This year, my youngest of 4 children, Stephen is a senior in high school. This means...I graduate! Stephen started the year with homemade chocolate chip cookies with his lunch and every week I have been baking a different batch of cookies. I told him that I would have homemade cookies in his lunch bag all year -
1. Because he is the only one left at home
2. It gives me the opportunity to share cookies with others or send them to one of my other children living in South Boston, MA, Philadelphia, PA and Columbia, MO.
Follow us in "A Year of Cookies". And I challenge you...promise your kids homemade cookies in their lunch bag this year because everyone deserves a little love in their lunch.
Week 1: Andria's Chocolate Chip Cookies: This is clearly, THE BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies. These are a family as well as friend favorite. Worth keeping a few batches frozen!
Week 2: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies with Coconut and Heath Bar Bits: This is a new cookie. Very sweet, but if you like coconut, you'll love these cookies. Response so far is that people are reaching for seconds and thirds. That's a good sign!
Week 3: Angie's Ricotta Cookies: A family favorite from an amazing family friend. These are spongy, moist (little) lemon cakes. DELICIOUS...and great with tea and coffee.
Week 4: Jingle Jumble Cookies - Ginger Spice Snaps with Raisins: A new recipe we tried because it was a cross between a ginger snap and a molasses cookie with raisins. Absolutely delicious.
Week 5: Peanut Butter Blossoms: A big family favorite that combines our love of chocolate with peanut butter. We like to use crunchy peanut butter and when we made them the other day, we used Milk Chocolate and Dark Chocolate Kisses as well as a few Hugs.
Week 6: Coconut Shortbread Cookies with Chocolate Macadamia Nut Kisses: After coming home from a vacation to Hawaii and realizing Hershey makes Milk Chocolate Macadamia Nut Kisses, we needed to create a cookie...just for the macadamia nut kiss!
Week 7: Andes Creme de Menthe Cookies: Found this recipe on the package of Andes Creme de Menthe Baking Chips. Wonderfully minty! These were made for Michael to bring back to Philadelphia. The best comment was when Michael told me that he shared some cookies with his friends and then hid the rest. "Those were amazing and I didn't want to share them all!"
Week 8: Old Fashioned Iced Oatmeal Cookies: A recipe I found on Pinterest that reminded me of growing up and eating my fair share of iced oatmeal cookies. Sadly, they were store bought, but I have never lost my love for these cookies. Stephen and Danielle loved them. Jeff thought they were sweet with the icing. Make them with or without icing, everybody wins!
Week 9: Special Thumbprints: This is a family favorite which never gets old. My kids love these like chocolate chip cookies. A chocolate chip shortbread cookie with mini chocolate chips and a Hershey kiss. What's not to love!
Week 10: Speculoos Buttons: Stephen doesn't really care for milk...truly, most of my kid's don't like milk. It was funny to offer Stephen these cookies for school and he said, "I like them with a big glass of milk when I get hoem from school. I can't argue with that. These cookies are a spicy (cinnamon, ginger cloves) shortbread cookie with decorate sugar and a dab of glaze. See below.
Week 11: Jelly Filled Thumbprint Cookies: This is a traditional brown sugar shortbread which we fill with many different kinds of jelly. Stephen's favorite is Strawberry Preserves. The picture at the top of the page is the Thumbprint Cookie.
Week 12: Nannie's Oatmeal Cookies: These cookies my grandmother always baked for us! Another family favorite: a brown sugar oatmeal cookie with chocolate chips, raisins and Wheaties...yes, Wheaties. These are THE BEST OATMEAL COOKIES you will ever eat.
Week 13: Chocolate Chip Cookie Brittle with Heath Bar Bits: What a great twist on Chocolate Chip Cookies. We had a ball sitting around the kitchen island and just breaking off pieces of the brittle. Definitely a new favorite.
Week 14: Peanut Butter Cookies Rolled in Oreo Cookie Crumbs: This recipe became a quiet favorite at our house. As much as everyone loved them, Stephen thought these were the best cookies he had ever had. The peanut butter cookie was chewy and had a mild peanut butter flavor. Rolling it in the Oreo cookie crumbs added just a hint of dark chocolate which made it perfect.
Week 15: Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies: Yes, we are still searcing for the best chocolate chip cookie and we may have found it! These were delicious!
