Gooey Butter Cookies

8 oz. softened cream cheese (I used 1/3 less fat)
1/2 stick softened butter
1 egg yolk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 yellow butter cake mix
Powdered sugar

Mix first 5 ingredients together and refrigerate for 2 hours. Form into balls (will be very sticky - put extra powdered sugar on your hands to roll easier) and roll completely in powdered sugar. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes at 350º.

They will look/seem undercooked, but pull them out and put on cooling rack.

They will be PERFECT!

These are really good served cold.

From ModHousewife: http://www.modhousewife.com/2011/12/gooey-butter-cookies/

Betty Crocker's Sugary Gingerbread-Oat Chews

This recipe can also be found here: http://www.recipe.com/sugary-gingerbread-oat-chews/

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen. Can be doubled.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
3 tablespoons molasses
2 teaspoons ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 egg
1 pouch Betty Crocker® oatmeal cookie mix (1 pound 1.5 ounces)
1/3 cup coarse sugar (I used regular sugar)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. In large bowl, beat butter, molasses, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and egg with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add cookie mix; beat until soft dough forms.

2. The dough will be very sticky.  Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll balls in sugar. On ungreased cookie sheets, place balls 2 inches apart.

3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are light golden brown.

4. Cool 5 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Store in tightly covered container.

Thumbprint Cookies

1 pkg. (8 oz.) softened Cream Cheese
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) softened butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 ¼ cup flour
½ tsp. baking soda

Beat cream cheese, butter, granulated sugar and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add flour and baking soda; mix well. Add 1 cup finely chopped pecans. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Indent centers. Bake 10 minutes. Fill each cookie with about 1 tsp. of your favorite preserves. Continue baking 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

Christmas Cut-Outs Icing

1/2 cup butter softened
3 cups confectioner's 10x powdered sugar
3 tablespoons of milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla
food coloring

Cream butter. Add remaining ingredients and continue creaming until mixture is well blended and light and fluffy.

Split into bowls and add food coloring.

Will cover about 70-90 cut-outs depending on the shapes.

Christmas Cut-Outs

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar

4 eggs
3 tsp water
1 tsp vanilla

6 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg

You will need 3 bowls. In the largest bowl, cream butter well. Then add white sugar and brown sugar slowly to the butter and cream well. I usually do this one in the mixer.

In the second bowl, beat eggs and add water and vanilla.

In the third bowl, mix and sift the remaining dry ingredients.

Add alternately the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients to the creamed butter and sugar.

At the end you will have to use your hands to shape the dough into a large ball. Chill dough at least 1 hour before rolling it out.

Roll on floured surface and cut with cookie cutters.

Bake about 7-8 minutes on 350.

Cool and icing. See Cut-Out Icing for recipe.

Meltaway Cookies

1 cup soft butter
1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cup sifted flour
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400. Mix thoroughly: butter, powdered sugar and vanilla. Sift flour and salt and then stir into first mixture. Roll into tsp size balls and drop onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake about 8-12 minutes until set but not too brown. While still warm, roll them in more powdered sugar!