Pumpkin Cookies Recipe

We found this Pumpkin Cookie recipe in Great Grandma's cookbook.  It was scribbled on a small sheet of paper with little instructions with "moderate oven" at the bottom.  We made them and sent them to a family member stationed on an air craft carrier and they were a hit with him and his friends.

Sarah chose to alter it a bit by reducing the cinnamon to 1/2 tsp. and adding 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice.  They are a soft cookie that Grandma enjoys as they are easy to chew -- great for toddlers, too.

Rich Chocolate Brownies Recipe

This Rich Chocolate Brownies Recipe came from my desire to make brownies from what I had on hand.  I needed to use cocoa and went searching for a recipe and these are the ones I found.  I copied the recipe and can't remember for sure where it came from but it was in a Brownie and Bar Cooking booklet by Pillsbury.  I am not sure if Elizabeth changed it at all, we usually do, but here is what we do.

Check out Elizabeth's post of Step By Step Chocolate Brownies Tutorial for a

Nut Cookie Recipe

We took the original Nestle Toll House Cookie Recipe and tweaked it by reducing the sugar and adding a bit of whole wheat flour.  When using Chocolate Chips we have won a blue ribbon at the county fair.  This is our Nut Cookie Recipe version.

The color in this image is a bit wonky, sorry about that.

We prefer walnuts over pecans in these.

Pumpkin Muffin Recipe

Moist and spicy Pumpkin Muffin Recipe.  We substitute about 1/3 of the flour with whole wheat.  The original recipe was from a Betty Crocker cookbook, I believe, and we tweaked it a bit.  Here is where you can find Elizabeth's Step By Step Pumpkin Muffins Instructions.

"Sugar Free" Buckeyes Recipe

I've made Buckeye candy for years.  Which I suppose isn't surprising as I'm from Ohio.  We've shared them over the years and one family who especially enjoyed them started having sugar problems, so I wondered if there was a way to make ones that were sugar free/no sugar added.  So I invented a recipe that they (& others) have really enjoyed.  So I thought I should share the recipe as I'm sure there are others in similar situations.  

Now, these aren't quite like traditional Buckeyes-they are quite soft as the sugar substitute doesn't set them up as much as powdered sugar in the original and the only sugar-free chocolate candy I can get in my small town is Hershey's bars which also doesn't set up as much as semi-sweet chocolate.  So, I normally keep them frozen-but the taste idea is there!  ~Sarah


Ingredients: 

3/4 cup & 2 Tablespoon peanut butter

1/4 cup butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

31 Splenda packets

1 small package (3 oz, I think)  sugar free Hershey's bars  dark or milk chocolate 

1/2 Tablespoon Crisco 

Makes 3-4 dozen

Directions:

• Mix the peanut butter, vanilla, butter, and Splenda 
• Pour the above mixture into a wax-paper lined container-I use a sandwich sized Tubberware one.  (The idea is for the mixture to be about as thick as you want the Buckeyes to be.) 
• Freeze the mixture
• Once the mixture is frozen take it out and cut it into cubes as best you can, then separate and  refreeze
• Melt the chocolate and Crisco together.  I do this in a double boiler, but if you don't have one I've read it can easily be done in the microwave, just look it up.  You just don't want to melt it in a pan directly on the stove-top as it will tend to scorch. 
• Prepare plates covered with wax paper to put the finished Buckeyes on.
• Once the chocolate is melted, get out the peanut mixture chunks and quickly dip them one at a time in the melted chocolate then place them on the prepared plates.  I drop them in, then roll them around and get them out with a fork.  If they start getting too soft, put them back in the freezer for a bit.
• Freeze the finish products for about an hour, then they should be hard enough to eat or repackage to store in the freezer.

Note: I use a natural kind of peanut butter as many add sugar, but if you can find a more traditional one without sugar added, it may make it thicker.

Thanks to Elizabeth's sister Sarah, from Sarah's Scribbling, for guest posting her Sugar Free Buckeye Recipe.

M&M Cookie Recipe

This is the third recipe we tweaked from the original Nestle Toll House Cookie Recipe.  Just like our Chocolate Chip and Nut, this M&M Cookies Recipe is one of our favorites.  We include them in all of our Christmas Cookie packages & baskets.

Soft Sugar Cookie Recipe

This Soft Sugar Cookie recipe originated from Elizabeth's Great Grandfather.  He was born in 1899.  He got the recipe from a Civil War widow, so we imagine it has been around for quite some time.  He used to make them and mail them at Christmas, packed in popcorn, to all of his grandchildren.  He also sold them, along with homemade bread, when his health caused him at a young age to have to stop dairy farming.  Click this link to see the Story of The Sugar Cookie Recipe post that Elizabeth wrote earlier.

Sprinkled with white sugar (left) and decorative sugar sprinkles (right).

Note:  The larger these are made the softer they will be.  They should just

Snickerdoodles Cookie Recipe

This rich cinnamon flavored Snickerdoodles Cookie Recipe is one we tweaked from a friend's recipe.  We make these each year at Christmas to include in our cookie giveaway baskets.

These tend to burn easily on the bottom because of the cinnamon.  Be sure not

Peanut Butter Cookies & Peanut Blossoms Variation Recipe

There is nothing like a homemade Peanut Butter Cookie.  This recipe was in Elizabeth's grandmother's recipe box.  It was typed up decades ago and had her hand writing with the triple recipe amounts--she did everything big!  It probably is an original Hershey's Peanut Blossom recipe but I have no way of knowing.

Tripling amounts are in the [brackets].

Blue Ribbon Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

This chocolate chip cookie recipe was tweaked from the original Nestle Toll House Cookie Recipe.  It won a blue ribbon in the local county fair--the largest in our state.  We enjoy them frozen, too!

You can also add one cup of nuts if you'd like.

Oatmeal Cookies Recipe

Chewy, not too sweet Oatmeal Cookies.  Makes 8 dozen -- amounts for 4 dozen in ( )'s.  We adjusted a recipe we found in the Betty Crocker cookbook.

We use old fashioned oatmeal, not instant.

Pineapple Date Bars Recipe

We got this recipe from a friend of my mom’s many years ago (I think, but am not sure that she got the idea from Sue Greg’s cookbooks). They are an attempt to make a sweet dessert/snack type thing without using refined sugar or flour. Our families were seeking a healthier lifestyle at the time, so these are health food that does not taste like health

S'mores Indoors Simple Recipe

S’mores are one of my all time favorite snacks. I think it has to do with the events associated with eating them—almost always including a campfire, one of my all time favorite things. Elizabeth asked me to do a guest post on a snack or dessert since she was down with one mean sinus infection and unable to bake up a dessert to share here and I thought of these.

Chocolate Brownies

This is our all time favorite Chocolate Brownie Recipe.  It is rich and dark and wonderful.  Please do not let the number of steps scare you, it is not that hard or time consuming and the finished product is more than worth it.  This is also a great recipe because it uses cocoa powder rather than baker’s chocolate, so there is no melting to do.

Pumpkin Muffins or Bread

This is the Pumpkin Muffin Recipe my family has used for many years now. It is not particularly rich or spicy (unless you add extra spices) but is a rich and hearty muffin. I like to make these most often during the cooler times of the year because they seem a bit too hearty and heavy for warm weather – much more suited to warm you up on a cool day. They are delicious and have a soft, fine, smooth texture.

Sugar Cookies - The Recipe

This is a great sugar cookie recipe which has been in my family for a long time. The stories are seemingly endless in connection with this recipe. It is a great one to use for both drop cookies and rolled/decorated cookies. I am making drop cookies here. I will try to post the rolled version at some time in the future – basically, you just

Applesauce Muffins Recipe

This is my Grandmama’s favorite recipe - a very rich, sweet, and hearty applesauce muffin. She has always loved it and requests it regularly. She prefers it with Apples and Nuts added. In fact, she has taken to calling it, “Those muffins you cut the little apples up in.” I try to keep