Trick or Treat Cookies

Work today was a great day for baking...and we had lots of overripe bananas, so made several recipes.  First a great banana bread recipe, second a banana cake recipe.  Unfortunately, I forgot to bring those recipes home, so I'll have to share those recipes another day.


Twelve years ago, I met my husband...and as they say, "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach."  Ok, well, I don't do a lot of "cooking," but "baking" is another story.  I love to bake...cookies, breads, cupcakes, muffins, cakes.  Tonight, on the eve of Halloween, I baked cookies for him to take to work.

I really don't have a name for them yet...maybe in honor of Halloween, I could call them "Crispy Critters," but instead, I'll keep it simple, "Crispy Chip Cookies."  So, if you are reading this, and know where my husband works, you can probably go "trick or treating" tomorrow and get a cookie!! :)

One thing I love about this time of year is the special baking items available, such as Andes Peppermint Chips, the Nestles orange and black chocolate chips for Halloween, or the Nestles red and green Christmas chips. I have been known to purchase multiple bags of these special items and put them in the freezer for use at other times of the year. 

So, till next time, I hope you enjoy this recipe:

Crispy Chip Cookies

1 cup butter
1 cup shortening (I use butter flavored Crisco)
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cup white sugar
4 eggs
1 T. vanilla
4 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 packages Nestles orange and black chocolate chips
1 cup crispy rice cereal

In large mixing bowl, cream together the shortening, butter, sugar and brown sugar.  Stir in eggs and vanilla.  Mix well. Add flour, baking soda and salt and mix completely.  Stir in the chips and cereal.  Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets, and bake at 350 degrees for 10-11 minutes, or until desired golden brown.  (I like my cookies a little less done, but my mom always liked hers darker golden).  Let cool a few minutes, then remove and place on wire rack or aluminum foil to cool.  Makes about 6 dozen cookies.

I use a small ice cream dipper (in the food-service world, it is a #40 dipper...which is about 1 1/2 Tablespoons), so my cookies are uniform sized and shaped.  If you have a child in 4-H, this is a great way to keep cookies the same sized to make the judges happy!! I should know...I used to be one of those judges.  And for those of you who want your kids to be involved in a great organization, I would highly encourage 4-H...it made a difference in my life, and helped me become the person and professional I am today.