Good, Old-Fashioned Cookies! #Christmas #Recipes @DonnaFaz

I'm baking and my house is filled with the warm, buttery aromas only cookies can offer. Below are three of my favorite holiday recipes, but first I'd like to share some of my favorite baking equipment. I couldn't live without my air bake cookie sheets. Since buying mine, I haven't over-baked a single batch of cookies. I also love my cookie scoop; it makes each dough portion exactly the same (although, I believe mine is larger than the one I've linked to). And cooking spray is no longer needed in my kitchen ever since my son gave me 2 Silpats; nothing sticks to these babies, and that makes clean up easy. When my Silpats don't fit, I reach for the parchment paper. Okay, on to the recipes!  

Southern Sour Cream Cookies

1 ½ cups sugar

1 ½ cups shortening

3 eggs

3 teaspoons vanilla

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

1 cup sour cream

2 teaspoons salt

5 cups all purpose flour

colored sugar crystals

Cream together the sugar and the shortening until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and stir thoroughly after each addition. Add vanilla the vanilla, sour cream, baking soda and salt. Mix well. Add flour and stir just until flour is incorporated. Drop heaping teaspoons of dough about 2 inches apart onto cookie sheet lined with Silpat or parchment paper. Decorate with colored sugar crystals. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Cookies should be light in color…not golden brown. These are delicate and delicious cookies that go perfect with tea or coffee.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip (rear) & Oatmeal Coconut

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup butter

2/3 cup vegetable shortening

2 eggs

2 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Cream together the sugars, the butter and the shortening until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Stir in remaining ingredients. Drop dough by heaping teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto cookie sheets lined with Silpat or parchment paper. Bake in a 375 degree oven until light brown, 10-12 minutes.

Note: The spatula pictured to the left belonged to my grandmother. She told me she used it when she "went to housekeeping." She gave it to me when I got married. I feel like she's with me every time I use it.   ♥  I love nice memories.

Oatmeal Coconut Cookies

1 cup butter

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup raisins

2 cups oatmeal

1 cup (packed) flaked coconut

Cream the butter and the sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and the vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients. Lastly, add raisins, oatmeal, and coconut. Stir until combined. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet lined with Silpat or parchment paper. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes.

Here's wishing you a very happy holiday filled with

 love and laughter, friends and family, peace and joy.

Chocolate Pecan Pie

Wishing You a Peaceful and Happy Thanksgiving

There is nothing more delicious or more southern than pecan pie. Add a bit of chocolate and you have… HEAVEN in a pie tin! Here's what you'll need:

1 9-inch pie shell

For filling: 

1 cup white sugar

1 cup light corn Syrup

½ cup butter

4 large eggs, beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

¼  teaspoon salt

6 ounces of good semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup pecan pieces

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, the syrup, and the butter, and stir over low heat until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Set aside and cool to room temperature.

In a mixing bowl, stir together the eggs, vanilla, and salt. Stir in the sugar/syrup/butter mixture. Add the chocolate and the pecans, mix well.

Pour filling into the pie crust and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until filling is set and golden. I cover the edges of the crust with aluminum foil for the first 40 minutes of baking; remove foil for the final 10-15 minutes. Serve warm with fresh whipped cream.

Book Giveaway and A Recipe

Sara is spotlighting Her Fake Romance over at her blog

Harlequin Junkie

where she is giving away 3 copies of my book. 

I've also provided a fabulous recipe for Broccoli Salad. Yum! 

So hop over there and enter the contest and check out the recipe.

Also, with all of these recipes I've been providing, I've been thinking about compiling a cookbook. How you feel about that? Please leave me a comment here to let me know your thoughts. Thanks and have a great day!