confectioners sugar to thicken.

Florentines (Diane Coppola)
2/3 cup sugar
2 cups quick oats
1 cup sugar
2/3 cups flour
1/4 cup light or dark corn syrup (note, I used light)
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
pinch salt
11 oz bag of chocolate morsels (I used half semi sweet and half white chocolate)


Melt butter in saucepan and remove from heat, stir in oats, sugar, flour, corn syrup, milk, van. and salt and mix well. Drop teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet lined with alum. foil about 3 inches apart. Flatten thinly with a spatula.
Bake 6 to 8 minutes at 375° until lightly brown. cook on foil completely and peel from foil.
Microwave morsels on medium high 1 minute and stir, heat at 10 second intervals, stirring until smooth. Spread thin layer of melted chocolate on flat side of cookie top with another cookie to make a sandwich.

Scottish Shortbread (Joann Lamb, her grandmother’s very old recipe)

4 Cups of flour
1 pound of butter
2 cup of confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp. salt

Cream the butter and sugar well. Add flour and salt and mix together well -- kneading it at the end to make a dough.
Roll out the dough and cut into squares or use cookie cutters for shapes.
Bake in a very slow oven (200°) for about 1 hour and 40 minutes