Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

One cup creamy peanut butter
One cup white sugar
One teaspoon baking powder
One egg
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Cream the peanut butter and sugar in a bowl.  Beat in the baking powder. Add the egg. Mix until it is all well combined.

The dough will be sticky, so be prepared to get your hands messy. Roll some dough into a ball. (How big? That depends on you. I have found, however, that the smaller these cookies are, the better they hold together. Eat two instead of one!) Roll the ball into white sugar. Line a baking sheet, covered in parchment paper, with sugary balls of dough and press down slightly with a fork.

Bake in the oven for about ten minutes. You will know the cookies are done when they feel coherent, but still a little soft. Take the tray out of the oven and let the cookies rest for at least five minutes. Afterwards, carefully transfer them to a cooling rack. After ten minutes or so, they will have hardened and be glistening with sugar.

Eat them.

Thanks to glutenfreegirl's blog my gluten free roommate and I are able to cook together. While most recipes are wonderful and taste just like the real thing these cookies are actually better. And easier. As all recipes should be.

Terri's Almond Roca Bars

• 2 c. flour
  
• 1 1/2 c. butter
• 1 3/4 c. brown sugar
  
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 1/2 c. chopped almonds
  
• 1 1/2 c. chocolate chips

Cream 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup brown sugar. Add 2 cups flour and press into a 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with 1 cup almonds and bake for 10 minutes. In sauce pan combine 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1 cup butter and bring to a boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1 tsp vanilla and pour over crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 min. Remove from oven and cover with chocolate chips. Spread chips after melting like frosting and sprinkle with the remaining almonds.

Half Moon Cookies

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. baking soda
  
• 1/2 tsp. salt
  
• 3 cups flour

Directions:

Preheat oven at 375 degrees. Beat wet ingredients and sugar together. Add dry ingredients. Scoop 1/4 to 1/3 cup and spread like a pancake on ungreased cookie sheet, 6 cookies at a time. Bake for 11 minutes. Cool, bottom side up on a rack. Frost bottom, 1/2 white, 1/2 dark.

White frosting:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 Tblsp. milk.
  

For dark: previous ingredients plus 1/4 cup cocoa and a little more milk.

Mitzi's Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

Brownie batter:

• 1 c. margarine
• 1/3 c. cocoa
• 2 c. sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla
  
• 1 1/2 c. flour

Cream margarine, cocoa, and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat well. Add flour and mix. Set aside.

Cheesecake:

• 2 8oz. pkgs. cream cheese
  
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 c. sugar
  
• 2 eggs

Mix cream cheese, vanilla, and sugar on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs. Mix well. Grease and flour 9x13 pan. Spread 1/2 brownie batter into pan. On top of this drop big spoonfuls of cheesecake and brownie until each batter is used up. Take a utensil and run it through the batters to make a swirl design (don’t mix up to much!) Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 40 minutes or until done.

Shawna's Snickerdoodles

In a large mixing bowl cream together:

• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. margarine or butter

Beat in:

• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

In a small bowl mix together:

• 1 1/2 c. flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Stir into butter mixture with a wooden spoon until well mixed.

In a small bowl combine:

• 2 TBSP sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon

Shape dough into 1"balls roll each one in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place balls 2" apart on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cool on rack.