Ming-Wai's Magic Cookie Bars

INGREDIENTS
Butter for greasing pan (or non-stick cookie spray)
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 cups (12 oz. pkg.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chopped nuts

HEAT oven to 350°F. Coat 13 x 9-inch baking pan with butter or no-stick cooking spray.

COMBINE graham cracker crumbs and butter in small bowl. Press into bottom of prepared pan. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture. Layer evenly with chocolate chips, coconut and nuts. Press down firmly with fork.

BAKE 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Loosen from sides of pan while still warm; cool on wire rack. Cut into bars or diamonds.

*For perfectly cut cookie bars, line entire pan with foil, extending foil over edge of pan. Coat lightly with no-stick cooking spray. After bars have baked and cooled, lift up with edges of foil to remove from pan. Cut into bars.

Recipe from Eagle Brand

Victoria's Classic Sugar Cookies

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 egg
2 1/2 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
Granulated sugar or colored sugar

Mix powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, almond extract and egg in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients except granulated sugar. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Heat oven to 375ºF. Lightly grease cookie sheet.

Divide dough in half. Roll each half 1/4 inch thick on lightly floured surface. Cut into desired shapes with 2- to 2 1/2-inch cookie cutters. Sprinkle with granulated sugar. Place on cookie sheet.

Bake 7 to 8 minutes or until edges are light brown. Remove from cookie sheet. Cool on wire rack.

Recipe from Betty Crocker

Victoria's Crockpot Cinnamon Almonds

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 C. Sugar
1 1/2 C. Brown Sugar
3 Tbsp. Cinnamon
1/8 tsp. Salt
1 Egg White
2 tsp. vanilla
3 Cups Almonds
1/4 C. Water

1. Mix together in a large bowl sugars, cinnamon, and salt.
2. In another bowl with a whisk, mix together the egg white and vanilla until it is frothy.  Add the almonds and coat thoroughly.  This will help the mixture stick to the almonds during the cooking process.
3. Prepare your slow cooker by spraying it with cooking spray.  I used a 4 quart.  Add the cinnamon almond mixture to the almonds and turn it to low.  Stir until the cinnamon sugar mixture is coated well on the almondsBe prepared for your house to smell amazing!
4.  You want to cook for about 3-4 hours.  Mine took about 3.  Stirring every 20 minutes.  In the very last hour, add 1/4 cup water and stir well.  This will ensure a crunchy coating and help the mixture to harden.
5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the almonds onto the sheet to cool.  The almonds should be pretty sticky so be sure to seperate them the best that you can and let them cool!

*Update:  There is a lot of sugar left over in this.  You can reduce the sugar to probably about 1 cup of each and only putting about an 1/8 cup of water.  I am going to be testing it out this week.  Also your almonds will be very dark and clump together.  Just spread them out and try to unclump them as best as possible and let them cool

Recipe from The Recipe Critic

Aimee's Iced Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

INGREDIENTS
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
Cooking spray

Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tbsps fresh lemon juice
2 tsps grated orange rind

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and ground nutmeg into a bowl. Mix in the quick-cooking oats
3. Combine brown sugar, granulated sugar and butter in a bowl and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended
4. Add vanilla and eggs to bowl and beat well
5. Gradually add flour mixture and cranberries, beat at low speed until combined.
6. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray, shape dough into 1-inch balls (I like using a ice cream scoop), and place on cookie sheet 2 inches apart.
7. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until almost firm
8. Let stand on baking sheet 2 minutes then remove to a wire rack and let cool completely (I recommend overnight)
9. To prepare glaze, combine powdered sugar, lemon juice and orange rind in a bowl, stirring with a fork.
10. Spoon mixture into a small zip-top bag, snip a small hole in 1 corner of the bag, and drizzle glaze over cooled cookies. Let glazed cookies sit out for about 2 hours for the glaze to harden.

For the last step, the glaze is very liquid-y so I recommend placing the cooling racks onto a cookie sheet before you start glazing to keep the mess somewhat controlled.

Alexandra's Sugarplum Spice Cookies

INGREDIENTS
3 1/2 c all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 c butter, softened
1 c granulate sugar
1/4 c molasses
1 egg
1/2 c dried figs
1/2 c dried apricots
1/2 c dried cranberries
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp cardamom
1 Tbsp Bourbon or Brandy
3 Tbsp honey
1c course sugar (for rolling)
1/2 c slivered almonds, roasted
1/2 c pistachios, roasted

Preheat oven to 350F.
Combine flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar with a hand mixture until smooth and fluffy. Add molasses and egg, beat until well-combined.
Place the bowl of dough in the refrigerator for 1 hr or freezer for 10mn (optional).

Next, combine figs, apricots, cranberries, spices, liquor (optional) and honey in a food processor. Add in nuts and pulse until well-combined. Add the fruit/nut mixture to the spice cookie dough. Mix with a large spoon or spatula or knead with hands until well-incorporated. Roll into 1" balls and roll in sugar. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Enjoy!

Yields 60-65 cookies.