Pepperidge Farm Ginger Man Cookies

Pepperidge Farm® Ginger Man Cookies®
When cloning cookies for the holidays, why not clone the best? Pepperidge Farm's Ginger Man cookies bring a sweet gingery crunch to the seasonal festivities. And so will your version no matter what shape they end up.

1 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cup molasses
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
red sugar crystals (for cake decorating)
Cut your cookies into any crazy shape you want (these are mentally deranged snowmen), then sprinkle on the red sugar crystals.

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Cream together the sugars, shortening, molasses, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth.
3. In another large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, ginger, salt, cinnamon, and cloves.
4. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, stirring while you add it.
5. Roll a portion of the dough out on a heavily floured surface. Roll to under 1/4-inch thick. Cut the cookies using a man-shaped cookie cutter, or any other cookie cutter shape you've got in the bottom drawer.
6. Place cookies on an oiled cookie sheet and bake for 15 to 18 minutes. Bake only one cookie sheet of cookies at a time. Makes around 3 dozen cookies.

Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookie

Neiman Marcus® Chocolate Chip Cookie
To dispel the urban legend of the $250 recipe, as told in the text of the infamous chain letter recipe, Neiman Marcus created an actual recipe for chocolate chip cookies and displayed it on
the Neiman Marcus Web site...for a limited time only. I recently went to take another look at the recipe, and it was gone. Georgia Christiansen, Neiman Marcus Creative Director, told me that the recipe will no longer be featured on the site. But she did send me a copy. Since I get so many request for the recipe, and because I get even more e-mail copies of the bogus chain letter, I will
post the recipe here. Maybe this will help put an end to the myth.

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee, slightly crushed
8 oz. semisweet chocolate chips

1. Cream the butter with the sugars until fluffy.
2. Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract
3. Combine the dry ingredients and beat into the butter mixture.
4. Stir in the chocolate chips.
5. Drop by large spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet.
6. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes, or 10-12 minutes for a crispier
cookie. Makes 15 large cookies.

Nabisco Oreo Wafers

Nabisco® Oreo (Wafers)
When I first designed the Oreo cookie clone recipe for the second book, More Top Secret Recipes, I decided that a cake mix would suit the recipe best. However, the variety and brand I chose -- Duncan Hines Dark Dutch Fudge -- became unavailable in many parts of the country. Now, for all of my faithful readers, it is time to fix that problem with a cake mix that should be available everywhere. Many of the ingredients have changed to create an even more tender, chocolatey cookie that can be the same color as the real thing if you decide to add some brown paste food coloring. You will also note that the method has been improved to create cookies that are more uniform in size by using a spice bottle lid on the thinly rolled out dough. This will allow you to make your wafers faster, and they will all be the same size. The filling recipe remains the same, and can be found on page 68 of More Top Secret Recipes. For those of you who don't have the book (and, of course, for those who do), tune in next week for a brand-new recipe that requires these wafers. (Hint: T.M.)

1 18.25-ounce pkg. Betty Crocker chocolate fudge cake mix
3 tablespoons shortening, melted
1/2 cup cake flour, measured then sifted
1 egg
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons brown paste food coloring (optional)*

1. Combine the cookie ingredients in a large bowl. Add the water a little bit at a time until the dough forms. Cover and chill for 2 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. On a lightly floured surface roll out a portion of the dough to just under one 16th of an inch thick. To cut, use a lid from a spice container with a 1 1/2-inch diameter (Schilling brand is good). Arrange the cut dough rounds on a cookie sheet that is sprayed with a light coating of non-stick spray. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove wafers from the oven and cool completely.
4. As the cookies bake, make the filling (recipe in More Top Secret Recipes on page 68).
5. When the cookies have cooled, roll a small portion (heaping 1/4 teaspoon) of the filling into a ball (just over 1/4-inch in diameter), and press it between two of the cookies. Repeat with the remaining cookies. Makes 108-116 wafers; for 54-58 sandwich cookies.
*This is an optional step to help recreate the color of the original cookie. If you do not use the paste food coloring be sure to change the amount of water added to the wafer cookies from 3 tablespoons to 1/4 cup. The food coloring gives the cookies the dark brown, almost black color. The coloring can be found with cake decorating supplies at art supply and craft stores.

Tidbits
If the dough seems too tacky, you can work in as much as 1/4 cup of flour as you pat out and roll the dough. Use just enough flour to make the dough workable, but not tough.

Nabisco Old Fashioned Ginger Snaps

Nabisco® Old Fashioned Ginger Snaps
Nabisco's version of this old favorite cookie may not be as big a seller as its much-cloned Oreo. Heck, it's not even close. But if you're a ginger snap fanatic, this recipe will give you a killer clone of the cookie giant's store-bought version that you can whip up in a...uh...snap. And if you're watching the fat, four of these cookies check in with a total of around 2.5 grams of fat.

1 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup shortening
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream together the sugars, molasses, shortening, butter, egg, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth.
3. In another large bowl combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, salt, cinnamon, and cloves.
4. Pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture and beat while adding the water. Continue to mix until ingredients are incorporated.
5. Measure a heaping teaspoon of dough at time. Roll the dough into a sphere between the palms of your hands then press the dough onto the cookie. Flatten to about 1/8-inch thick.
6. Bake cookies for 10-14 minutes or until edges begin to brown and cookies are crispy when cool.
Makes 120 (10 dozen) cookies.

Nabisco Nilla Wafers

Nabisco® Nilla® Wafers
No one knows the exact origin of the vanilla wafer but it's guessed that the recipe was developed in the south. The wafers were being whipped up from scratch at home long before Nabisco
introduced the lightweight, poker chip-like packaged cookies in 1945. Back then they were called Vanilla Wafers. But in the 60s Nabisco slapped the trade name Nilla Wafers on the box. Today the real things come about 100 to a box and really fly when whipped into the air with a little flick of the wrist. Here now, you can relive the days of old with a homemade version fresh out of the oven. This clone recipe makes about half a box's worth and they fly just as far. For just a slight variation on this recipe - with similar aerodynamics - check out the clone for Sunshine Lemon Coolers.

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon water

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Cream together sugars, shortening, egg, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl.
3. Add the flour and baking powder. Add 1 tablespoon of water and continue mixing until dough forms a ball.
4. Roll dough into 3/4-inch balls and flatten slightly onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until cookies are light brown.
Makes 50 to 56 cookies.

Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chip Cookies

Mrs. Fields® Chocolate Chip Cookies
Mrs. Fields cookies that are crispy around the edge and chewy in the middle. Be careful not to cook these too long. I know it becomes tempting to keep cooking these because they don't
seem to be done after 10 minutes, but they will continue to cook for awhile after you take them out of the oven, and when cool, will be nice and chewy. Mmm...got milk?

1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 twelve-ounce bags semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla.
3. In another bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients.
5. Stir in the chocolate chips.
6. With your fingers, place golf ball-sized dough portions 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
7. Bake for 9-10 minutes or just until edges are light brown.
Makes 30 cookies.

Mrs. Dole's Pecan Roll Cookies

Mrs. Dole's Pecan Roll Cookies
Yield: 45 servings

1 c Margarine; room temp
1/4 c Powdered sugar plus more
For coating baked cookies
1 tb Cold water
1 ts Vanilla
2 c All-purpose flour
2 c Pecan pieces

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Grease baking sheet. In medium bowl with mixer on medium speed, beat together margarine and 1/4 cup powdered sugar until smooth and creamy. Beat in water and vanilla. On low speed, gradually beat in flour. Mix in pecans with a wooden spoon or by hand. With floured hands, roll 2 teaspoons dough for each cookie into a datelike shape. Place cookies on greased baking sheet. Score top of each cookie lengthwise with knife. Bake 45 minutes. Roll in powdered sugar while still warm. Yield: 3 3/4 dozen cookies.

Mrs Fields White Chocolate Chip

Mrs Fields White Chocolate Chip
Categories: Cookies

2/3 c Butter plus 2 tbs.
1/2 c Sugar
1/2 c Dark brown sugar
1 Egg
1 ts Vanilla
1 1/2 c Flour
3 1/2 oz Macadamia nuts; chopped
6 oz White chocolate; chopped in

Heat oven to 325. Grease cookie sheets. In large bowl with electric mixer beat butter, sugars, egg and vanilla at med-high speed until fluffy. Reduce mixer speed to low, add flour, increase speed gradually and beat just until blended. Stirr in nuts and chocolate. Drop by heaping tablespoon onto cookie sheets. Bake about 15 minutes or until edges are slightly brown and tops look dry. Cool on cookie sheet on wire rack about 5 minutes the remove to rack to cool completely.

Mrs Fields Pecan Supremes

MRS FIELDS PECAN SUPREMES
Yield: 36 servings

2 c FLOUR
1/2 ts SODA
1/4 ts SALT
3/4 c QUICK OATS
3/4 c DARK BROWN SUGAR, PACKED
3/4 c SUGAR
1 c BUTTER, SOFTENED
2 lg EGGS
2 ts VANILLA EXTRACT
1 c CHOPPED PECANS (4 OZ)
1 c SEMISWEET CHOCOLATE CHIPS

PREHEAT OVEN TO 300*F. IN A MEDIUM BOWL COMBINE FLOUR, SODA,SALT, AND OATS. MIX WELL AND SET ASIDE. IN A LARGE BOWL BLEND SUGARS WITH AN ELECTRIC MIXER AT MEDIUM SPEED. ADD BUTTER AND MIX TO FORM A GRAINY PASTE. SCRAPE DOWN SIDES OF BOWL, THEN ADD EGGS AND VANILLA. BEAT AT MEDIUM SPEED UNTIL LIGHT AND FLUFFY. ADD THE FLOUR MIXTURE, PECANS AND CHOCOLATE CHIPS AND BLEND AT LOW SPEED JUST UNTIL COMBINED. DROP DOUGH BY ROUNDED TABLESPOONS ONTO UNGREASED COOKIE SHEETS, 1 1/2 INCHES APART. BAKE FOR 20-22 MINUTES. IMMEDIATELY TRANSFER COOKIES TO A COOL, FLAT SURFACE.

Mrs Fields Pecan Pie Bars

Mrs Fields Pecan Pie Bars

Pastry:
1 1/2 c All-purpose flour
1/2 c Salted butter; chilled
5 tb Ice water; (5 to 6)

Filling:
5 tb Salted butter
1 c Dark brown sugar; firmly pack
1/2 c Light corn syrup
2 ts Pure vanilla extract
3 lg Eggs; beaten
1 1/2 c Chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. In a medium bowl combine flour and chilled butter with a pastry cutter until dough resembles coarse meal. Add water gradually and mix just until dough holds together and can be shaped into a ball. Or, use a food processor fitted with metal blade to combine four and butter until they resemble coarse meal. Add watter by tablespoonfuls and process just until a dough ball begins to form. Wrap dough tightly in a plastic scrap or a plastic bag. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm.

On floured board using a floured rolling pin, roll out dough into a 10x10-inch pan. Fold dough in half and then into quarters. Place it in an 8x8-inch baking pan. Unfold the dough and press it into the corners and up along the sides of the pan. Refrigerate 15 minutes.

TO PREPARE THE FILLING: Melt 5 tablespoons of butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar and corn syrup. Mix until smooth. Add vanilla and eggs, and beat with spoon until thoroughly combined. Fold in chopped pecans. Pour the pecan filling into the pastry-lined pan. If dough extends beyond filling minsture trim dough with a knife. Place pan in center of oven and bake 50-60 minutes or until filling is set. Cool on wire rack. Cut into 2x2-inch square, and top each with a pecan half. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Mrs Fields Peanut Butter Oatmeal Ranch Cookie

Mrs Fields Peanut Butter Oatmeal Ranch Cookie
Yield: 42 servings

3/4 c Whole wheat flour
3/4 c Flour
1/2 ts Baking powder
1 c Oats/old fashioned or quick
1 c Light brown sugar
1/2 c Butter; softened
1/2 c Creamy peanut butter
1/4 c Honey
2 lg Eggs
2 ts Vanilla
1 c Raisins
1/2 c Sunflower seeds

Preheat oven to 300*F. In a medium bowl combine flours, baking powder and oats. Mix well with a wire whisk and set aside. In a large bowl beat sugar and butter with an electric mixer at medium speed to form a grainy paste. Blend together the peanut butter, honey, eggs and vanilla. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add the flour mixture, raisins and sunflower seeds. Blend at low speed just until combined. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake for 23-25 minutes until bottoms turn golden brown. Immediately transfer cookies with a spatula to a
cool, flat surface

Mrs Fields Peanut Butter Cookies

Mrs Fields Peanut Butter Cookies

2 ts Vanilla
1 c Peanut butter; creamy
3 Eggs
1 c Butter; softened
1 1/4 c Sugar
1 1/4 c Dark brown sugar
1/4 ts Salt
1/2 ts Baking soda
2 c Flour

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine flour, soda, and salt. Mix well with a wire whisk. In a large bowl, blend sugars using a mixer at medium speed. Add butter and mix to form a grainy paste. Add eggs, peanut butter, and vanilla. Mix at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the flour mixture and mix at low speed until just mixed. (Do not overmix). Drop by rounded tablespoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet, 1 1/2 inches apart. With a wet fork, gently press a crisscross pattern on top of the cookies. Bake for 8-22 minutes until cookies are slightly brown along the edges. Transfer cookies immediately to cool surface with a spatula

Mrs Fields Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

Mrs Fields Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars
Yield: 24 servings

8 md Butter cookies
1/4 c Salted butter; melted

Chocolate layers:
2 1/2 c Milk choc chips(15 oz)

Peanut butter filling:
1 1/2 c Creamy peanut butter
1/2 c Salted butter; softened
3 c Confectioners' sugar
2 ts Pure vanilla extract

*Crush cookies until finely ground. Add butter & mix. Press crumb mixture into bottom of 8x8 baking pan & bake 10 mins. at 325 F. Cool to room temperature. *Melt chocolate. Pour half into pan & smooth evenly over crust. Place pan in refrigerator. Keep remaining choc. warm. *Blend peanut butter & butter together until smooth using electric mixer. Slowly beat in confectioners' sugar & vanilla. Beat until smooth. Spread mixture over chilled chocolate layer. Pour remaining warm chocolate over top & spread smoothly. Chill in refrigerator one hour. Yields 24-36 bars.

Mrs Fields Party Time Cookies

Mrs Fields Party Time Cookies
Yield: 36 servings

3/4 c Salted butter; soft
1/3 c Sugar
1 ts Vanilla
1/3 ts Almond extract
1 c Flour
1 c Semisweet chocolate chips
1 c Slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cream butter and sugar together in a medium bowl using an electric mixer set at medium speed. Add extracts and beat well. Scrape bowl. Add flour, chocolate chips and almonds, and blend on low speed until just combined. Do Not Overmix. Shape rounded tablespoonsful into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on ungreased baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Press balls with palm of hands or bottom of drinking glass into 1/2 inch thick rounds. Bakes 15-17 minutes or until cookies just begin to brown. Transfer cookies to a cool, flat surface.

Mrs Fields Original Cookies

Mrs Fields Original Cookies
Yield: 30 servings

1/2 c Butter
1/2 c Sugar
1/2 c Brown sugar
1 Egg
1/2 ts Vanilla
1 1/4 c Oatmeal
2 oz Plain hershey bar
1 c Flour
1/4 ts Salt
1/2 ts Baking powder
1/2 ts Baking soda
6 oz Chocolate chips

Put oatmeal in blender, blend till powder, set aside. Grate hershey bar in blender or by hand, set aside. Cream together butter, sugar and brown sugar. In large bowl, mix oatmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Blend in butter and sugar mix to dry ingredients. Add chocolate chips and grated hershey bar. Make golfball size cookies, bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 6 minutes at 375 degrees.

Mrs Fields' Orange Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Mrs Fields' Orange Chocolate Chunk Cookies

2 1/2 c Flour
1/2 ts Baking soda
1/4 ts Salt
1 ts Grated orange peel
1 c Sugar
1/2 c Light brown sugar, packed
1 c Butter, softened
2 lg Eggs
1 ts Orange extract
1 1/2 c Semisweet chocolate bar
Coarsely chopped (8 oz)

Preheat oven to 300*F. In a medium bowl combine flour, soda,salt and orange peel. Mix well and set aside. In a large bowl blend sugars with electric mixer at medium speed. Add butter and beat to form a grainy paste, scraping sides of bowl as needed. Add eggs and orange extract, and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add
the flour mixture and chopped chocolate. Blend on low speed just until mixed. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets, 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake for 22-24 minutes until cookies are slightly brown along the edges. Transfer cookies immediately to a cool surface.

Mrs Fields Nutty White Chunk Cookies

MRS FIELDS NUTTY WHITE CHUNK COOKIES

2 1/4 c FLOUR
1/2 ts SODA
1/4 ts SALT
1 c LT BROWN SUGAR, PACKED
1/2 c SUGAR
3/4 c BUTTER, SOFTENED
2 lg EGGS
2 ts VANILLA EXTRACT
1 c PECANS, CHOPPED (4 0Z)
1 1/2 c WHITE CHOCOLATE BAR (8 OZ)
COARSELY CHOPPED

PREHEAT OVEN TO 300* F. IN A MEDIUM BOWL COMBINE FLOUR, SODA AND SALT MIX WELL AND SET ASIDE. IN A LARGE BOWL WITH AN ELECTRIC MIXER BLEND SUGARS AT MEDIUM SPEED. ADD BUTTER AND MIX TO FORM A GRAINY PASTE, SCRAPING DOWN THE SIDES OF BOWL. ADD EGGS AND VANILLA AND BEAT AT MEDIUM SPEED UNTIL LIGHT AND FLUFFY. ADD THE FLOUR MIXTURE,
PECANS AND WHITE CHOCOLATE AND BLEND ON LOW SPEED UNTIL JUST COMBINED. DROP BY ROUNDED TABLESPOONS ONTO UNGREASED COOKIE SHEETS, 2 INCHES APART. BAKE 20-22 MIN. OR UNTIL EDGES JUST BEGIN TO TURN GOLDEN BROWN. TRANSFER COOKIES TO A COOL FLAT SURFACE.

Mrs Fields Mocha Chunk Cookies

Mrs Fields Mocha Chunk Cookies
Yield: 48 servings

2 1/2 c All-purpose flour
1/3 c Unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 ts Baking soda
1/4 ts Salt
2 ts Instant coffee crystals
- (french roast or other Coffee)
2 ts Coffee liqueur
1 c White sugar
3/4 c Dark brown sugar; packed
1 c Salted butter; softened
2 lg Eggs
10 oz Semisweet chocolate bar
- coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a medium bowl combine flour, cocoa,soda and salt. Mix well with a wire whisk and set aside. In a small bowl dissolve coffee crystals in coffee liqueur and set aside. In a large bowl blend sugars with an electric mixer at medium speed. Add butter and mix to form a grainy paste. Scrape adown sides of bowl. Then add eggs and dissolved coffee crystals, and beat at medium speed until smooth. Add the flour mixture and chocolate chunks, and blend at low speed just until
combined. Do not overmix. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake for 23-25 minutes. Immediately transfer cookies with a spatula to a cool, flat surface.

Mrs Fields Marbles

Mrs Fields Marbles
Categories: Cookies

2 c All purpose flour
1/2 ts Baking powder
1/4 ts Salt
1/2 c Light brown sugar
1/2 c White sugar
1/2 c Salted butter; softened
Egg
1/2 c Sour cream
1 ts Vanilla
1 c Chocolate chips

Preheat oven 300. In med bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt with wire whisk. Set aside. Combine sugars in a lg bowl using an electric mixer set at med speed. Add butter and beat until batter is grainy. Add egg, sour cream, and vanilla, and beat at med speed until light and fluffy. Scrape bowl. Add flour mixture and blend at low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.

Place chocolate chips in double boiler over hot but not boiling water. Stir constantly until melted. OR, microwave, stirring every 20 sec until melted. Cool chocolate for a few minutes and pour over cookie batter. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, lightly fold melted chocolate into the dough. Do not mix chocolate completely into cookie dough. Drop by rounded T's, 2" apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 23-25 mins. Do not brown. Quickly transfer cookie to a cool surface.

Mrs Fields Maple Pecan Butterballs

Mrs Fields Maple Pecan Butterballs
Yield: 24 servings

1 1/4 c Flour
1/2 ts Soda
1 ts Cinnamon
3/4 c Pecans; finely ground in Food processor or blender
1/2 c Butter; softened
2/3 c Sugar
1/4 c Maple syrup
1 lg Egg

Preheat oven to 300d F. In a medium bowl combine flour, soda, cinnamon and finely ground pecans. For extra flavor, saute pecans in 1 Tbl butter until slightly browned. Mix ingredients well with a wire whisk and set aside. In a medium bowl cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until mixture forms a grainy paste. Add syrup and egg and beat until slightly thickened. Add the flour mixture and blend at low speed just until combined. Place dough in plastic bag and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Remove dough from refrigerator and shape into 1-inch balls.
Place cookies on ungreased cookie sheets 1 inch apart. Bake 17-18 minutes or until cookie bottoms are golden brown. Immediately transfer to a cool, flat surface.