Peanut Butter Marshmallow Bars

PREP TIME: 30 min

COOK TIME: 25 min

YIELD: 2 dozen bars

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Crisco® Butter Shortening Sticks, plus additional for greasing
• 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup Jif® Extra Crunchy Peanut Butter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/4 cups Pillsbury BEST® All Purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 salt
• 1/2 cup Jif® Creamy Peanut Butter
• 4 cups miniature marshmallows
• 1/2 cup Smucker's® Chocolate Sundae Syrups Ice Cream Topping
Directions:

1 HEAT oven to 350ºF. Grease a 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish with shortening.

2 COMBINE brown sugar, 1/2 cup shortening, peanut butter, sugar and egg in a large bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended.

3 MIX flour, baking powder and salt. Add gradually to creamed mixture at low speed. Beat until well blended. Cover. Refrigerate 15 minutes. Press into prepared dish. Bake 20 minutes or until light brown. Do not overbake. Cool 2 to 3 minutes.

4 PLACE peanut butter in microwave-safe measuring cup. Microwave on HIGH (100% power) for 1 minute. Pour over cookie base. Spread to cover. Cover with marshmallows. Drizzle chocolate syrup over marshmallows.

5 RETURN to oven. Bake 5 minutes or until marshmallows are light brown. Do not overbake. Loosen from sides of dish with knife. Remove dish to cooling rack. Cool completely. Cut with sharp greased knife into 2 x 2-inch bars.

Jumbo Cherry-Chunk Cookies

From the December 2008 issue of "Family Circle" magazine

Makes 15 jumbo cookies
Prep: 15 minutes
Refrigerate 2 hours
Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes

To basic sugar cookie dough, add 1/4 cup cocoa powder to flour mixture. Add an additional 1/2 C (1 stick) unsalted butter, and add 1/2 t cherry extract when adding the vanilla.

Stir in 6 oz semisweet chocolate chunks, 1/2 C cherry-flavored sweetened dried cranberries and 1/2 C chopped walnuts with flour mixture. Refrigerate dough 2 hours.

With a measuring cup or ice-cream scoop, drop 1/4-cup mounds onto 2 ungreased baking sheets. Gently press down with palm of your hand into 3" disks.

Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes until set. Let cool on sheets 3 minutes. Gently remove to cooling rack to cool completely.

Wrap in clear bags and tie with holiday ribbon, if desired.

Per cookie: 288 calories; 18 g fat (10 g sat.)

Chocolate-Chip Shortbread

From December, 2008's "Family Circle" magazine.

Makes 16 cookies (in a pie-cutting fashion)
Prep: 5 minutes
Refrigerate: 2 hours
Bake at 350 degrees for 27-30 minutes

To basic sugar cookie dough, mix in 1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips.

Form into 1 disk and refrigerate for 2 hours. Press into a 9-inch round fluted nonstick tart pan.

Score into 16 pie-shaped wedges without cutting completely through dough. Bake at 350 degrees for 27-30 minutes.

Let cool & remove side of pan. Just before serving, melt 3 T seedless raspberry preserves and drizzle over top of tart. Cut into 16 wedges along score marks.

Per cookie: 179 calories; 8 g fat (5 g sat.); 2 g protein; 25 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 36 mg sodium.

Cookie tip: Be sure not to overmix dough or results will be dry and tough.

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 C (3/4 stick) Crisco Shortening
1 1/4 C fimly packed brown sugar
2 T milk
1 T vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 C Pillsbury BEST All-Purpose Flour
1 t salt
3/4 t baking soda
1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 C coarsely chopped pecans (optional)

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Combine Crisco, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Beat egg into creamed mixture.

3. Combine Pillsbury Best All-Purpose FLour, salt, and baking soda. Mix into creamed mixture just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips and pecan pieces.

4. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough 3 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake one baking sheet at a time for 8-10 minutes for chewy cookies or 11-13 minutes for crisp cookies. Do not overbake.

Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet. Remove cookies to cooling rack.

Makes about 3 doz cookies.

*If nuts are omitted, add an additional 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips.