By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills
When the calendar says it’s October, I’m ready to bake and eat cookies. Of course, for me, that means exercising more to compensate, but those yummy treats are worth it! I’ve saved cookie recipes over the years and know which ones satisfy my sweet tooth.
If the autumn season tempts you to bake a few of your own, here are four of my tried and true favorites for this time of year.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1 large egg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375° and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, pumpkin spice, and salt.
In a large bowl using a hand mixer, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in pumpkin, egg, and vanilla extract until combined, then add flour mixture. Beat on low until no raw flour appears, then fold in chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough for at last 30 minutes. (I use the freezer. makes the dough easier to handle.
Scoop 1” balls onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 2 inches apart, and bake until puffed up and golden around edges, about 12 minutes. Yum!
Mexican Hot-Chocolate Cookies
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick unsalted butter – room temperature
1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
12 ounces semisweet chocolate pieces
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk together flour, cocoa, cinnamon, salt, cayenne, and baking soda.
In a separate bowl, beat butter with brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla until well combined. Reduce speed to low and beat in flour mixture until just incorporated. Still in chocolate.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Gently roll each in turbinado sugar to coat; place 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until surface crack slightly, 11 to 14 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on sheets, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Especially good with hot coffee!
Peanut Butter Cookies
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 beaten eggs
1 cup peanut butter
3 cups sifted flour
2 teaspoons soda
dash salt
Thoroughly cream butter, sugars, vanilla, and eggs. Stir in peanut butter. Sift dry ingredients and stir into creamed mixture. Refrigerate dough for 2 hours. Form into tiny balls. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. (I prefer parchment paper.) Make crisscrosses with a fork dipped in sugar. Chill for at least 30 minutes Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. A Hershey’s Kiss in the middle of the hot cookie turns these into Pumpkin Blossoms. Delicious!
Ginger Cookies
My mother used to make these when I was a little girl
5 ½ cups sifted flour
1 tablespoon soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg beaten
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 cup dark molasses
½ cup strong coffee
Sift together dry ingredients. Cream shortening, add sugar. Beat until light. Add egg and vanilla. Add molasses and coffee, then the dry ingredients. Mix well and chill.
Roll out and cut.
Bake on a greased baking sheet. 400 degrees 8-10 minutes. Makes 12 dozen. Ice with butter frosting. Another great coffee cookie!
If you will comment below with your favorite cookie recipe, I’ll enter you in a random drawing giveaway for one of two copies of my new e-book Christmas Stories – short fun stories about this beloved season, releasing October 27th on Amazon.
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links on the page above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Comments 45
Oatmeal raisin cookie
Yum!
HOLIDAY COOKIES
(36 cookies)
½ cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg beaten1 1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon whipping cream
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
Colored sugar
Preheat the oven to 375˚ F. 10 minutes before the cookies are ready to go in.
Grease a cookie sheet.
Cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg, vanilla, cream, and sifted dry ingredients.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator several hours.
Roll out, cut, and sprinkle with the colored sugar.
Place at least 3 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet (they spread quite a bit).
Bake at 375˚ F. for 15 minutes.
Note If not served immediately, store in a covered container to retain crispness.
My confession is that others already included favorite recipes of mine so I picked this one out of “The Williamsburg COOKBOOK” because it made my mouth water and contains all of my favorite things. 🙂
Thank you, Sue!
I was looking a ginger cookie or molasses cookie receipe! Definitely going to try the Ginger cookies.
Kelly
Hi Kelly, It’s a huge recipe. My mother used to chill, roll out, cut, and frost them. Heavenly!
Those all sound yummy and are great treats for fall. I had to look up what turbinado sugar was because I have never heard of that. So I gained some tasty recipes and learned a new word. Thanks for sharing those!
Wonderful Barbara, hope to see you in North Carolina.
One of my favorite cookies….and they were my husbands favorite:~)) Applesauce Cookies:
3/4 cup Butter
1 Cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup applesauce
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp.baking soda; 1/2 tsp. salt, 3/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup raisins and 1/2 to 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Heat oven to 350*-360*
Mix together: Butter, Brown sugar, egg, Applesauce, raisins and nuts.
Mix together and add: Flour, soda, salt and spices.
Drop by soup spoon* onto greased or sprayed cookie sheet
Bake 10-12 minutes. Don’t over bake
*for smaller cookies use a teaspoon
Vondia, I’m keeping your husband’s recipe. Looks yummy!
One of my favorite cookie recipes can be sugar-free. It is gluten-free as is:
Peanut Butter Cookies
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar (sub Splenda for a lower carb version)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
Using room temperature peanut butter, scoop into a mixing bowl, Add the sugar or Splenda. Beat the egg with a fork/small whisk add to the bowl add vanilla. Either by hand or with a hand mixer, mix ingredients until well combined. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a cookie sheet at least 1 inch apart and press down with moistened fingers, a fork, or the bottom of a glass, bake 8-10 minutes at 350 F until edges are golden brown. Remove to a rack to cool completely. Cookies are extremely tender and will break easily, but are so good. A good treat for diabetics if you use Splenda instead of sugar. Makes a dozen to a dozen and a half cookies depending on sizes of spoonfuls.
Thanks, Kassy, Another keeper recipe!
Coffee Sugar Cookies
INGREDIENTS
1 c butter softened
1 1/2 c granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tbsp. fresh ground coffee you can also use instant crystals or powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 c flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt I used kosher
INSTRUCTIONS
In a mixer, cream together butter and sugar.
In a small bowl, combine eggs, vanilla, and coffee until fully incorporated.
In separate bowl add together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
Slowly add your egg mixture to the butter mixture until well combined. Slowly add flour mixture until fully combined, do not over beat.
Chill this dough for at least one hour, preferably overnight.
When you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Roll out dough on floured solid surface to about 1/2 inch thick. Using a circle cookie cutter, punch out circles and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until edges are slightly golden. Allow cookies to cool completely before covering in any icing.
Those sound GOOD, Gail……….I love my coffee:~))
Gail, my mouth is watering! Thank you!
Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies are my favorite, but I like most any kind as long as they are not coconut.
Hi Paula, if you visit me, I won’t serve coconut – although I love it!
My mom used to make Poor Man’s Cookies often when we were young. We’d also make them when visiting some close friends whose kids food allergies, because the cookies don’t have eggs, milk, or nuts.
Poor Man’s Cookies
2 Cups rolled oats
1 Cup packed brown sugar
1/2 Cup sugar
1 Cup all-purpose flour
1/4 Tsp. salt
1 Tsp. baking soda
1/4 Cup hot water
1/2 Cup shortening, melted and cooled
1 Tsp. vanilla extract
In a mixing bowl, combine oats, sugars, flour, and salt. Combine soda and water, stir into oats mixture along with shortening and vanilla. Roll into walnut-size balls. Place on GREASED cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for about 6-8 minutes. Remove from oven; allow to stand 2 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool. Yield: about 3-1/2 dozen (depending on size of cookies)
Thank you, Elizabeth – these are keepers! Thank you!
My cousin Bruce’s cookies are awesome.
http://anestintherocks.com/best-ever-chocolate-chip-cookies/
Thanks, Amy!
I will try these.
I love peanut butter and ginger cookies.
Thanks, Emma, I’ve never had ginger and peanut butter. Do you have a recipe?
I
My favorite cookie is Rosanna Pansino’s chocolate chip cookies. I love using this recipe around Christmas time for family gatherings and Holiday parties.
https://youtu.be/wDO4pRXpRmU
Thanks, Maggie, I will try these too!
Good cookies!
https://www.trulygrassfed.com/butterscotch-latte-cookies/
Joanna, Thanks for sharing! I’m adding these to my cookie file.
LOVE these recipes! My favorites are snickerdoodles!
Susan, thanks! Love snickerdoodles too!
I have two favorites, top is the chocolate chip cookie recipe from the butter flavor crisco packaging, the second is snickerdoodles.
Hi Maryann, those are two favorites at our house too!
Happy Cookie Month. This flourless walnut brownie cookie is my the ‘go-to’ cookie.
Flourless Chocolate-Walnut Cookies
2-3/4 cups walnut halves
3 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 cup, plus 3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 F. Spread the walnut halves on a large-rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 9 minutes, until they are golden and fragrant. Let cool slightly, then move the walnut halves to a work surface and coarsely chop them.
Position two racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven, and lower temperature to 320 F . Line two large-rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk (or use an electric mixer on low speed) the confectioners’ sugar with the cocoa powder and salt followed by the chopped walnuts. While whisking (or once you change the speed to medium), add the egg whites and vanilla extract and beat just until the batter is moistened. Do not over-beat or it will stiffen.
Spoon the batter onto the baking sheets in 12 evenly spaced mounds, and bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until the tops are glossy and lightly cracked; shift the pans from front to back and top to bottom halfway through to ensure even baking.
Slide the parchment paper (with the cookies) onto 2 wire racks. Let cookies cool completely, and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Now I’m hungry!
Thanks.
Thank you so much! I’m pasting your recipe into my file! Yep! I’m hungry too!
This cookie blog post is so much fun! I made gluten-free pumpkin cookies with chocolate chips this week. Anything GF for me. 🙂
Oh Julie, I have the recipe for non GF and love them!
Peanut Butter Cookies
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 egg
Mix together then use about about a tablespoon of dough per cookie.
Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. Cool them on a rack.
As empty nesters it makes the right amount for the two of us to last awhile.
Linda, those are so simple! I’m putting it into my cookie file! Thanks.
My favorite is my great-aunt’s Sugar cookie recipe. Eat them frosted or plain. I love them decorated with frosting and red hots. My family knows the cookies with a lot of red hots must be mine. 🙂 I like when the cinnamon flavor “bleeds” into the frosting.
Rachelle, those sound soooooo good. 🙂 Thanks
All cookies are welcome here. And I’m still looking for that elusive ginger cookie that is crisp on the outside and soft/chewy in the inside. A real favorite growing up. Many recipes indicate they are but I just can’t recreate them.
I have a recipe from my mother that is soft but not crisply on the outside. It makes a ton – pasting the recipe below.
Ginger Cookies
5 ½ cups sifted flour
1 T. Soda
2 teas. Baking powder
1 teas. Salt
¾ teas. Ginger
1 teas. Cinnamon
1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg beaten
½ teas vanilla
1 cup dark molasses
½ cup strong coffee
Sift together dry ingredients. Cream shortening, add sugar. Beat until light. Add egg and vanilla. Add molasses and coffee then dry ingredients. Mix well and chill.
Roll out and cut. – if desired
Bake on greased baking sheet. 400 degrees 8-10 minutes. Makes 12 dozen. Frost!
Oh the ginger cookies sound delicious!
My aunt gave me this recipe for Pecan Cookies, I love these!
Pecan cookies
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 tsp cold water
1 cup sifted flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup pecan meats chopped fine
Mix flour, salt and pecans, set aside.
Cream butter well, add 1/4 cup powdered sugar gradually
and continue creaming until light and fluffy.
Add vanilla and water, and mix.
Add flour mixture gradually and mix.
Chill in refrig. (not freezer) for 2-3 hours.
Shape into pieces about the size of a date.
Bake in 325 oven about 23 minutes. Sprinkle with
powdered sugar.
Thanks, Donna, I’m loving our cookie-swap! Another one to paste in my cookie file.
Chocolate chip pecan cookies are my favorite, but my Honey makes an awesome pecan sandie.
Mary, my mouth is watering!