Oatmeal Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

My favorite item in the kitchen is my wonderful, amazing Kitchen Aid mixer.  Seriously, everyone should have one if you bake or make lots of doughs.  Best purchase I ever made.  Below is the Quaker Oats "Vanishing  Oatmeal Raisin Cookies" recipe.  But I don't really like raisins much, so I make them with dried cranberries instead.  I also make half with chocolate chips for Marcie, my favorite sister.*  And finally, thanks to my cousin Josie for sharing the secret to great cookies--cake flour instead of regular flour.


Oatmeal Chocolate Chip or Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
Ingredients:
1/2 Pound of butter, softened (2 sticks)
1 c firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1 1/2 c flour (I use cake flour-thanks Josie) (For Gluten Free try Better Batter Flour)
1 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
3 cups oats (For Gluten free use a GF certified rolled oat)
1+ c chocolate chips or
1+ c dried cranberries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Beat together the butter and sugars until creamy.
Add eggs and vanilla, beat well.
Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt, mix well
Stir in oats and chocolate chips/cranberries, mix well
Drop onto ungreased cookie sheet
Bake 10 minutes or until you likeness
Cool 1 minute and move to wire rack
about 4-5 dozen depending on size.

Enjoy!
Christine

*I do not have a favorite sister--I was just checking to see if they were all reading...

Pierogies

From the kitchen of Christine: 

My mother bought me this amazing cookbook "The Heart of Pittsburgh" A Cookbook from Historic Pittsburgh.  One of the best recipes is for Pierogies, though time consuming, well worth the effort.  I modified the directions and the filling.

Pierogies


Ingredients:

Dough:
2 cups of flour (Use Better Batter if Gluten Free)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup very hot water

Potato Filling:
2 cups mashed potatoes
1/2 medium onion finely chopped, sauteed in butter until soft
1/3 pound shredded cheese (I use Boar's Head Cheddar)

Directions:

Put potatoes on to boil.  Let boil 10 minutes.

Dough:  Mix the flour and salt.  Beat together the egg and oil.  Make a well in the flour mixture, and pour egg mixture, and using a fork, begin to mix the dough.  Add the hot water; continue mixing until a soft dough forms.  On a floured surface, lightly knead dough until no longer sticky.  Add flour as necessary.  Cover dough with plastic wrap; set aside to rest for 30 minutes.

Mash the potatoes.  In a large bowl, combine the mashed potatoes, onion and cheese.  Season with salt and pepper.

Put a large pot of water on to boil.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness.  Using a biscuit cutter, or inverted glass, cut dough into 3 or 4 inch circles.  Spoon filling into center of each circle.  Fold dough in half over top of filling to form a semi-circle.  Using wet fingers, dampen the edges and press together to seal.  Crimp edges with a fork.*

Working in batches, place pierogies in boiling salted, water.  Boil for 4 to 5 minutes.  Pierogies will float to top when done.  Remove with a slotted spoon.  Let sit for a minute or 2.

Heat some vegetable or olive oil in a frying pan.  Place 4 or 6 pierogies in pan.  Fry until golden brown.  Turn once.  Serve warm.

*You may freeze pierogies at this time.  Put on a cookie sheet and do not let them touch.  Once frozen, you can put them in a bag.

Enjoy!
Christine