Ingredients

• 1 cup shortening or butter
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbls. milk or cream
• 2 tsps. vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups plain flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Directions

1. Mix together shortening, sugar and eggs.

2. Stir in milk and vanilla.

3. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt and stir into dough.

4. Chill dough for at least 4 hours.

5. With rolling pin, roll dough thin and cut into desired shapes.

6. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet and bake 5 to 7 minutes at 350 degrees.

Note: To make a sweet, decorative frosting, mix half-and-half with powdered sugar in a cereal bowl, stirring until it gets to a spreading consistency. Then add food coloring and ice cookies.

Source: “First Edition Betty Crocker Cookbook,” published in 1950.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Thoroughly blend together butter, peanut butter and sugars; add egg and beat well. Sift together flour baking powder, soda and salt. Add sifted flour mixture to butter, peanut butter, sugars and egg mixture, mix well. Chill in refrigerator.

Roll cookie dough into one inch balls, place on greased cookie sheet 1 1/2 inches apart. Place a small amount of flour into a small bowl, dip a fork into the flour and press the fork on the top of the cookie ball, pressing to flatten. Press the fork again on the cookie, in the opposite direction. Bake 10 minutes at 375°.

**if you use margarine, use a 1/2 tsp salt

Ingredients

• 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 2 cups all puprpose flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 72 miniature semisweet chocolate chips (about 2 tsp)

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, beat the milk, peanut butter, vanilla, and egg until smooth. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; add to peanut butter mixture and mix well.

For each bear, shape the dough into one 1-inch ball, one 3/4 inch ball, six 1/2 inch balls and one 1/4 inch ball. On an ungreased baking sheet, slightly flatten the 1 inch ball form the body. Place the 3/4 inch ball above the body for the head. For the ear, place two 1/2 inch balls above the head. For limbs place four 1/2 inch balls next to the body. For the nose, place te 1/4 inch ball in the center of the head. Add two chocolate chips for eyes and one chip for the belly button. Bake at 350(F) for 6-8 minutes or until lightly golden browned. Cool on baking sheets.

Makes 2 dozen

Note: I made these and they are so darned cute! I only got 17 teddies out of this though.

Ingredients

• 1 c. granulated sugar
• 1 c. white corn syrup
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups creamy style peanut butter
• 5 cup cornflakes

Directions

Heat sugar , corn syrup & vanilla to a good boil . Remove from heat, stir in peanut butter & corn flakes.
Drop by teaspoons on waxed paper. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

Ingredients

• 2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate morsels, divided use
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 6 tablespoons finely crushed peppermint candy, divided use
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 teaspoon peppermint or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.

Line several baking sheets with baking parchment or aluminum foil. In a large microwave-safe bowl, microwave 1 cup chocolate morsels and the butter on full power for 1 minute. Stir well. Continue microwaving on medium power, stopping and stirring at 30-second intervals. Stop microwaving before the chocolate completely melts and let the residual heat finish the job.

Stir the condensed milk, half the crushed candy, the egg and peppermint (or vanilla) extract into the chocolate mixture until blended. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour and cocoa. Stir the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture until blended. Stir in the remaining 1 cup chocolate morsels. If the dough seems too soft to drop, let stand for 5 minutes to firm slightly.

Drop the dough by heaping measuring tablespoonfuls, or use a small ice cream scoop lightly coated with nonstick spray, on the baking sheets, spacing the cookies 2 inches apart. Bake one sheet at a time for 6 to 9 minutes, or until the centers are almost firm when pressed. Do not overbake.

Remove from the oven and garnish each cookie with a pinch or two of the remaining crushed candy. Bake for 1 to 2 minutes longer, or until the candy bits begin to melt. Transfer the sheet to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Using a spatula, transfer to the rack to cool completely.

Makes 40 to 45 cookies.