Lion House Oatmeal Cookies

From the Lion House Recipes cookbook:

2 cups brown sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
2 cups quick rolled oats
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp nutmeg
2 cups flour
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup nuts
(for my family we just add about a cup and a half our our desired mix-ins:  cinnamon or chocolate chips, craisins, nuts, etc.)

Cream together sugar and shortening.  Add eggs and milk and mix well.  Then add rolled oats.  Add dry ingredients and mix until smooth.  Stir in desired mix-ins.  Drop on cookie sheet and back at 375 degrees F for 10 or until lightly browned.  Makes 5-6 dozen cookies. 

Notes:  We have successfully substituted margarine and butter for shortening when we've run out.

Food Storage:  Shortening is a great item for your food storage since it's shelf stable.  I always bake with my powdered eggs and powdered milk and the rest of the ingredients are all dry and store well in your pantry.

Oatmeal Bars

This is a recipe I found that was originally from www.makeandtakes.com. These bars are one of the snack foods that I make weekly for lunches for my kiddos. They can be for sack & at-home lunches or after-school snacks. They freeze very nicely if you prefer to do that.

As a side-note - making snacks and getting everything ready on Sunday for the upcoming week is a great way to save time and money. Other easy snacks that you can find us assembling on Sunday: jello, homemade chocolate pudding, pretzels, veggies like carrots/baby tomatoes/celery, cookies (for lunches I like to pretend they are healthy so I make things like oatmeal-raisin and I alway use wheat flour). I love the inexpensive multi-colored baby snack cups with lids that you find at Wal-Mart to package up the treats!

2 1/2 cups oats (I use whatever I have - quick or regular)

1/2 cup Rice Krispies

1/4 cup coconut

1 cup M&Ms or chocolate chips

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup margarine, soft

1/4 cup honey (spray your cup with Pam so the honey doesn't stick)

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup peanut butter

Mix all ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Press into in 9x13 pan and smooth out the top. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes, then score the bars into the size you'd like (don't cut all the way through). Let the bars set completely and then cut into bars and store in a sealed container.

Sugar Cookies

I had these cookies and frosting at a Ward Valentine's Dance while we were in college. Oh my! They were so soft and delicious that I made sure to get the recipe! And of course in the subsequent years and moves I lost it. Fast forward 7 or 8 years and, thanks to Facebook, I reconnected with Kristin and begged for the recipe once again. Now I commit it to the blog - never to be lost again!!!

2 c. butter

4 c. sugar

4 eggs

2 t. vanilla

2 c. sour cream

1 t. baking soda

8 t. baking powder

2 t. salt

10 c. flour

Cream butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and sour cream. Add baking soda, baking powder, salt and flour. Mix well - will be very sticky. (You can refrigerate the dough to help with rolling). Place dough on floured surface and sprinkle flour over the top of the dough so it won't stick to the rolling pin. Roll out dough to about 1/4" thickness or a little less. Cut into desired shapes and bake at 350F. Start with 7 minutes and add a minute or 2 as needed. You don't want them browning on top so keep a close eye on them! This makes a lot so reduce quantities as desired.

FROSTING

1/2 c. butter

3/4 c. Crisco

1/8 t. salt

2 t. vanilla

1/3 c. cold water

2 lb powdered sugar (I sometimes use less to make a softer frosting that sticks better to the cookies)

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Color as desired and frost cooled cookies.

Candy Corn Cookies

from Quick Cooking magazine

1-1/2 cups butter, softened

1-1/2 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Yellow and orange paste food coloring

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.
Divide dough in half. Tint one portion yellow. Divide remaining dough into two-thirds and one-third portions. Color the larger portion orange; leave smaller portion white.
Shape each portion of dough into two 8-in. logs. Flatten top and push sides in at a slight angle. Place orange logs on yellow logs; push the sides in at a slight angle. Top with white logs; form a rounded top. Wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for 4 hours or until firm.
Unwrap and cut into 1/2-in. slices. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks to cool. Yield: 32