It’s been a crazy week here at the… whatever. Here. Where I am, now.

Spring is struggling in a hard-fought war against winter, and that means – water, leakage, slippery ice, and general crappy moods. Good thing there’s chocolate, right?

Cream Cheese Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients

2 c butter
1 pkg of Cream Cheese, softened
2 c sugar
2 egg yolks
5 c flour
2 tsp vanilla

lg. chocolate buttons OR
chocolate, butterscotch, peanut butter, wh. chocolate chips
jam
whipped icing (only after cooling baked cookies)

Directions

Warm butter and cream cheese until softened and approximately room temperature. Cream together, then slowly add sugar. Beat until light, add egg yolks. Again, beat until light, then add vanilla. Fold in flour, and mix well. Chill for a half hour while the oven warms to 325*. Generously grease cookie sheet, or use lightly sprayed parchment paper. Shape dough into 1″ balls, place on sheet and press down gently with your thumb, right in the center.

Bake for 8 minutes, remove and add the center bit; chocolate buttons, 2-3 baking chips, or jam. Return to oven for 3-5 minutes.

If you intend on filling with whipped icing, bake the cookies straight through for 12-15 minutes, then allow to cool for at least an hour before icing.

Monster Cookies

1 c softened butter
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c white sugar
1 1/2 c creamy peanut butter
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 c flour
1 c quick cook oats
1 c mini M&Ms
1 c chocolate chips (semi-sweet preferred)

Directions

You’ll want to use a stand mixer for this recipe, as it gets heavy and hard to stir with a spoon.

Cream butters and sugars together, add eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix flour and baking soda, slowly adding to the dough mixture. In the last of the flour mix, add the quick cook oats, M&Ms and chips, and continue folding into the dough.

Chill for 15-30 minutes while the oven heats to 350*.

Roll into 2″ balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake for no more than 8 minutes – they will look like they’re not done, but don’t worry. If you over-bake Monster Cookies, they turn hard and rather flavorless. If they’ve not spread the way you’d like, gently press down with a fork as you would peanut butter cookies. Once they’ve cooled a few minutes transfer to a wire rack to finish off, and get the next batch into the oven.

Should make between 4 and 5 dozen cookies. They freeze well, IF they’re around long enough!

’til next week…
<3 JL