Cookie making made easy my busy mom method by Chris Rawstern

In the early seventies, when I was very young and with small children to take care of, I some cookie recipes that I'd do very often, because they were simple recipes with ingredients that I usually have on hand. Cookies are a great snack, don t require tools to pick up and eat and can be made ahead for a party. However, even with all this, they are just not my favorite things to do, because they have to be done either by dropping individually on baking sheet, roll out and cut (make a mess on the counter, and more cleanup) or often extra step to have to chill the dough before work. I like the immediacy. I like to mix up a recipe, bake, clean up and be done.

One morning I made a batch of these cookies, finally popped last Pan in the oven and set the timer. Itching to get outside for a bit and see what kids do, I went out and got distracted. When I remembered the cookies in the oven, they had burned and shrunk down to small little black hockey puck-not even the dogs had no interest in them! It pays not to get distracted when baking. This was the last straw. I had to think of a better way.

I came up with a brilliant idea that I call my busy-mom method I use today. Instead of taking the time to make all the individual cookies, with a separate baking times (and time to get distracted), I would roll the cookie dough on a greased baking sheet, working it evenly to the edges, and bake it like a big cookie. It is best to use a plate that has three open sides, because it is easier to maneuver a rolling pin and get the cake is rolled evenly. Remember also that needed a little more flour in the dough that allows for lifting out and form a rough rectangle of rolling. Even a little extra flour over the surface while rolling helps to keep the rolling pin from sticking. Try not to add any more flour than absolutely necessary or cookies come out more dense and more difficult.

It takes a couple of minutes more in the oven with a large cake, but it comes out perfect. Just look for the edges should be golden and center to be set up. With these cookies make me too a simple glaze which is only 1 1/2 cups Confectioners ' sugar, a pinch of salt, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and enough water or milk to make a fairly thick consistency (very slow fall from the spoon). Wide this over warm pie straight from the oven. Warm cake icing, heat will melt and spread easily, using the back of the spoon I used to mix the cream. I'm all for less cleanup! When the cake cools, the icing dries and hardens, and I just cut the large cookie in the small bar or square shapes, and voila, the cookies in half the time. Two of my favorite recipes for this method were hermits and easy vanilla Cookies. If you are a busy mom, try this method with some simple cookie dough. Cookies that Hermes had raisins in them, but the thickness of the dough was nothing less than the thickness of the raisins, so it still worked great.
Easy vanilla Cookies

Makes about 7 dozen

1 cup unsalted butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

Cream butter, shortening and sugar. Add the vanilla and salt. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Stir in flour, mix well. Drop from a teaspoon 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Plate with floured, flat-bottomed glass. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove immediately from pan.

These easy vanilla Cookies are amazingly good, from a simple recipe. Don't take my word-try them, either as individual cookies, or with my busy-mom method.

Thank you for taking the time to read my article. I hope it was informative and helped you along your own culinary journey. You'll find many more recipes and useful tips on my website. I'm on Facebook on a harmony of flavors and share a recipe or tip each day to the fans who have enjoyed my site. I hope to see you there soon.