I have the Martha Bakes set on my DVR. She is a very good teacher. You learn a lot more from her than a lot of the TV chefs who just toss things willy-nilly. I would love to make homemade puff pastry, but I always decide it isn't worth the time/effort when I can just pull a box out of the freezer. LOL - that sums me up! One funny about this - my kids thought I was taping the childrens show on PBS "Martha Speaks" - lol! They thought I lost my mind....

Just put my list (and ingredient list) together and so far I have: Oatmeal Sugar Cookies Mini Chip Snowball Cookies Oriental Noodle Cookies Holly Dolly Bars (Thank you craftyshe) Salted Nut Rolls Peanut Butter Hershey Kiss Cookies Sour Cream Raisin Bars Chocolate Waffle Cookies I think I'm too heavy on the chocolate, so will be adding at least 2 or 3 that do not include chocolate. Will also ask Gary and Emi if they each have a favorite or two they'd like to have me add. Will spend the next two weekends baking cookies and wrapping gifts :-)

Sue...when you open the link scroll down just a bit..there are about 6 pictures...the bottom right pic. of choc. cookies....click on it and a bigger pic will come up..just to the right it says "get the recipe" It's a choc cookie with a half of a marshmallow then frosted with a choc frosting. My friend that makes them is 76...she said she has been making them since her kids were little. Probably at least 50 years. patti

Ruthanna, now you mentioned it, I keep slice and bake cookies in the freezer pretty much all the time, although some were not meant to actually be slice and bake. The 5 ingredient gluten free peanut butter cookie lends itself well to freezing in a roll, as does my basic sugar cookie recipe. Some, like Grandma's Molasses cookies, don't roll well, but freeze well in balls, so I just take out a dozen and bake them. My favorite, though, is this maraschino/white chocolate shortbread cookie, also not meant originally as a slice and bake, but it works really well as one. I don't use the food coloring and just drizzle the white chocolate over the top of the baked cookies, then sprinkle with a pinch of red sugar. They're nice for Valentine's Day and you can also use the green maraschino cherries in them for red and green Christmas cookies. The recipe comes from Better Homes and Gardens. I never make the balls and flatten them, I always roll into a roll, chill and cut about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick for baking. 1/4 inch makes them crisper, I like them thicker, they seem to have more of the shortbread texture that way. White-Chocolate Cherry Shortbread 1/2 cup maraschino cherries, drained and finely chopped 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1/2 cup sugar 1 cup cold butter 1/2 tsp almond extract 2 tsp shortening sprinkles, sanding sugar, etc. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spread cherries on paper towels to drain well. In a large bowl, combine flour and sugar. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in drained cherries and 4 ounces (2/3 cup) of the chopped chocolate. Stir in almond extract and, if desired, food coloring. Knead until smooth and form into a ball (dough will be crumbly at first, but will come together as you work the dough with your hands). Shape dough into 3/4-inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased ungreased cookie sheet Using the bottom of a drinking glass dipped in sugar, flatten balls to 1-1/2-inch rounds. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until centers are set. Cool for 1 minute on cookie sheet. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool. In a small saucepan, combine remaining 8 ounces white chocolate and the shortening. Cook and stir over low heat until melted.Dip half of each cookie into chocolate, allowing excess to drip off. If desired, roll dipped edge in nonpareils and/or edible glitter. Place cookies on parchment or waxed paper until chocolate is set. Layer cookies between waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Now I may have to go drag a roll out of the freezer and bake some..... Annie