Regency Seed Cakes

DO NOT preheat oven-this dough needs to chill.

1 cup (2 sticks, 1/2 pound) butter
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups white (granulated) sugar
6 Tablespoons poppy seeds
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon orange extract
1/2 teaspoon orange zest (optional)
5 cups flour (don’t sift it)
3/4 cup orange juice

You will also need: 1/2 cup white (granulated) sugar in a small bowl for later, when you bake the cookies.

Melt the butter. Let it cool while you mix up the following ingredients:

In a large bowl combine the eggs with the white sugar. Beat them until they’re well blended.

Add the poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda. and salt. Mix them in thoroughly.

Add the orange extract and then the orange zest, if you decided to use it. (Orange zest is finely grated orange peel-just the orange part and not the white. The white is bitter and leaves a bad aftertaste.) If you can‘t find orange extract in your store, you can use vanilla instead. Mix well.

Cup your hands around the bowl with the melted butter. If it’s not too warm to hold comfortably, start your mixer and pour it slowly into your mixing bowl. (That's so it doesn’t slash over the sides!) If it’s still too hot to add and you think it might cook the eggs in your bowl, let it cool a little longer before mixing it in.

Add two cups of the flour now. Mix it in.

Add the orange juice to your bowl. Mix it in and then add the rest of the flour. (You should have three cups left to add.) Mix thoroughly. This dough will be quite stiff.

Give the bowl a final stir by hand and cover it with plastic wrap. Stash it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Overnight is fine too!

When you're ready to bake, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

Prepare your baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper and spraying the paper with Pam, or another nonstick cooking spray.

Take the chilled dough out of the refrigerator and make dough balls, about an inch in diameter, with your hands. Drop them in the small bowl with the sugar and roll them around to coat them. Then place them on the cookie sheets, 12 to a standard-size sheet. Press them down slightly when you place them on the sheets so they won’t roll off on the way to the oven.

When you're ready to bake, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

Prepare your baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper and spraying the paper with Pam, or another nonstick cooking spray.

Take the chilled dough out of the refrigerator and make dough balls, about an inch in diameter, with your hands. Drop them in the small bowl with the sugar and roll them around to coat them. Then place them on the cookie sheets, 12 to a standard-size sheet. Press them down slightly when you place them on the sheets so they won’t roll off on the way to the oven.

Bake the cookies at 375 degrees for 7 to 10 minutes. Let them cool on the pan for a minute and then pull off the parchment paper and transfer the paper and cookies to a wire rack.

If the dough begins to get sticky and you start to have trouble rolling it with your hands, return it to the refrigerator while the cookies are baking and take it out again when you need to make more dough balls.

Lemon Whippersnappers

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position;

1 package (approximately 18 ounces) lemon cake mix, the size you can bake in a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan
2 cups Cool Whip
1 large beaten egg (its okay to just whip it up in a glass with a fork)
1/2 cup powdered (confectioner’s) sugar in a separate small bowl (you don ’t have to sift it unless it’s got big lumps)

Combine dry cake mix, Cool Whip, and beaten egg in a large bowl. Stir until it’s well mixed.

Drop by teaspoon into the bowl of powdered sugar and roll to coat the cookie dough. Place the coated cookie drops on a greased cookie sheet, 12 cookies to each sheet.

Bake the cookies at 350 degrees F. for 10 minutes. Let them cool on the cookie sheets for 2 minutes or so, and then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Old-Fashioned Sugar cookies

Do not preheat oven yet... dough must chill before baking.

2 cups melted butter (4 sticks)
2 cups powdered sugar (not sifted)
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar (critical)
1 teaspoon salt
4 1/4 cups flour (not sifted)

1/2 cup white sugar in a small bowl (for later)

Melt butter. Add sugars and mix. Let cool to room temperature and mix in the eggs, one at a time. Then add the vanilla, lemon zest, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Mix well. Add flour in increments, mixing after each addition.

Chill dough for at least one hour. (overnight is fine.)

When you‘re ready to bake. preheat oven to 325 degrees and place rack in the middle of the oven

Use hands to roll dough In walnut-sized balls. Roll dough balls in a bowl of white sugar. (Mix white sugar 2 to 1 with colored sugar for holidays-green for St. Pat’s Day, red and green for Christmas, multicolored for birthdays.) Place on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard sheet. Flatten dough balls with a greased spatula.

Bake at 325 degrees for 10-15 minutes. (They should have a tinge of gold on the top) cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then remove to a rack to finish cooling. They can be decorated with frosting piped from a pastry bag for special occasions or left just as they are.

Pecan Chews

Preheat oven to 350’ F, rack in the middle position.

1 cup butter (2 sticks. ½ pound)
3 cups brown sugar ***
4 eggs, beaten (with a fork is fine)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups finely chopped pecans
4 cups flour

Melt butter and add brown sugar. Mix well and let cool. Add beaten eggs and mix. Add salt, baking soda, vanilla, and nuts. Mix well. Add flour and mix until flour is thoroughly distributed.

Form dough into balls with your fingers. (Make them the size of a walnut with shell.) Place them on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard sheet. Press them down with a spatula. (Spray it with Pam first, or grease it.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Let cookies set up on sheet for one minute, then remove them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

*** There’s no need to keep brown sugar in stock. It can be easily made with white sugar and molasses, 1/8 cup molasses for every 3 cups of white sugar. (That’s how they manufacture it, really. And it’ll save you from having to deal with all those lumps.) Just add the molasses to the white sugar and stir until it is thoroughly and evenly mixed in.

(There’s no Problem if your recipe calls for dark brown sugar or light brown sugar-just mix in molasses until it’s the right color.)

Regency Ginger Crisps

Do not preheat oven yet-dough must chill before baking.

3/4 cup melted butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 cup brown sugar
1 large beaten egg (or two medium, just whip them up with a fork)
4 tablespoons molasses (that's 1/4 cup)***
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 1/4 cups flour (not sifted)
1/2 cup white sugar in a small bowl (for later)

Melt butter and mix in sugar. Let mixture cool and then add egg(s). Add soda, molasses, salt, and ginger. Stir it thoroughly. Add flour and mix in. Chill the dough for at least 1 hour. (Overnight is even better.)

When the dough has chilled. preheat oven to 375 degrees, rack in the middle position.

Roll dough into walnut-sized balls with your hands. Roll the dough balls in white sugar. (Just dump them in the bowl with the sugar and shake the bowl gently to coat them.) Place them on greased cookie sheets, 12 to a standard sheet. Flatten them with a spatula.

Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until nicely browned. Cool on cookie sheets for no more than 1 minute, and then remove to wire rack to finish cooling. (If you leave these on the cookie sheets for too long, they'll stick.)

***To measure molasses just spray the inside of a measuring cup with Pam so that the molasses won't stick to the sides of the cup

Chocolate Chip Crunch Cookie

Preheat oven to 375° F, rack in the middle position.

1 cup butter (2 sticks, melted)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 beaten eggs (you can beat them up with a fork)
2 1/2 cups flour (not sifted)
2 cups crushed corn flakes (just crush them with you hands)
1-2 cup chocolate chips

Melt butter, add the sugars and stir. Add soda, salt, vanilla, and beaten eggs. Mix well. Then add flour and stir it in. Add crushed corn flakes and chocolate chips and mix it all thoroughly.

Form dough into walnut-sized balls with your fingers and place on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard sheet. Press them down with a floured or greased fork in a crisscross pattern (the same method as peanut butter cookies).

Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then remove to a wire rack until they're completely cool. (The rack is important-it makes them crisp.)

Pineapple Right-Side-Up Cookie Bars

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, with rack in middle position.

(Another recipe with a no-roll crust-don't you just love it?)

2 cups flour (no need to sift)
1 cup softened butter (2 sticks, 1/2 pound
1/2 cup white sugar
4 beaten eggs (just whip them up with a fork)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup frozen concentrated pineapple juice
1/2 cup drained crushed pineapple (if you have any left over, freeze it)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons flour (that's 1/4 cup-don ’t bother to sift)

FIRST STEP: Dump pineapple in a strainer and let it drain while you do this step. Cream butter with sugar and add flour. Mix well. (You can also do this in a food processor with hard butter cut into chunks and the steel blade.) Spread mixture out in a greased 9 x 13 inch pan (that‘s a standard sheet cake pan), and press it down evenly with your hands.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven. (Don’ t turn off oven !)

SECOND STEP: Mix eggs with sugar. Add pineapple concentrate, drained pineapple, and mix. Add salt and baking powder and stir it all up. Then add flour and mix thoroughly. (This will be runny-it’ll set in the oven.)

Pour this mixture on top of the pan you just baked and stick it back into the oven. Bake at 350 degrees F. for another 45-50 minutes. Then remove from oven.

Let cool thoroughly, then sprinkle a little powdered sugar on the top and cut into brownie-sized bars.

Orange Snaps

Don’t preheat the oven yet - this cookie dough has to chill

1 ½ cups melted butter (3 sticks)

2 cups white sugar

½ cup frozen orange juice concentrate (I used Minute Maid)

2 beaten eggs (just beat them up with a fork)

4 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

½ to 1 teaspoon orange zest*

4 cups flour (you don’t have to sift it)

⅓ cup white sugar for later

*The orange zest adds a burst of flavor. Zest is finely grated orange peel, just the orange part, not the white. You can use a grater to scrape peel from an orange, or a zester which removes thin layers of peel in strips. If you use a zester, you’ll have to finely chop the strips of peel with a knife.

Melt the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Add the sugar and orange juice concentrate, and stir. Let the mixture cool slightly. Add the eggs, baking soda, salt, and orange zest, stirring after each addition. Add the flour in increments and mix thoroughly. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough at least 2 hours (overnight is even better).

When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F., with rack in the middle position.

Roll the chilled dough into walnut-sized balls with your hands. Put ⅓ cup white sugar in a small bowl and roll the balls in it. Place them on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard cookie sheet. Press the dough balls down just a little so they won’t roll off onto the floor when you put them in the oven.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 350 degrees F. The dough balls will flatten out by themselves. Let the cookies cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet and then move them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

These cookies freeze well. Roll them up in foil, put them in a freezer bag, and they’ll be fine for 3 months or so, if they last that long.

Yield: Approximately 10 dozen thin cookies, depending on cookie size.