Thought I'd post something...these are a favorite of the family. Enjoy!

Sugar Cookie Bars
1 1/2 C Sugar
1 C Butter
1 8 oz Cream Cheese
1 egg
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. vanilla
cream the above ingredients together
Then add:
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 1/2 C flour
Place in 11X17 inch pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 min.

Frosting:
1/2 C butter
4 oz. cream cheese
3 1/2 Cups powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
food coloring of choice
milk as needed

Karine Romero

"No-Guilt" Chocloate Oat Cookies

The only guilt you'll have is from eating half the batch in one day!

1/4 cup butter
3/4 c. Splenda
1/2 c. brown sugar Splenda blend (or you can use 3/4 c. brown sugar)
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
2 egg whites
2 T. water
2 t. vanilla
1-1/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 t. baking powder
3/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. cinnamon (optional)
1/4 t salt
2 c. rolled oats, uncooked (can substitute quick-cooking)
1/2 to 3/4 c. chocolate chips

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add applesauce, egg whites, water and vanilla; beat until well mixed. Add all dry ingredients except for the oats to butter mixture; beat until blended. Mix in oats; stir in chocolate chips. I use a cookie scoop to drop cookies onto baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.
makes 2-1/2 to 3 dozen cookies.

Take my word for it, they are EXTREMELY yummy. You may want to double the recipe!

This is probably my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe.  It's easy, and doesn't make a zillion cookies like so many recipes do.  This picture doesn't do the cookies justice, I promise!!  These are not your average run of the mill cookies!  I added a few of my own tweeks to the recipe in italics.

My Big, Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies

By:  Tyler Florence

Taken from:  Foodnetwork.com

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt (I use Kosher salt, which adds a little salty bite to the cookies that is delish!)
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I always triple the vanilla in any chocolate chip cookie recipe I make.)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 (8-ounce) block dark chocolate, coarsely chopped (I add 1/2 of a bag of Chocolate Chips instead.)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper (or use a silicone mat). Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside (I skip this step, and my cookies always turn out just fine).

Place the butter, sugar, and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer; cream together on medium speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the vanilla and eggs. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and continue to mix until a smooth batter forms. Turn off the mixer and fold in the chocolate chunks using the spatula.

To form the cookies, scoop about 1/4 cup of cookie dough into your hands and roll it around into a ball; place them about 3-inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets; you should get about 4 cookies on each pan. Press down the tops of the dough slightly and bake until the cookies are light brown, 12 minutes for chewy cookies, or about 15 minutes for crispy cookies.

Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough/cookie sheets.