It seems that everybody has a recipe to copy the local favorite pink sugar cookie.  I have tried several and found that this one is my favorite.  I top it with cream cheese frosting and love to eat them cold.  The best part about these is that they don't have to be rolled-out or chilled before baking.  This recipe makes sugar cookies something that is easily done anytime!

Swig-Style Sugar Cookies
adapted from Vintage Revivals

1 cup of Butter
3/4 cups Vegetable Oil
1 1/4 cups Sugar
3/4 cup Powdered Sugar
2 Tbsp Water
2 Eggs
1.2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tarter
1 teaspoon Salt
5 1/2 cups Flour
 
Directions:

1. Cream together Butter, Vegetable Oil, Sugars, Water, and Eggs.
2. Mix until everything is combined.  Your dough should be a little crumbly and not sticky at all.
3. Scoop a large dough ball (I use a #24 scoop) and place it on your cookie sheet
4. Now it’s time to give these babies their signature rough edge.  Put 1/4 c of sugar and a pinch of salt in a dish (this is in addition to the sugar and salt listed above.)  Stick the bottom of a glass in it.  This is going to be your cookie press.
5. Firmly press it into the center of your dough ball.  You want your dough to spill out over the sides of the glass.  If there is a lip, it is even better.
6. Bake at 350 degrees F for 8 minutes.  They should just barely be browning on the bottom.    Move cookies to a cooling rack.
7. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.

 
Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
2 lb. powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Evaporated milk.
 
Combine all ingredients, beating the butter and cream cheese until smooth.  Add enough evaporated milk to make an easy spreading consistency.

​Snickerdoodles 1 cup shortening 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 eggs 2 3/4 cups flour 2 tsp. cream of tartar 1 tsp. soda 1/4 tsp. salt 1 pkg (10 ounces) cinnamon chips, I buy Hershey’s brand from Walmart or Amazon
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon


1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In the bowl of a mixer, cream shortening with sugar.
3. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
4. Add flour, cream of tartar, soda, and salt. Mix until just blended.
5. Add cinnamon chips and mix until combined.
6. In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon.
7. Scoop dough with cookie scoop and roll into balls and roll in cinnamon sugar mixture.
8. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Salted Caramel Macarons
These cookies are delicious and are totally worth the extra time and prep that they take. You do need to plan ahead though…starting 4 days BEFORE you actually want to eat them.
Ingredients:
6 ounces powdered sugar
5 ounces superfine Almond flour
4 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon lime juice
3 1/2 ounces sugar


Directions:
1. 3 days prior to baking, separate eggs and discard the yolks. Age the egg whites by placing them uncovered in the fridge for 3 days.
2. Bring egg whites to room temperature before starting the cookies.
3. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
4. Line a sheet pan with a macaron template and parchment paper.
5. Sift together the powdered sugar and almond flour, set aside.
6. Add the egg whites into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
7. Whisk the egg whites until frothy, the add lime juice.
8. Continue to whisk and slowly add granulated sugar to the whites. They are done when they are glossy and fluffy, like shaving cream. Their peaks should curl over.
9. In 3 parts, carefully fold dry ingredients into the whites. The batter will be a thick lava that folds over onto itself.
10. Using a pastry bag, pipe batter onto macaroon circles.
11. Tap sheet pan against counter to remove all air bubbles and let batter settle a little.
12. Dry the cookies for 45 minutes before baking. They will be dry to the touch, not sticky at all.
13. Bake cookies for 8 minutes, then rotate pan and bake for an additional 6-8 minutes. Cookies will lift easily from the parchment when the are lifted from the bottom. Careful not to lift from the top of the cookies, it will come off when warm.
14. Cool Completely, fill with Salted Caramel Butter cream and dulce de leche caramel.


Salted Caramel Buttercream
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1-pound powdered sugar
1/2 cup dulce de leche caramel (store bought)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Heavy cream


Directions:
1. In bowl of electric mixer, combine butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add Dulce de leche, beat until combined.
2. Add salt and powdered sugar slowly, mixing well.
3. Add 2-3 Tablespoons cream or more until you reach desired spreading consistency.
Assembling Macarons
Ingredients:
Baked Macaron cookies
Salted Caramel Buttercream
Dulce de Leche Caramel (Store bought)


To assemble:
1. Match cookies into pairs.
2. On the bottom of one cookie, pipe a small ring of buttercream.
3. Inside the ring of buttercream, pipe a small dollop of dulce de leche.
4. Gently press paired cookie together.
5. Repeat until all cookies have been paired,
6. Cover and keep in the refrigerator overnight or at least 8 hours for the cookies to achieve their best texture. Enjoy!

Homemade Oreos


3 devil’s food cake mixes (see below, you do not use all
of them)
4 eggs
1 ½ cup shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla


1. Weigh out 36.5 ounces of cake mix. This will be about 2 ½
​ mixes total.
2. In large mixing bowl, combine shortening, eggs, vanilla and weighed cake mix.
3. Mix until combined.
4. Portion out cookies with a #40 cookie scoop.
5. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Cool
6. Match cookies with partners of the same size/shape.
7. Fill with Cream Cheese Frosting


Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
2 lb. powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Evaporated milk.


Combine all ingredients, beating the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add enough evaporated milk to make an easy spreading consistency.

Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 cup butter cut into tablespoons
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup cake flour
2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips


Directions:
1. Pre heat oven to 400 degrees and set rack in middle of oven.
2. Place butter into bowl and turn mixer on low. If using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment.
3. Add sugars and beat butter until smooth on medium speed. This should take about 1 minute. Mix until the butter pieces are completely blended with the sugar and is no longer visible in pieces.
4. Add the eggs and beat on medium just until incorporated with butter and sugars, about 30 seconds.
5. Turn the mixer off. Add the cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Pulse the dry ingredients on low until the wet and dry ingredients are mixed.
6. Pour the chocolate chips into the batter and pulse again 5-6 times.
7. Pour the batter out onto a clean surface. Fold the dough together a few times until all the chocolate chips are mixed into the batter.
8. Using a food scale, measure out dough into 3.5 oz portions. Use your hands to shape cookies. Do not use a cookie or ice cream scoop. The cookies are meant to be roughly shaped. Do not flatten the dough.
9. Bake 8 cookies per pan, for about 15 minutes on regular bake or 400 convection bake for 12 minutes.
The cookies are done when the top is a bit golden and the bottom is also golden.
Do not over bake. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
6 ounces cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup rolled oats


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cream together butter, cream cheese and sugar.
3. Add vanilla an beat until light and well blended.
4. Add flour, baking powder, and salt, mixing until just combined.
5. Add oats.
6. Scoop dough with a #40 cookie scoop onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Flatten slightly with fingers.
7. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden on the edges.
8. Let cool, frost with cream cheese frosting.




Cream Cheese Frosting


Ingredients:
1 8ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick butter (1/2 cup), room temperature
2 pounds powdered sugar
Evaporated milk


Directions:
1. Combine cream cheese and butter in bowl of electric mixer. Beat until light and fluffy.
2. Slowly add the powdered sugar, using evaporated milk as needed to create desired spreading consistency.

These cookies are one of my favorites. Be sure to tag your recreations on Instagram with @bakeitwithbrooke !

Cutler’s Chocolate Frosted Peanut Butter Cookies
Peanut Butter Cookies
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
3 1/4 cups cake flour (again if using all-purpose flour, start with 1/4 cup less and check for stickiness)
1- 12 oz bag Reese's Peanut Butter chips (no substitutions)

​Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and place rack in center of oven. Cream together butter, sugars, salt, baking soda and powder. Add vanilla and eggs. Mix well. Add flour and peanut butter chips. Mix just until flour and chips are blended. Using a cookie scoop or ice cream scoop, or just a large spoon, scoop into 2-inch balls and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet about 4 inches apart. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until set.

These cookies are such a fun recipe to add to your kitchen! Be sure to tag your recreations on Instagram with @bakeitwithbrooke !

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Recipe from Neiman Marcus Cookbook


Ingredients:
1 stick butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup toasted macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup toasted sweetened grated coconut
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place the butter and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
3. Beat on medium speed until combined and mixture is fluffy.
4. Add eggs and vanilla, beating until well combined.
5. Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder.
6. Add flour mixture to the mixer and combine on low speed.
7. Add the macadamia nuts, coconut flakes, and white chocolate chips. Mix only until combined.
8. Using a #40 cookie scoop, or 2 Tablespoons, scoop dough onto parchment lined cookie sheet.
9. Flatten dough slightly.
10. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown.

You can never go wrong with a classic! Here is one of my favorite chocolate chip cookies. I really love using a "chunk" instead of the classic chip. 

Chocolate Chunk Cookies


Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar packed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chunks (I get mine at Orson Gygi)


Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine butter and sugars until well combined.
3. Add eggs, mixing after each addition and vanilla. Mix until light and fluffy.
4. Mix in the dry ingredients until just combined.
5. Add Chocolate Chunks, mix well.
6. Scoop out dough onto parchment lined baking sheet with a measure cookie scoop. I like to use a #40 for regular sized cookies or a #24 for large cookies.
7. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden.
8. Let cool slightly, enjoy!

The title didn't lie! I'm going to be honest with you guys, these cookies do take a lot of planning in advance. But I promise it is worth every minute!

The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies
A.K.A. New York Times Cookies
A.K.A. 48 hour Chocolate Chip Cookies


Ingredients:


2 cups minus 2 tablespoons cake flour (8 1/2 ounces)
1 ⅔ cups bread flour (8 1/2 ounces)
1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons coarse salt (I use Kosher)
1 ¼ cups unsalted butter (2 1/2 sticks)
1 ¼ cups light brown sugar (10 ounces)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (8 ounces)
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
20 ounces (2 bags) Guittard Super Cookie Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips (found at Harmons)
Sea salt (I use Kosher for this also)


Directions:
1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. (I usually bake at about 48 hours) Dough may be used in batches and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.
3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.
4. Scoop 6 3.5-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, ( I use a food scale to be more accurate) making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 15 to 17 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day.