The Best Sugar Cookies In The World
I started making this recipe when I was just a kid.  It came from the Dodge City Band Cookbook!  I will post first the original recipe, and then my alternate version.

• 1 cup Sugar
• 1/2 cup Butter
• 1/2 cup Crisco Shortening (butter flavor is great, but regular is what we always used growing up)
• 1 Egg
• 1/2 tsp. Vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 1/2 tsp. Cream of Tartar
• 2 cups All Purpose Flour

Cream sugar, butter, and shortening.  Add egg and vanilla and beat till fluffy.  Mix in remaining dry ingredients.  Drop by teaspoonful on un-greased cookie sheet, and bake for 10 minutes at 350º.  Cool on the sheet before removing to rack.  These are best a little "underdone" so check at 9 minutes and take them out when they look just right to you.

---

Nettie's Best Sugar and Spice Cookies

• 2 cups Sugar
• 1 cup Butter
• 1 cup Crisco Shortening
• 2 Extra Large Eggs
• 2 tsp Vanilla
• 1 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 1 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1 tsp. Nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. Cloves
• 2 cups All Purpose Flour
• 2 cups Whole Wheat Flour (freshly ground if possible)

Cream sugar, butter, and shortening.  Add egg and vanilla and beat till fluffy.  Mix in remaining dry ingredients.  Use cookie-dough baller to make cookie dough balls, place balls side-by-side to fill cookie sheet, and freeze for at least 3 hours.  After this, they can be stored in freezer storage bags up to 1 month.  To bake from frozen, allow to thaw on cookie sheet while preheating oven, then bake at 350º for 10-12 minutes, depending on how done you prefer them to be.

To bake immediately:  Drop by teaspoonful on un-greased cookie sheet, and bake for 10 minutes at 350º.  Cool on the sheet before removing to rack.  These are best a little "underdone" so check at 9 minutes and take them out when they look just right to you.  (Note:  Don't be surprised if the spice cookies spread out more than the regular sugar cookies.  This is due to the whole wheat flour.)

---

Christmas Cookie 2006:  Nettie's Cranberry Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies
I don't know if I will keep making up new Christmas Cookie recipes after this year - this recipe has received widespread and unanimous rave reviews to a degree hitherto unparallelled in my recipe-conjuring history, and I doubt I can top it.

Not that that will stop me next year...:)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cups packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup unsifted flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 teaspoons sweet spice
• 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats, uncooked
• 1 cup pecans, chopped
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. In a large bowl, beat butter with sugar and brown sugar at medium speed until creamy and lightened in color (about 4 minutes).  Add vanilla and egg, and mix on low speed until incorporated.
3. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and sweet spice.  Add to creamed mixture, mixing well.
4. Stir in oats.
5. Fold in chocolate chips, dried cranberries and chopped pecans.
6. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheets.
7. Bake 8-9 minues for a chewy cookie, 10-11 minutes for a crisp cookie.  Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire cooling racks.  Store in tightly covered container.  Makes about 6 dozen 2" cookies.

---

The REAL Neiman Marcus Cookie Recipe
(*recipe QUADRUPLED HERE to resemble Legendary recipe size)
Quote from Neiman Marcus:
"An urban myth is a modern folk tale, its origins unknown, its believability enhanced simply by the frequency with which it is repeated. Our signature chocolate chip cookie is the subject of one such myth. If you haven't heard the story, we won't perpetuate it here. If you have, the recipe below should serve to refute it. Copy it, print it out, pass it along to friends and family. It's a terrific recipe. And it's absolutely free."

Ingredients

• 4 cups unsalted butter, softened
• 4 cup brown sugar
• 12 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 4 egg
• 8 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 7 cups flour
• 6 teaspoons instant espresso powder, slightly crushed
• 32 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Cream the butter with the sugars until fluffy.
2. Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract.
3. Combine the dry ingredients and beat into the butter mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Drop by large spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes, or 10 to 12 minutes for a crispier cookie. Makes a truckload of large cookies.

Cream shortening, butter, sugars, and eggs.  Add water, vanilla and peanut butter, and mix.  Add flour, soda, salt, and coconut.  Stir.  Chill for 30 minutes.  Form dough into walnut-sized balls. Press thumb into each ball, then fill each depression with jam.  Bake at 400F for 10 minutes. 

**********

**********

Mix dry ingredients in a 9x13" cake pan.  Make 3 wells in the flour mixture - 2 small, and one large in the center.  Place vanilla in one small well; in the other small well, place the vinegar, and place the oil in the center large well.  Finally, pour cold water over all, and stir with fork until all dry ingredients is mixed in (make sure to get the corners of the pan). 

Bake at 350 degrees F. about 30 minutes or until center springs back.

For topping, my preference is cream cheese frosting, but this cake works with a dusting of powdered sugar; whipped topping; ice cream, a sprinkling of chopped pecans, and a drizzle of caramel; buttercream frosting; or even peanutbutter frosting.  We've also had it layered with cherry filling - UNBELIEVABLE!!!! 

---

Fat Flush French Toast
      

 Preheat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Whisk together eggs, water, cinnamon, and Stevia Plus. Dip each slice of bread in egg mixture until completely coated. Cook over medium heat, about 3 minutes per side. Phase 3; serves 1 to 2

Quick Cran-Raspberry Sauce

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Heat in a saucepan for about 2 minutes or until hot.

All phases; serves 1

---

Fat Flush Chocolate Ice Cream

You won't believe this until you try it. For those of you who have that ice cream urge, here's a healthy way to satisfy the surge without all that sugar. Whey protein powders sweetened with stevia actually become sweeter when frozen -- and they come in many different legal Fat Flush flavors. That's the secret in this quick and easy rendition.

In a small bowl, blend whey powder and water. Pour into a freezer container and freeze until ready to serve.

Phase 3; serves 1

---