Destiny's Kitchen

Okay, by this time you’re probably all sick of cookies & are currently coming up with your New Year’s resolutions, but I still want to post these.  Don’t throw anything at me, please!  I couldn’t go all out this year, but had enough money for a few key ingredients, which enabled me to give my loved ones some sugary love.

The whole lot…

These are Coconut Snowballs, which I found here.  They were a new hit & I love how cute they look!  Very Festive.

I also made striped Peanut Butter-Chocolate Fudge.  I made 1/2 batch of Alton Brown’s p.b. fudge recipe & 1 batch of Vegan Lunchbox’s chocolate fudge, without the marshmallow creme or nuts.  I cut them into tiny squares so people wouldn’t go into diabetic comas right away.

These are my favorite ginger cookies ever, Chewy Gingersnaps, probably from a Better Homes & Gardens or Betty Crocker cookbook (recipe down below).  I’m not sure, but they’re delish!

And, last but not least, Raspberry Jelly Dot Cookies, based on my late Gran’s recipe (down yonder) that she cut from the back of a Nucoa margarine box.  Awesome!  They are classics in our family & always bring smiles to my sister & Mom, especially.

Here’s the recipe for the gingersnaps.  They’re chewy, but I guess the “snap” is the spice flavor.  I swear I heard that on The Splendid Table on NPR.  If you like ’em crunchy, maybe bake them at a lower heat forever?  I’m not a lover of the crunch myself, so I’m not sure.

Chewy Gingersnaps

• 3/4 cup margarine, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 Ener-G egg
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch each of cloves & salt
• sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 375*F.  Cream first three ingredients together.  Add egg replacer & beat till creamy.  In a separate bowl, combine flour, soda, & spices.  Stir flour mixture into creamed mixture until combined.  Form into 1-inch balls.  Roll in sugar.  Place 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until crinkly & flat (I whack the sheet on the counter to see if they flatten).

Jelly Dot Cookies

• 1/2 cup margarine, melted
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 Ener-G egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup finely chopped walnut, for rolling
• 1/2 cup or so jelly/jam of your choice, stirred (not chunky stuff)

Preheat oven to 350*F.  Beat margarine, sugar, egg, & vanilla until smooth & slightly thick.  Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add them to the first mixture, stirring until thoroughly mixed.  If dough is too soft, chill it until it is workable.  Form the dough into 1-inch balls, then roll them in the chopped nuts.  Place them on a cookie sheet, about 1 1/2 inches apart.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven & use your thumb (you may have to wait if you don’t have “asbestos fingers”) to make a dent in the center of each cookie.  Then fill the dent with jam or jelly.  Place back into the oven for 3-5 minutes, or until lightly browned.  Then devour these addictive beasts!