Best of

Here is a list of all of my favorites:

Best Chocolate chip cookie

http://carriescookiecountdown.blogspot.com/2011/09/week-46-super-yummy-chocolate-chunk.html

Best no-chocolate cookie

http://carriescookiecountdown.blogspot.com/2010/10/candy-corn-cookies.html

Best bar

http://carriescookiecountdown.blogspot.com/2011/02/week-19-raspberry-delights.html

Easiest

http://carriescookiecountdown.blogspot.com/2011/03/week-22-fancy-sugar-cookie-bars.html

Honorable mention

http://carriescookiecountdown.blogspot.com/2010/12/week-8-chocolate-waffle-cookies.html

Hubby's favorite (He has the page # memorized.)

http://carriescookiecountdown.blogspot.com/2011/05/week-32-brown-sugar-icebox-cookies.html

Biggest fail

http://carriescookiecountdown.blogspot.com/2011/08/week-41-praline-brownies.html

Week 52: Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

http://www.crisco.com/Recipes/Details.aspx?recipeID=2102

This is an easy, no-fail chocolate chip cookie. I love when my mom makes these cookies! She got the recipe from a family friend's mom who we all call "Goo." It turns out, the recipe actually came off of a package of Crisco, but they will always be "Goo's cookies" to us.

Warning: These cookies are very addictive.

This is my last cookie for this project, but this will not be my last post. I plan to have a few more posts about the year of cookies, and then I will reveal my next project.

Also, I had just enough vanilla left for my very last cookie!

Week 51: Double Chocolate Cookies

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Double-Chocolate-Cookies

I love chocolate!

Hooray! A yummy successful cookie! Didn't I say awhile back that I just need to stick with what I know? I think I need to stick with the traditional mix, scoop, bake. AND I didn't over cook them! YUM! Chooooooocolate!

ONE MORE COOKIE!!!

Week 50: Caramelitas

I have no idea where my picture of this disaster went.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Caramelitas

These were quick and easy, except I think cooked them too long. They were tough and chewy. The recipe said to bake for 20-22 minutes, or until bubbly. I let it cook for 20 minutes, and it was really bubbly when I took it out. I've been over cooking my cookies a lot lately. Is it possible for my oven to get hotter with age?

Hopefully the last TWO cookies will be awesome!!!

Week 49: Soft Lemon-Ginger Cookies

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Soft-Lemon-Ginger-Cookies

These are soft and yummy. I know they won't last very long at my house. I think I need to stick to simple cookies like these. They're always the best.

My son, who is learning to talk, now knows the word "cookie". We are in trouble.

Only 3 cookies to go!

I'm planning to do a "best of" list, so I need your help. What are your favorites?

Week 48: Gooey Turtle Bars

http://www.cookingclub.com/Recipes/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/5520/Gooey-Turtle-Bars

Another fail.

I'm sure this is my mistake. I don't have a candy thermometer, so I'm sure that is where I went wrong. They were gooey, but not tasty. Also, I think my pecans were no good. I'm not really sure why, because they weren't that old, and I keep them in the freezer. Maybe I made the mistake when I toasted them. Anyway. They were yuck. The piece you see missing, is the only piece eaten. The rest is now trash.

Only 4 cookies to go! (I hope they are 4 successful cookies.)

Week 47: Apricot Chip Cookies

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Apricot-Chip-Cookies

I'm out of ways to say, "these cookies were good." Well, these cookies were good. They are basically chocolate chip cookies with dried apricots added. I thought they might taste a little weird with the dried apricots, but they were actually kind of nice. If you like dried apricots, but don't like rasins, they would be a good alternative in other recipes that call for rasins.

Only 5 cookies to go!

The following is an inside joke:

A - this is for you http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/pecan-divinity/detail.aspx

I hope to see you soon!

Week 46: Super Yummy Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/anne-burrell/super-yummy-chocolate-chunk-oatmeal-cookies-recipe/index.html

Anne Burrell is a rock star, and these cookies really are Super Yummy!!!

I wish this were my last cookie, because I am afraid that no other cookie will be able to top this one.

Instead of chocolate chips, she chops up a brick of high quality dark chocolate into big chunks. If you love chocolate like I do, you will L-O-V-E this cookie.

She sprinkles a little sea salt on top of hers. I sprinkled a little table salt on one of mine, and really enjoyed it, but I'm not much of a salt eater, so I only did this once. I do enjoy the occasional chocolate with sea salt.

Only 6 cookies to go!

Week 45: Chocolate Chip Cheese Bars

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Chocolate-Chip-Cheese-Bars

Super easy and uses very few ingredients. It uses store bought refrigerated cookie dough, a pack of cream cheese, one egg, and 1/2 cup sugar. I forgot to take the picture before digging in. Not a bad dessert, but I'm not sure I liked the Great Value cookie dough that I used. There is a note that you can use 2 cups of your favorite cookie dough. It would probably be much better with a better quality cookie dough.

7 cookies to go!

week 44: Date Drops

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Date-Drops

I found a good deal on a box of dates at Walgreens, but then I realized that they were whole dates, and I had to chop them up. Other than chopping up the sticky dates, they were very easy to make. I like dates because of their nutty texture and flavor. I baked two cookie sheets at once, and one sheet, as you see above, stayed in a little mound and browned on the bottom, while the other sheet spread out. They were all pretty good. My husband asked what page this one was on. He has memorized the pages of his favorite cookies. :)

8 cookies to go!

Week 43: Chippy Blond Brownies

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Chippy-Blond-Brownies

Finally, a successful bake! It has been awhile since I've liked any of my cookies! These are simple and yummy. I was out of semi sweet chocolate chips, so I used milk chocolate chips. They are almost as good. I prefer full sized semi sweet or dark chocolate chips. They look a little overcooked, but I like them that way. I like a crunchy edge to my bars.

9 cookies to go!!!

Week 42: Coffee Shortbread

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Coffee-Shortbread

These were just OK. I didn't care for them. I have seen several recipes that use instant coffee, so I thought I'd give it a try. I like real coffee, not really instant coffee. I think if these cookies were just coffee flavored, they would be better. I really didn't like the bitter chunks of instant coffee granules. I planned to drizzle them with white and dark chocolate, but the white chocolate would not melt and ended up burning. I think my burner was on too high, and I wasn't patient enough. I did use more of those pesky mini chocolate chips. They do have a purpose after all. Melting!

Counting down! 10 cookies to go!

Week 41: Praline Brownies

I knew that this was a bad recipe when 1) I followed the directions twice and burned it both times, 2) I couldn't find the recipe on the Taste of Home website, and 3) there is no picture in the book of what it should look like. So far, all of the recipes I have gotten from my Taste of Home Cookies book have been on tasteofhome.com. "Praline Brownies" were no where to be found.

First the recipe tells you to cook the brown sugar, butter and milk until melted in a sauce pan. Next it says to pour it into a baking pan and sprinkle with pecans. Then you put the brownie mixture over the praline layer and bake it in the oven. Well, the problem is that the praline mixture is already cooked before it makes it into the oven, and the oven just burns it. Maybe if I tried to cook the brownies, and then pour the praline mixture on top, then that would work. It sounded like a good idea, because I love pralines! BTW, it pronounced praw-leens, I don't care what anyone else tells you. :p

Here's a few pictures of my second try:

Week 40: Chocolate Chip cookies, small batch recipe

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Chocolate-Chip-Cookies---small-batch?refurl=&_mid=2138764&_rid=2138764.1309201813.18118

These cookies turned out fine. They were easy and there were no disasters, like last week. I made sure to start with a perfectly clean kitchen and and entertained child. I just wasn't a big fan of these cookies.

When I found this recipe, I was excited, because it was supposed to be a lighter version of the typical chocolate chip cookie. First, I couldn't find reduced fat margarine, so I used regular. I also used low fat yogurt instead of fat free, because I already had some. I think the yogurt just made them kind of thick, and I'd rather have a lighter, crispier cookie. I think I also missed the butter. Plus, how many calories are you really saving when they still have the same amount of sugar and flour as any other cookie. I also have a big problem with mini chocolate chips. I have decided that they are a complete waste. If I want chocolate, then I want to TASTE chocolate! Mini chocolate chips are so tiny, that they get lost.

Again, not my favorite. I don't recommend them. Just make the real thing with real ingredients.

Week 39: Blueberry Squares

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Blueberry-Squares

This was a disaster from the beginning, but it was my own fault. My kitchen was a disaster. Never start with a messy kitchen. Also, my son would not take a nap and was making a big mess in the middle of my own mess, which just made everything...well, messy.

Things started OK. Mmy crust came out of the oven a little browner than I liked, but it was still edible. I cooked the blueberries as directed on the stove top, and that was fine. Then I began beating the whipping cream and powdered sugar together. Well, I got distracted, and ended up beating it way too long, and it turned into butter.

Thankfully, I had some Cool whip in the freezer, so I let that thaw out a little, then mixed it with the marshmellows. But, when I tried to layer the mixture on top of the crust, the crust fell apart.

So, it's not pretty. I thought, it doesn't have to be pretty as long as it tastes good...well. Not so much. The blueberries were a little sour to begin with, and I think I may have put more lemon juice and lemon zest than it called for, which just made the whole thing sour. Oh, well. Lesson learned.

Start with a clean kitchen!

Week 38: Peanut Butter Maple Cookies

DSC02808, a photo by Felix and Carrie on Flickr.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Peanut-Butter-Maple-Cookies

Yummy peanut butter maple cookies. The recipe made 4 dozen, so I am sharing. Who will be lucky enough to get a dozen of these yummy treats?

Week 37: Blueberry Oat Cookies

IMG_20110705_191639, a photo by Felix and Carrie on Flickr.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Blueberry-Oat-Cookies

I made these with fresh blueberries that I picked this morning at a friend's house in Fairhope, AL. I L-O-V-E them! It's like a portable blueberry crisp! I almost don't want to share!

My little helper.

DSC02701, a photo by Felix and Carrie on Flickr.

I had help this week.

Week 36: Icebox Honey Cookies

DSC02723, a photo by Felix and Carrie on Flickr.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Icebox-Honey-Cookies

These are simple and yummy. I like the honey flavor and the hint of cinnamon.

week 35: reconsidered

In my last post, I said that I didn't really like the Watermelon Cookies. Well, the first time I tasted them, they were still warm out of the oven. After trying them again, once they cooled off, they were quite good. They tasted much better when they were cooled off and crunchy, then when they were still warm and soft. My husband also really enjoyed them. I will remember now to try my cookies again after they've cooled off.

Week 35: Watermelon Slice Cookies

DSC01757, a photo by Felix and Carrie on Flickr.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Watermelon-Slice-Cookies

Here's another cookie for summer. These were fun to make. They're similar to my favorite Candy Corn cookies, but not as good. I think my raisins were too big for these cookies. I usually love sesame seeds, but not on these cookies. They're not as tasty as they are cute.

Week 34: Sand Dollar Cookies

DSC01616, a photo by Felix and Carrie on Flickr.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Sand-Dollar-Cookies

I've always thought sand dollars were neat. I saw them all the time in shell shops in Pensacola. I only saw pieces of them at the beach. I'm not sure I ever saw a whole one at the beach. These cookies turned our really pretty and they remind me of the almond cookies I would get from the Chinese Buffet. They do make a big mess for such a small batch.

Week 33: Oaty Cereal Treats

DSC01604, a photo by Felix and Carrie on Flickr.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Cheerio-Treats

Many people may not think these are cookies, but it was in my Taste of Home Cookies book, so it's going in the blog. They are super fast to make, and using the microwave and not the oven or the stove when it's 1000 degrees outside makes me happy. :D

Week 32: Brown Sugar Icebox Cookies

DSC01599, a photo by Felix and Carrie on Flickr.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Brown-Sugar-Icebox-Cookies

I made these because I had all of the ingredients, and my Mom said she made them when she was a kid. These are very easy to make. You can mix them up ahead of time, put them in the fridge, then bake them when you're ready. Yum!

Week 31: No-Bake Fudgy Oat Cookies

DSC01598, a photo by Felix and Carrie on Flickr.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/No-Bake-Fudgy-Oat-Cookies

These cookies were really easy and fast to make. These are good for people who don't like them with peanut butter. However, Mom says that peanut butter makes them creamier.

Week 30: Blonde Brownie Nut Squares

DSC01596, a photo by Felix and Carrie on Flickr.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Blonde-Brownie-Nut-Squares

I put these in an 8.5 x 11 pan, and they turned out quite thin. They're still yummy, but not thick enough to be a brownie.

Week 29: continued

DSC01593, a photo by Felix and Carrie on Flickr.

Week 29: Chocolate Chip Cookie Delight

DSC01592, a photo by Felix and Carrie on Flickr.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Chocolate-Chip-Cookie-Delight

Yummy, yummy layers.

Week 28: April 27, 2011 Tornado

DSC01568, a photo by Felix and Carrie on Flickr.

I didn't bake cookies this weekend. I was too worried about my students who lost so much in the tornado. Instead, I will share my Easter Bunny cookie that I decorated with my family the Sunday before.

Week 27: Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

DSC01552, a photo by Felix and Carrie on Flickr.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Banana-Chocolate-Chip-Cookies

These are yummy, soft, cookies. They're more like muffin tops than cookies. I think I'd like to try them with whole wheat flour, and nuts instead of chocolate chips and eat them for breakfast. I made them big, so it only made 1 1/2 dozen, instead of 3 dozen.

Week 26: Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

DSC01551, a photo by Felix and Carrie on Flickr.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Chocolate-Chip-Oatmeal-Cookies

OK, I don't hate cookies. These are yummy! It's a good thing I only made half a batch so I wouldn't eat a million of them. It's a traditional recipe that also uses a pack of vanilla pudding mix. I really like the flavor the pudding mix added to the cookies. Time to go exercise!

Week 25: Light Cream Cheese Bars

DSC01545, a photo by Felix and Carrie on Flickr.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Makeover-Cream-Cheese-Streusel-Bars

OK, it's week 25. I'm not even half way through a year of this. I think I'm tired of cookies. I'm sure these were really good, I just didn't want them. That's probably a good thing. If every cookie was awesome, I'd never lose any weight. The key to losing weight when baking cookies every week? Don't eat the cookies. Either don't like them, or give them away.

Like most bars, these were very easy to make.

Week 24: Lemon Splenda Cookies

DSC01543, a photo by Felix and Carrie on Flickr.

This week I made the same cookies as week 23, but I used Splenda instead of sugar. They might have been ok to someone who didn't eat much sugar, but I really did not enjoy these. They were more dense and they tasted like baking soda. Someone ate them, though, because there were very few left. I also made the cheesecakes with Splenda, but the Splenda sweetness is just way too overpowering to me. I probable could have used less. Sorry, but sugar is just better.

Week 23: Crisp Lemon Sugar Cookies

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Crisp-Lemon-Sugar-Cookies

I made these cookies once before I started the blog, and I really enjoyed them. They are crispy and simple with a hint of lemon.

I also used them as the crust to my individual cheesecakes. I saw this recipe on Paula Deen several years ago. She uses a vanilla wafer on the bottom, but I thought these cookies would be perfect. I halved this recipe and made just 6. If you've given up on sugar, I've made these cheesecakes with Splenda. The cookies could probably be made with Splenda as well.

Aren't they pretty?

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/paula-deens-easy-cheesecake-120241.aspx?pf=true

Week 22: Fancy Sugar Cookie Bars

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Fancy-Sugar-Cookie-Bars

These were the easiest cookies to make, and they were a big hit. My husband was upset that I took them to school and didn't save some for him. I used a packaged sugar cookie mix instead of refrigerated cookie dough. I didn't measure any of the toppings and I added butter scotch chips. I would love to make these again.

Week 21: Cookie Jar Nut Cookies

I'm about 3 weeks behind on my blog. I made the cookies each week, but I'm just now blogging about them. Here we go:

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Cookie-Jar-Nut-Cookies

These cookies were not that great to me. My husband said he enjoyed them, but I didn't care for the taste, and I had a difficult time baking them. The first batch came out undercooked, the second over cooked, and the final batch a little crunchy. I added some chocolate chips to my last batch, but I still didn't care for them. I didn't really like the nutmeg flavor.

Week 20: Vanilla-Glazed Apple Cookies

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Vanilla-Glazed-Apple-Cookies

These would make a great cookie in the fall or during the holidays. They made the house smell wonderful!

They wouldn't be my cookies without some kind of mishap. I usually cook two pans of cookies at the same time. During my first batch, one pan looked ready, but the other pan looked like it needed more time. I didn't reset the time, and I forgot about them.

Oops.

week 19: Raspberry Delights

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Raspberry-Delights

This was my first experience making a bar cookie, and my first experience using jam in a cookie. I used Smuckers Simply Fruit. I really like these. They are very tasty. I wish I had used a little less jam than I did, because the cookie part tastes so good that the jam takes away from it. I also liked that I could put all of the cookies in one pan and bake them once, rather than having to bake them in batches. I put a layer of parchment paper down in the pan, which slid out very easily, and made slicing the pieces much easier.

week 18: Scottish Shortbread

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Scottish-Shortbread

I originally planned to make a different cookie in honor of Valentines' Day, but I didn't have some of the ingredients, and I wasn't in the mood for something complicated. I wanted something easy, with ingredients I had on hand. I thought these would be the perfect, simple cookie. Not many ingredients, and not very many directions.

I think it would have been easy had I listened to my own advise from last week...let your butter soften before trying to cream it with the sugar. This recipe is ALL butter, and I tried to cream it with the hand mixer before it was soft enough, which burned out the motor. Thankfully, I also have a stand mixer that I could transfer it to, but I like using the hand mixer so much better. I guess I know what I'm doing with the gift card my husband gave me for Valentines Day.

The cookies turned out very good, and I dipped a few in chocolate just for me. I just can't get enough chocolate these days.

Week 17: Butter Cookies

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Butter-Cookies

I chose this recipe so I could try out my new cookie press that I found for $5 after Christmas. I have mixed feelings about the cookie press. I think I just haven't gotten the hang of it yet. I do like how it made little bite sized cookies. But when they're so small, it's hard to keep track of how many you've eaten.

I did cheat on the icing. I used store bought icing, since I had some stock piled in my pantry. I added red food coloring to about half of them. I took them to share at a birthday party at the bowling alley, and everyone seemed to like them. My husband is not a fan of the sweet icing, so I should have made a few more for him without icing. He was, after all, complaining that my cookies are making him fat. Yeah, they're making me fat too. I think I need to find a Splenda, whole wheat, fiber cookie in the near future. :)

Week 16: Coconut Drop Cookies

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Coconut-Drop-Cookies

I usually choose a cookie recipe based on what I already have in my kitchen, rather than pick a recipe, then go to the store. I found some walnuts on sale a few weeks after Christmas and I put them up in the freezer. I decided to pick a recipe this week that used the walnuts. Once again, my husband did not want me to share these cookies with anyone. He wanted them all to himself. I added some chocolate chips to the last batch, but my husband prefers them without.

week 15: Oatmeal S'more Cookies

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Oatmeal-S-more-Cookies

These sound good, but they're not my favorite. They're not bad, but I've had so many different kinds of cookies now, that these just aren't the best. I was happy that I had all of the ingredients on hand.

See last week's cookies. They're so much better!