These are thin buttery cookies that are generally sandwiched together with ganache:
 

And make no mistake, they’re completely delicious this way, but I had in mind something a little different:

An approximation of Pepperidge Farm’s Geneva cookie, except this one is done with semi-sweet chocolate and crushed almonds.  

Melt 1 cup of semi-sweet chips with 1 tsp of shortening, microwave until goopy (1 to 2 minutes).  Dip cookies (or spread lightly with a knife/spatula) then sprinkle with crushed almonds.

Either way they’re absolutely delicious.  The cookie has a texture somewhere between a regular sugar cookie and shortbread and I can see using it in endless different ways.

But after harvesting the goodies from the garden this morning, and noticing all the ripe and near-ripe key limes on the tree, the ball started rolling with…

Key Lime Cookies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 tsp grated lime zest
• confectioner’s sugar for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, egg and egg yolk until smooth.  Stir in the lime juice and lime zest.  In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt, then blend this into the creamed mixture.  

The dough is going to be sticky, so the best way to dish it out is with a “disher” or ice cream scoop.  Spray the disher with non-stick spray and scoop out dough (more batter than dough really) in tbsp size glops.  

Bake the glops 8 to 10 minutes, or until the bottom edges are just slightly brown.  Slide the parchment paper onto wire racks.  Sift confectioner’s sugar over the tops of the cookies while they’re still warm.
 

Next up are my personal favorites…

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2  eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2  tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to (of course) 350 degrees.  Beat together the softened butter, brown sugar, and sugar until creamy.  Add the eggs and vanilla and beat well.  In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.  Add this to the wet ingredients and combine thoroughly.  Add the oats and chocolate chips, stir well to combine.

Drop by the tablespoon-ful onto parchment paper-covered cookie sheets and bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.  Slide the paper to wire racks, cool completely, etc. 

Fair warning, the above recipe makes a crapload of cookies.  Substitute raisins for the chocolate chips, but only if you must.
 

And finally…

Chocolate Drops

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Preheat the oven to (surprise!) 400 degrees.  Prep parchment paper-cookie sheets.

Mix together the shortening, sugar and egg.  Stir in the milk and vanilla, combine thoroughly (don’t freak if it looks curdly, the dry ingredients will fix that).  In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder.  Mix this into the wet ingredients.  Chill the dough for 1 hour.

Drop the dough by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepped cookie sheets.  The easiest way to do this is with two spoons, just roll the scoop between them until it is round-ish.  (Bonus: then you get to lick TWO spoons!)

Bake 8 to 10 minutes, then cool on the parchment paper on racks. Frost them with royal icing, dust with powdered sugar, or eat as is.
 

Aaand I think that’s enough cooking for today.  Though I tell you what I need, a decent sugar cookie recipe for the plethora of Christmas-shaped cookies we’ll be making in the next two weeks.  Anyone?  Bueller?

STILL the very best cookie I’ve ever had in my ENTIRE life.

Last week during Thanksgiving break, the kids and I decided that cookies were more the thing this year, instead of heavy pies.  As we geared up for Daddy-favorites oatmeal raisin, and chocolate chip made with large bittersweet chips (recipe for that later), we also hauled this recipe out and raided the Halloween candy leftovers for Milk Duds.  Caramel, chocolate, cookies??  How could that be wrong?!?

Milk Dud Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup Milk Duds, quartered

Let me tell you, the quartering of Milk Duds is a Pain In The Arse.  Note the size of the knife with which I’m doing it here:
 

That’s because I didn’t trust a lighter knife to not deflect off the candy and remove a finger or two!  Be safe, go slow, use a heavy knife.  These little buggers are TOUGH.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Mix flour, baking soda and salt.

In your Kitchenaid (or with a hand mixer) on medium speed, beat together the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, 3 tbsp water and the vanilla.  Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture, then beat until blended.  

Stir in the Milk Duds.  And try not to stop right here and eat the batter by the spoonful.
 

Drop the batter in teaspoon-sized glops onto parchment paper-lined cookie sheets.  Leave a few inches of expansion room between each glop…  
 

…because not only will they expand, but the bits near the edges will explode in glorious caramel flows, that turn beautifully crunchy when cooled.
 

We definitely need to experiment with more Halloween leftovers, see what else would be marvelous baked in a cookie.  Mounds bars, Goobers, Milky Ways, THREE MUSKETEERS!!!  *faints*