Anyone out there with an old favorite cookie? Please post it here. Current chances of winning look really good :-)

Here's a recipe my family has made during the holidays ever since I was little. My mom used to cut these into small diamond-shaped bars. They are so good! Even though they aren't very glitzy-looking, they taste amazing and they'll make your kitchen smell like Christmas. :) Plus if you have any gluten-free folks who are joining you for the holidays, you can easily make these gluten-free by subbing the regular flour with almond flour.

PECAN SQAURES

1 c butter
1 c brown sugar
1 t vanilla
1 separated egg
2 c flour
1/2 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1 c chopped pecans

Cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla and egg yolk. Beat till light and fluffy. Mix dry ingredients together and add half the pecans. Stir the dry mixture into the creamed mixture. Press the batter into a a shallow greased pan. Brush the top with slightly beaten egg white and sprinkle remaining pecans on top. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Cool, then cut into squares.

Jeanette Brooks

Pumpkin Cookies with Rum-soaked Raisins

Ingredients:

5 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. ginger
3/4 rounded tsp. ground cloves
3/4 tsp. ground allspice
3/4 tsp. tsp. salt
11/2 tsp. cream of tartar
31/2 tsp. baking powder
11/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 lb. butter, softened
1/4 cup shortening (Crisco)
1 1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 + cup honey
2 lg. or extra lg. eggs, slightly beaten
2 tsp. vanilla
1 heaping cup pumpkin or squash puree (cooked and cooled)
2 cups raisins (may use half light and half dark) raisins soaked in rum for 24 hours

Directions:

Preheat oven to about 360 degrees. Sift together several times, the flour, cornstarch, spices, salt and cream of tartar, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside. In a lg. bowl, cream together the butter and shortening until light and fluffy. Add brown sugar and honey, beat well. Add eggs and beat for about 2 min. Add vanilla and pumpkin or squash and mix well. Drain raisins and fold into the creamed mixture. Gradually add sifted, dry ingredients and stir well with a wooden spoon. Drop the dough (I used about 1/8 cup per cookie) onto lightly greased or parchment paper-lined cookie sheets. Bake 10 -15 minutes or until edges just begin to turn golden brown. Remove and cool on racks. If desired, drizzle with confectioner sugar icing. Store cookies in an air-tight container to retain moistness.

Kathy is carrying on a family tradition when she makes these cookies that her father used to make. They sound yummy!

Since you didn't get 5 entries, would you consider extending your deadline? I've got a great recipe I'd like to enter, but didn't see your post until this morning.

I'll have to ask my editors to see if we can extend the contest.

You have until 3:30 p.m. Nov. 25 to submit recipes

In our never ending quest for the perfect chocolate chip cookie, our family has chosen this one to be their favorite. The coconut and cinnamon are subtle but they do so much to enhance the flavor of the whole cookie.

Coconut Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Cookies

2/3 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, right from the fridge, or at room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon coconut extract
1 teaspoon vinegar, cider or white
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 large egg
2 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 cups dark chocolate chunks or chips

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease two baking sheets.

In a large bowl, combine the sugars, butter, shortening, cinnamon, salt, vanilla and coconut extracts, vinegar, and baking soda, beating until smooth and creamy. Beat in the egg, again beating till smooth. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a spatula to make sure everything is thoroughly combined. Mix in the flour, then the chips. Use a spoon to scoop 1 1/4" balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2" between them on all sides; they'll spread. Bake the cookies for 11 to 12 minutes, till their edges are brown and their tops are light golden brown, almost blonde. Remove them from the oven, and cool on the pan till they've set enough to move without breaking. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Here is my favorite cookie recipe:

Chocolate Mocha Chunk Cookies

4 squares Semi-Sweet Chocolate
1 stick butter, slightly softened
2 Tablespoons instant coffee
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
1/4 Cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 Cup chopped walnuts
4 squares Semi-Sweet Chocolate

Melt 1 square chocolate, set aside. Cut 3 squares in large (1/2") chunks, set aside.

Beat butter, sugars, coffee, egg and vanilla until light and fluffy. Stir in 1 square melted chocolate, mix in flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in chocolate chunks and walnuts. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Drop dough by heaping spoonfuls, about 2 inches apart, onto greased cookie sheets. Bake for 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool 5 minutes on cookie sheets, remove and finish cooling on wire racks.

Melt 4 square chocolate, Dip 1/2 of each cookie into melted chocolate. Let stand on waxed paper til chocolate is firm.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Debi Maghes

My nieces say that it isn't Christmas without Aunt Sherry's white cookies! I usually make one batch per evening for two or three days before Christmas. The left-over egg yolks can be used in other recipes.

Forgotten Cookies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover cookie sheet with parchment paper, foil, or brown paper (from cut up grocery bags.)
3 egg whites: beat until frothy
add 3/4 tsp cream of tarter and a dash of salt
Gradually add 1 c sugar and beat until stiff and glossy.
Add 1.5 tsp vanilla
Optional: fold in 6-8 oz choc chips (I usually make some cookies without the chocolate chips and then add the choc chips.)

Drop in spoonfuls on covered cookie sheet. Sprinkle with colored sugar (can make those with choc chips a different color sugar than those without.)
Put in the oven and TURN OFF oven. leave at least 5 hours or overnight. I usually put a sticky note on the oven door so I won’t turn it on by mistake!

Easy Cream Cheese Cookies
My granddaughter loves to make and eat these! She especially enjoys using the cookie gun. It’s the one cookie she still wants to come make, even in her teenage years.

Mix together:
¼ c soft butter
8 oz softened cream cheese
1 egg yolk

Add: 1 full package yellow cake mix (or two Jiffy yellow cake mixes)
1 tsp vanilla

Chill at least 1 hour or more and put through a cookie gun OR chill, roll into logs and roll logs in colored sugar using plastic wrap, chill some more and slice. Can be decorated with colored sugar. chocolate chips or bits of Maraschino cherry.

Bake 375 degrees for 10 minutes.
Sherry Warden

Date Pinwheels

1 lb cut up dates
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
Cook and stir three items above until thick--set aside to cool. Then add 1 cup of chopped walnuts.

4 cups sifted flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
Mix the above 3 ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

1 cup margarine
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 beaten eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Cream margarine and blend in both sugars, add eggs and beat until fluffy. Stir in vanilla. Stir in flour mixture and work dough until smooth. Chill.

Divide dough into two equal parts and roll out onto floured surface in rectangle about 1/2 inch thick.

Spread half of the date mixture onto rolled out dough. Roll up like a jelly roll, wrap in wax paper and chill. Repeat with the rest of the dough and date mixture.

Cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices and place on parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.

This one is from The Essence of Chocolate and I always get rave reviews everytime I take it somewhere. It's not overly sweet, definitely more of a "grown-up" treat with sea salt and cacao nibs.

Ingredients:
1 c flour
3/4 c unsweetened cocoa powde
6T cacao nibs
1t fine or coarse sea salt
12T unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1t vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.

Combine the flour and cocoa powder in a small bowl. Combine the nibs and sea salt in a separate bowl (I pulse a few times in my spice grinder.)

Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the vanilla extract. Add about 1/2 of the flour-cocoa mixture and mix well, then add the remaining flour-cocoa mixture. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat for 1 to 2 minutes. Mix in the salt-nibs mixture by hand.

Lightly flour a work surface and rolling pin, or flatten the dough and place it between 2 large pieces of plastic wrap; roll the dough into a square 1/4 inch thick. Using a knife or a cookie cutter, cut into 1-by-2 1/2-inch rectangles or other desired shape, and place the cookies about 1 inch apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 7 minutes, then rotate the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back; bake for 8 minutes or until their aroma is apparent and the cookie bottoms are crisp. Let them cool on the sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Simple Date Cookies
Pitted whole dates
1/2 cup butter
4oz. cream cheese
1 cup sifted flower
1/8 tsp. salt
Mix together ingredients except for dates, then chill for a couple hours
Roll dough on confectioner sugar
Cut in one inch wide and three inch long strips
Wrap around dates
Bake 375 degrees for 15 minutes
Sprinkle with confectioner sugar

Submitted by Karen Berg