Here are the 12 cookies that Beth Kujawski � the "cookie queen" � included on each of her gift trays:

Chocolate Chip Cookies | Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies | Oatmeal Raisin Cookies | Snickerdoodles | Russian Teacakes | Brazilian Coffee Cookies  | Lemon Pistachio Biscotti | Peanut Butter Cookies | Chocolate Crinkles | Toffee Squares | Mint Surprises | Shortbread

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (12-ounce package) NESTLE TOLL HOUSE Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl.

Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts.

Drop rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes.

Yield: about 5 dozen.

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2. Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Hershey's Cocoa recipe)

2 1/4 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Hershey's Cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups (12 oz. pkg.) Hershey's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Set aside. 

In large bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla with electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs; beat well.

Gradually add flour mixture, beating well. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts, if desired.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Yield: About 5 dozen cookies.

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3. Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
(Quaker Oats Co. recipe)

1 cup (2 sticks) margarine or butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
3 cups Quaker Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
1 cup raisins

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Beat together margarine and sugars until creamy.
3. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.
4. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well.
5. Stir in oats and raisins; mix well.
6. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.
7. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.
8. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire rack.

Yield: Makes about 4 dozen.

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4. Snickerdoodles
(Betty Crocker's Cooky Book, published by General Mills, 1963)

1 cup shortening (part butter or margarine)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Heat oven to 400 degrees. 

Mix shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar and eggs thoroughly.

Measure flour by dipping method* or by sifting.

Blend flour, cream of tartar, soda, and salt; stir in.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in mixture of 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 min. These cookies puff up at first, then flatten out.

Yield: Makes about 6 dozen cookies.
 

*Dipping method:
Lightly fluff up the flour in the canister. Dip the measuring cup into the flour so that it's overfull, then level off with the back of a kitchen knife.

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5. Russian Teacakes
(Betty Crocker's Cooky Book, Published by General Mills, 1963)

1 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup finely chopped nuts

Mix butter, sugar and vanilla thoroughly.

Stir in flour and salt. Mix in nuts. Chill dough.

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Roll dough in 1-inch balls. Place on ungreased baking sheet.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set but not brown. (These cookies do not spread.)

While still warm, roll in powdered sugar. Cool. Roll in sugar again.

Yield: Makes about 4 dozen.

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6. Brazilian Coffee Cookies
(Betty Crocker's Cooky Book, Published by General Mills, 1963)

1/3 cup shortening
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon milk
2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoon instant coffee

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix shortening, sugars, egg, vanilla and milk until fluffy. Set aside. 

Stir dry ingredients together. Add to reserved sugar mixture. Mix thoroughly.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. (Chill dough if it is too soft to handle.) Place balls 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet.
Flatten with glass dipped in sugar.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Yield: About 4 dozen cookies.

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7. Lemon-tipped Pistachio Biscotti
(From Sunset's Low-Fat Cookbook, published by Sunset Publishing Corporation, 1992)

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup margarine, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1 egg
2 egg whites (about 1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup shelled salted roasted pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped
Lemon Icing

In a medium-size bowl, stir together flour and baking powder until well blended; set aside. In a large bowl, bet together margarine, sugar, and lemon peel until well blended. Beat in egg, then egg whites. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in pistachios.

Divide dough in half. On a lightly floured board, shape each portion into a long loaf about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Place loaves about 3 inches apart on a greased baking sheet; flatten each loaf to a thickness of about 1/2 inch.

Bake in a 350 oven until firm to the touch (15 to 18 minutes).

Remove baking sheet from oven; cut hot loaves crosswise into about 1/2-inch-thick slices. Turn slices cut sides down and spread out
slightly on baking sheets (you will need at least 2 baking sheets).

Return to oven and continue to bake until biscotti look dry and are lightly browned (about 10 more minutes). Transfer biscotti to racks and let cool.

Prepare Lemon Icing; spread icing over about 1 inch of the end of each cookie. Let stand until icing is firm (about 15 minutes).

Yield: Makes about 54 cookies.

Lemon Icing:
In a small bowl, stir together 1 cup sifted powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel. Stir in 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon
juice, using just enough to give icing a good spreading consistency.

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8. Peanut Butter Cookies
(From Betty Crocker's Cooky Book, Published by General Mills, 1963)

1/2 cup shortening (part butter or margarine)
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix shortening, peanut butter, sugars and egg thoroughly. Blend all dry ingredients. Stir into shortening mixture.

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Roll dough in 1 1/4-inch balls. Place 3 inches apart on lightly greased baking sheet. Flatten criss-cross style with a fork dipped in flour.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes.

Yield: Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

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9. Chocolate Crinkles
(From Betty Crocker's Cooky Book, Published by General Mills, 1963)

1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cup flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 t. salt
Powdered sugar

Mix oil, chocolate and granulated sugar. Blend in one egg at a time until well mixed. Add vanilla. Measure flour by dipping method* and stir together with baking powder and salt. Add to oil mixture.

Chill overnight.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Drop teaspoonfuls of dough into powdered sugar. Roll into balls. Place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Do not overbake.

Cool 1 minute on baking sheet then transfer to wire racks.

Yield: Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

10. Toffee Squares
(From Betty Crocker's Cooky Book, Published by General Mills, 1963)

1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 to 4 chocolate bars
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix butter, sugar, yolk and vanilla. Measure flour by dipping method.*

Stir in flour and salt until blended. Pat into a 9x13 baking pan.

Bake 25-30 minutes. Crust will appear soft. Remove pan from oven and immediately place chocolate on top of crust. When
melted, spread with the back of a spoon to cover the crust. Sprinkle with chopped nuts.

Cut while still warm.

Yield depends on cut size.

11. Mint Surprises
(From Aunt Stana's recipe box)

Sift:
3 1/4 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Set aside.

Cream:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening

Add:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

MIX WELL.

Add:
2 eggs, unbeaten
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla; beat well.

Blend in dry ingredients; mix well.

Using one package chocolate mint wafers (NOTE: these chocolate candy disks are available in stores that carry candy-making supplies) shape cookies by enclosing each wafer in about 1 tablespoon of dough.

Place on greased baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Top each with walnut half.

Bake: 375 degrees 10 to 12 minutes.

Yield: Makes about 4 dozen.

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1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup butter

Heat oven to 325 degrees.

In a mixing bowl combine flour and sugar. Cut in butter till mixture resembles fine crumbs and starts to cling. Form mixture into a ball and knead until smooth.

On an ungreased cookie sheet pat or roll the dough into an 8-inch circle. Using your fingers, press to make a scalloped edge. With a knife, cut circle into 16 pie-shape wedges. Leave wedges in the circle shape.

Bake in a 325 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes or till bottom just starts to brown and center is set. Cut circle into wedges again while warm. Cool on the cookie sheet for five minutes. Remove from cookie sheet; cool on a wire rack.

Yield: Makes 16.

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