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By Sarah Condley/Contributor

Winchester Sun asked local cooking guru what type of cookies Santa would like most. She provided several recipes that Santa will enjoy most when he visits homes across Clark County.

Sorghum Ginger Snaps
3/4 cups lard or shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup sorghum
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Extra sugar for rolling
Beat shortening and sugar until blended, and then bean in egg and sorghum. Add remaining ingredients except extra sugar and beat to blend. Cover tightly and refrigerate an hour or more. Form into 1 1/2-inch balls and roll in extra sugar, placing them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes for soft cookies, a minute or two longer for snaps. Makes about 3 dozen.

Sugar Cookies
2/3 cup butter flavored Crisco
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cream butter flavor Crisco, sugar, milk, and vanilla in large bowl at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Beat in egg.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix into creamed mixture. Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight.
Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Roll half the dough at a time to about 1/8-inch thickness on floured surface. Cut in desired shapes. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle with colored sugar and decors or leave plain to frost when cool.
Bake 7-9 minutes. Cool slightly. Remove to cooling rack.
Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies.

Creamy Vanilla Frosting
Combine 1/2 cup butter flavor Crisco, 1-pound confectioners’ sugar, 1/3 cup milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla in medium bowl, at low speed of electric mixer until well blended. Scrape bowl. Beat at high speed for 2 minutes or until smooth and creamy. Frost cooled cookies.

Hello Dolly Cookies
1 stick of butter melted in a 9 x 13 pan.
1 1/2 cups crushed vanilla wafers sprinkled over melted butter.
Small bag of chocolate chips sprinkled over the crushed vanilla wafers (or 1/2 bag of
chocolate chips and 1/2 bag butterscotch chips).
1 small can of flaked coconut sprinkled over chocolate chips.
Broken pecans or walnuts sprinkled over coconut.
1 can Eagle Brand Milk poured over pecans.
Bake in 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. Let cool then cut.
Graham Cracker Brittles
Line a rimmed cookie sheet with foil.
Lay Honey Graham crackers on the foil.
Melt 2 sticks of butter, add 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar. Bring to a boil. Boil for 2\ minutes. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla. Pour over graham crackers. Sprinkle 1/2 cup chopped pecans over crackers. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. When cool, cut or break apart.

Wedding Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
5 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon water
1 cup chopped pecans
Cream butter and powdered sugar. Add flour, water, vanilla and nuts.
Roll into balls.
Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.
While hot, roll cookie balls in powdered sugar.
Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

White Chocolate Cookies
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
9 oz. white chocolate chunks (can use almond bark, chopped)
1 cup pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream sugar and butter for 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl combine sifted flour, salt and baking soda, then mix these into wet mixture. Stir in nus and chocolate. Grease cookie sheet pan. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Roll dough into tablespoon-sized balls and flatten with spatula or fork. Bake for 9-12 minutes. (Sometimes these cookies spread out too flat when they bake – if you chill the dough before you bake the cookies they usually bake better.)

Chocolate Crackle Tops
1 3/4 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 (1 oz) squares unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla or chocolate extract
3/4 cups each mini seim-sweet chocolate chips and finely chopped hazelnuts or walnuts
Cooking spray
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar (maybe a little more)
In bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt (set aside). In a saucepan melt chocolate and butter, stirring; cool. In another bowl combine melted chocolate mixture and sugar. On low, beat to blend. Add eggs 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla (or chocolate) extract. Beat in flour mixture. Stir in chips and nuts. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With spray, coat baking sheets. Sift confectioners’ sugar onto plate. Roll level tablespoonfuls (or teaspoonfuls if you want smaller cookies) dough into balls; roll in confectioners’ sugar. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake 12-14 minutes, until tops have cracked. Let cool 1 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool. Store airtight up to 2 weeks.

M&M Cookies
1 cup shortening
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups plain M&Ms

Blend shortening and sugars in large bowl. Beat in vanilla and eggs. Sift dry ingredients together and add to butter mixture. Blend well. Stir in 1/2 cup M&Ms. Drop by teaspoons onto ungreased baking sheet. Decorate tops with remaining M&Ms.
Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
Makes 5 dozen

White Chip Meringue Dessert Bars
Crust: 2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine (softened)
Topping: 2 cups Nestle Toll House Premier White Morsels
1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped nuts, divided
3 egg whites
1 cup brown sugar
For Crust: Combine flour, powdered sugar, and butter with pastry blender until crumbly.
Press evenly into bottom of ungreased 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 14-16 minutes.
Remove from oven.
For Filling: Sprinkle white chocolate morsels and 1 cup nuts over hot crust. Beat egg whites in small mixer bowl until frothy. Gradually add brown sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form when beaters are lifted. Carefully spread meringue over morsels and nuts.
Sprinkle with remaining nuts. Bate at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden
brown.

Cherry Chewbilees
Crust: 1 cup walnut pieces, divided
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter flavor Crisco
1/2 cup flake coconut
Filling: 2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling, if you like more cherries, use bigger can
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan with butter flavor
Crisco. Set aside.
Chop 1/3 cup nuts coarsely for topping and set aside. Chop remaining 1/2 cup finely.
For crust, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter flavor Crisco until fine crumbs form. Ad 1/2 cup finely chopped nuts and coconut. Mix well. Remove 1/2 cup and set aside. Press remaining crumbs in bottom of greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes, until edges are lightly browned.
For filling beat cream cheese, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla in bowl at medium speed of electric mixer until smooth. Spread over hot baked crust. Return to oven.
Bake 15 minutes longer. Spread cherry pie filling over cheese layer. Combine reserved coarsely chopped nuts and reserved crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over cherries. Return to oven. Bake 15 minutes longer. Cool. Refrigerate several hours. Cut into bars about 2x 1 1/2 inches.

Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cu firmly packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup butter
1 egg slightly beaten
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts
1 (12 oz. package) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (10 oz) package toffee bits (the ones without chocolate)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, stir together flour and sugar. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Add egg; mix well.
Stir in 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips and nuts. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the mixture. Press remaining crumb mixture into bottom of 13 x 9 greased baking dish. Bake 10 minutes.
Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crust; top with 1 1/2 cups toffee bits. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture and remaining 1/2 cup chips over top. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.
While hot, sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup toffee bits. Cool completely. Cut into bars.