ere are two recipes that I like. Hope you have success with them! Chocolate Cut Out Cookies Cookie type: cut outs This is another recipe from www.cookierecipe.com. The recipe was submitted by Robin J. The cookies will puff up slightly. The recipe makes about 6 dozen cookies depending on the cookie cutter. Ingredients 1 cup butter or margarine 2 cups white sugar 3 eggs 2 teas vanilla 3 cups flour 1 teas baking powder 10 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder Directions Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; add eggs, beating well. Mix in vanilla. Combine flour cocoa powder and baking powder, add to cream mixture. Mix well. Cover and chill for 2 hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Divide dough in half. Roll out each half to ¼ inch thick. Cut with cookie cutters. Place on lightly greased cookie sheets. Decorate. Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Decorate. Cut-Out Chocolate Cookies Cookie Type: Cut-out This is another recipe out of HersheyÂs Best-Loved recipes. Good texture and taste. It makes about 3 dozen cookies depending on the size of your cookie cutters. Ingredients ½ cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened ¾ cup sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 ½ cups flour 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa ½ teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon salt Directions: Beat butter, sugar, egg and vanilla in a large bowl until and fluffy. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to butter mixture, blending well. Chill dough about 1 hour or until firm enough to roll. Heat oven to 325 degrees F. On a lightly floured board or between 2 pieces of wax paper roll a small portion of the dough at a time to ¼ inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters; place on an ungreased sheet. Bake 5 to 7 minutes or until no indentations remain when touched lightly. Cool slightly and remove from cookie sheet onto wire racks. Coo completely, decorate as desired. Hints, Tips, Tricks and How to Cheat: I found that the dough cracked when I tried to roll it out after chilling. The dough needs to be at room temperature. The cookies also needed a longer baking period 8-9 minutes. Also, I found that if you roll the dough on a silicone mat that is floured, then cut out the cookies, it makes it easier to get the cookies onto the baking sheet.

Here is the one for CCC: Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies from the Episode: The Cookie Jar Avoid using a nonstick skillet to brown the butter; the dark color of the nonstick coating makes it difficult to gauge when the butter is browned. Use fresh, moist brown sugar instead of hardened brown sugar, which will make the cookies dry. This recipe works with light brown sugar, but the cookies will be less full-flavored. For our winning brand of chocolate chips, see related tasting. Makes 16 cookies 1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (8 3/4 ounces) 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 14 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks) 1/2 cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces) 3/4 cups packed dark brown sugar (5 1/4 ounces) (see note) 1 teaspoon table salt 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 large egg 1 large egg yolk 1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips or chunks (see note) 3/4 cup chopped pecan or walnuts, toasted (optional) See Illustrations Below: Don't Bake in Batches 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large (18- by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside. 2. Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and, using heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted. 3. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny. Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using), giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain. 4. Divide dough into 16 portions, each about 3 tablespoons (or use #24 cookie scoop). Arrange 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets, 8 dough balls per sheet. (Smaller baking sheets can be used, but will require 3 batches.) 5. Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely before serving.

My mother (with a family of 7, plus friends, grandparents, aunt...) used to bake scads of cookies for Christmas. We were spoiled for choice! Almond crescents, pecan balls, mini pecan tarts, date pinwheels, hermits, jam thumbprints, cut out sugar (with a touch of nutmeg), a cream cheese pastry dough filled with various fruits or nuts (can't remember the name). Sometimes she would make fudge. I am sure that I've forgotten a couple. Over the years I've made all of these, usually just 2 or 3 in small quantity (almost always including hermits) but as the DD grew up and I became prone to gaining too much weight in November and December, I am down to making just one small batch. This year it is gingerbread.

Just realized the recipe I posted was for the white (vanilla) half moons. These are the original chocolate half moons! COOKIES 3 3/4 c all purpose flour 3/4 tsp baking powder 2 tsp baking soda 2 1/4 c granulated sugar 1 c butter, cubed 3/4 c cocoa powder, sifted 1/4 tsp salt 2 lg eggs 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 1 1/2 c milk FROSTING - CHOCOLATE 3 1/2 oz bittersweet chocolate 3 1/2 oz semi-sweet chocolate 1 Tbsp butter 4 1/3 c confectioner's sugar 2 Tbsp corn syrup 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 1 pinch salt 1 c boiling water FROSTING - VANILLA 7 c confectioners' sugar 1 c butter, cubed, room temp 1/2 c vegetable shortening 7 Tbsp milk 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract 1 pinch salt Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350°. 2. Sift together flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl and set aside. 3. Put sugar, butter, cocoa and salt in bowl of mixer and beat on medium speed until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and continue to beat. Add half the milk, then half the flour mixture, beating after each addition until smooth; repeat with remaining milk and flour mixture. 4. Spoon or pipe batter onto parchment-lined baking sheets, making 3'' rounds 2'' apart. Bake until cookies are set, about 12 minutes. Allow to cool, then remove from parchment. 5. Frosting - Chocolate: Melt chocolates and butter in the top of a double boiler over simmering water over medium heat. Add confectioners’ sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, salt and 6 tbsp. boiling water - mix to a smooth, stiff paste with a rubber spatula. Thin icing with up to 8 tbsp. more boiling water. Icing should fall from a spoon in thick ribbons. Keep warm in a double boiler over low heat. 6. Frosting - Vanilla: Put sugar, butter, shortening, milk, vanilla and salt in a bowl. Beat on low speed to mix, then increase to medium and beat until light and fluffy. 7. Using a metal spatula, spread about 1 tbsp. of warm fudge icing on half of the flat side of each cookie. Spread the other half of each cookie with 1 heaping tbsp. vanilla icing.