Post
 Posted By: Mama Mangia 
Dec 13  # 6 of 52
Banana Rum Coconut Cookies


2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup ripe mashed banana (about 1 medium)
1/2 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 teaspoon rum
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 3 1/3 ounces)
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup flaked sweetened coconut
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash of ground ginger


Preheat oven to 350°.
Place first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until blended. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife.
Combine flour and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Stir flour mixture into banana mixture. Drop dough by 2 tablespoonfuls onto parchment
paper-lined baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 19 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from pan; cool completely on a wire rack.
Post
 Posted By: Mama Mangia 
Dec 13  # 7 of 52
Big Crunchy Sugar Cookies
Sparkling sugar cookies are holiday classics. These goodies, which earn their name from a coating of
coarse sugar, received our Test Kitchens highest rating.


1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Assorted coarse decorator sugars


Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add 1 cup sugar, beating until smooth. Add egg and vanilla, beating until blended.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating just until blended. Shape dough into a ball; cover and chill 2 hours.
Divide dough into 3 portions.Work with 1 portion of dough at a time, storing remaining dough in refrigerator. Shape dough into 1 1/2” balls; roll each ball in
decorator sugar. Place 2” apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Gently press and flatten each ball of dough to 3/4” thickness. Bake at 375° 13 to 15 minutes
or until edges of cookies are lightly browned. Cool 5 minutes on baking sheets; remove to wire racks to cool.
Post
 Posted By: Mama Mangia 
Dec 13  # 8 of 52
Cookie Biscotti Sticks
Liven up your next coffee break with these extravagant cookie sticks. They’re impressive in size and mimic biscotti in length and crunch.


1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup butter
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups uncooked regular oats
1 (12-oz.) package semisweet chocolate morsels
1 cup butterscotch morsels
2 tablespoons shortening
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup coarsely chopped peanuts


Stir together brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup in a large saucepan; cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves and butter melts. Remove from heat.
Stir in 1/4 cup peanut butter and vanilla. Gently stir in oats. Press into bottom of an ungreased 13" x 9" pan lined with aluminum foil. Bake at 375° for 20 to 22 minutes or until browned.
Melt together chocolate morsels, butterscotch morsels, and shortening in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until smooth; stir in 1/2 cup peanut butter.
Spread over baked cookie crust; sprinkle with peanuts. Let cool in pan on a wire rack 20 minutes. Cover and chill 2 to 3 hours or until firm. (Or pop them in the freezer to speed cooling. Just be sure to let them stand 5 minutes at room temperature before cutting.)
Lift uncut cookies out of pan using foil as handles. Cut crosswise into approximately 1"-thick sticks using a large chefs knife.Wrap in cellophane bags or plastic wrap for gift giving.
Post
 Posted By: Mama Mangia 
Dec 13  # 9 of 52
Bittersweet Sugar CookieMacaroons
Sandwich these coconut-covered sugar cookies together with chocolate.


1 (18-ounce) package refrigerated ready-to-bake sugar cookie bar dough (we tested with Nestlé)
3 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1 (4-ounce) bittersweet chocolate
baking bar, chopped (we tested with Ghirardelli)
2 tablespoons whipping cream


Cut each cookie dough portion into 4 equal pieces. Roll dough pieces in coconut;
shape into balls. Place balls 2” apart on lightly greased baking sheets.
Bake at 350° for 12 to 13 minutes or until edges are golden. Cool on baking sheets 5 minutes; transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Combine chocolate and whipping cream in a small glass bowl.Microwave on HIGH 30 seconds; stir. Spoon melted chocolate into a small zip-top plastic bag. Snip a small hole in 1 corner of bag. Pipe 1/2 to 1 teaspoon chocolate mixture onto center of 40 cookie bottoms. Top with remaining half of cookies, pressing gently to adhere. Let sandwich cookies stand on wire racks for chocolate to harden.
Post
 Posted By: Mama Mangia 
Dec 13  # 10 of 52
Black-and-White Cookies
Big, irregular chunks of white chocolate look great in
contrast to the dark, bittersweet chocolate in these cookies.

12 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup (3/8 lb.) butter, cut into chunks
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 to 10 ounces coarsely chopped white chocolate or 2 cups white chocolate chips


1. Preheat oven to 325°. In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water (but not touching it), stir bittersweet chocolate and butter until smooth, 5 minutes. Remove bowl from over water; whisk in sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
2. In another bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to chocolate mixture and stir until well blended. Stir in white chocolate. Cover and chill dough until firm, at least 1 hour.
3. Shape dough into 2-inch balls and place about 3 inches apart on buttered or cooking parchment-lined 12- by 15-inch baking sheets.
4. Bake until set at the edges but still soft in the center, 12 to 15 minutes; if baking more than one pan at a time, switch pan positions halfway through baking.
5. Let cool for 5 minutes on sheets; transfer to racks to cool completely.