Cookie Exchange Recipes

[SuzySunshine]

Here are my recipes.

Spice Cookie
INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup(s) (packed) dark brown sugar
1/4 cup(s) molasses
1 tablespoon(s) pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 cup(s) (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
4 1/2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon(s) salt

DIRECTIONS: In a bowl, with mixer on medium, beat butter and sugar until fluffy; beat in egg and molasses. On low, beat in flour, pumpkin pie spice and salt.

Divide dough in half; shape each half into a 1/2-inch-thick disk. Wrap in plastic wrap; chill until firm.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

On floured surface, roll dough 1/8-inch thick; cut into shapes. Transfer to ungreased baking sheet(s). Bake until lightly golden around the edges, 10 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on sheets; transfer to racks to cool. Decorate as desired; store in an airtight container up to 2 weeks, or freeze, undecorated, up to 3 months.

Candy Cane Cookies
Laced with peppermint and cinnamon candies, these Candy Cane cookies are a festive addition to the holiday dessert table. Plus, they make great hostess gifts.

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup(s) (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup(s) confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
1 large egg
1 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
2 1/3 cup(s) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon(s) red cinnamon candies, crushed
6 peppermint starlight mints, crushed

DIRECTIONS: In a large bowl, with mixer on low speed, beat butter, sugar, and salt until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Beat in flour. Divide dough between two bowls. Knead cinnamon candies into one bowl; knead mints into other. Refrigerate dough 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. On lightly floured surface, for each candy cane, roll 1 rounded measuring teaspoonful of each kind of dough into 6-inch rope. Twist ropes together. Transfer to ungreased baking sheets. Curve one end to form candy cane. Bake 12 minutes until bottoms are lightly browned. Cool 5 minutes on baking sheets; transfer to racks to cool. Store in an airtight container up to 2 weeks

Peppermint Melt-aways
Cookie:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 teasponn peppermint extract
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
2 to 3 drops red food color (to make pink color)
Hard peppermint candy or candy canes, finely crushed

Combines 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 cup butter and 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract in a large mixer bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy (1-2 minutes). Lower speed to low and add the flour and cornstarch. Beat until well mixed (1-2 minutes). Cover and refigerate until firm (30-60 minutes).

Heat oven to 350. Shape rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2-inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 12-15 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Let stand 1 minute. Remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely.

Combine glaze ingredients in a small bowl, then drizzle over cooled cookies. Immediately sprinkle with crushed candy. Makes 4 dozen.

[DCJenn]

Re: Cookie Exchange Recipes

Margaret McGowan's Chocolate Surprise Cookies:

Ingredients:

1 cup of butter, softened
1 cup of granulated sugar
1 cup of firmly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 ½ cups of all purpose flour
¾ cup of baking cocoa
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 ¼ cup of chopped pecans
3 11 oz. bags of Riesen (chocolate caramels) {if in a pinch Rolos can be substituted}

Pre-heat the oven to 375 F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpat. Combine the butter and sugars in a large bowl and beat until smooth and creamy. Add in one egg at a time and the vanilla. Beat until fluffy. Combing the flour, cocoa and baking soda in a bowl of bag and with a heavy wooden spoon mix them in thoroughly. {sometimes I get impatient and use natures spoons, my hands}Stir in ½ cup of the chopped pecans.

In a separate bowl combine 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar and the remaining cup of chopped nuts. Shape about a tablespoon of dough around a Riesen and form a ball. Dip the top of the ball in the sugar and nut mixture and place on the cookie sheet. Space the cookies at least 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-13 minutes until the cookies are slightly cracked on top. Remove from the oven and leave on the baking sheet for at least 3 minutes or longer if you can. Transfer to wire cooling rack to completely cool.

Recipe makes 3.5 dozen.

Re: Cookie Exchange Recipes

Jenn & Davita's:

Cinnamon Sugar Biscotti

INGREDIENTS

2 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 t gr. cinnamon
1 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
2/3 c sugar
6 T butter
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 t vanilla extract

3 T white sugar
1 t cinnamon

PREHEAT oven to 325. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

COMBINE flour, cinnamon, baking powder & salt. Cream the butter and egg + egg yolk (save the 2nd egg white), & vanilla. Add dry ingredients to the wet.

ON a lightly floured surface, divide dough into 2 pieces. Roll each piece into a log 9” long, about 1 1/2” wide. Place on baking sheet & brush with egg white.

BAKE for 25 to 30 minutes in preheated oven. Cool for 15 minutes. Place on cutting board and slice into 1/2” slices on the diagonal. Sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar. Return to oven for another 15 to 20 minutes.

Raisin Scones

INGREDIENTS

1 c sour cream
1 t baking soda
4 c all-purpose flour
1 c white sugar
2 t baking powder
1/4 t cream of tartar
1 t salt
1 c butter
1 egg
1 raisins

PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a large baking sheet.

IN a small bowl, blend sour cream & baking soda - set aside. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, cream of tartar and salt. Cut in the butter. Stir in the sour cream mixture until just moistened. Add the raisins.

TURN dough out onto a lightly floured surface & knead briefly. Pat dough into 3 or 4 rounds, 3/4” thick. Cut into 8 wedges. Place on baking sheet 2“ apart.

BAKE 12 to 15 minutes.

Chocolate-Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies

INGREDIENTS

1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
4 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, melted
1/2 cup finely chopped PLANTERS Unsalted COCKTAIL Peanuts

PREHEAT oven to 325°F. Mix peanut butter, sugar and egg until well blended. Refrigerate 30 min. Roll peanut butter mixture into 18 balls. Place, 2 inches apart, on ungreased baking sheet. Flatten each ball, in criss-cross pattern, with fork.
BAKE 18 to 20 min. or until lightly browned. Cool 5 min. Remove from baking sheet to wire rack; cool completely.
DIP One end of cookie into melted chocolate, shaking off excess. Dip into chopped peanuts. Place cookies on parchment or wax-paper covered baking sheet. Refrigerate until chocolate hardens.

Babe Ruth Bars
INGREDIENTS

1 c peanut butter
1 c white corn syurp
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c white sugar
6 c cornflakes cereal
1 c semisweet chocolate chips
2/3 c peanuts

In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the peanut butter, corn syrup, brown sugar and white sugar. Cook stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and quickly mix in the cornflakes, chocolate chips and peanuts until evenly coated.

Press the entire mixture gently into a buttered 9x13 inch baking dish. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars

White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
INGREDIENTS

2/3 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c white sugar
2/3 c shortening
1/2 c butter
1 t orange zest
1 t vanilla
1 egg
2 1/4 c flour
1 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
2/3 c craisins or dried cranberries
12 oz white chocolate chips


PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees. Beat sugars, shortening, butter, orange zest, vanilla & egg in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add in dry ingredients, followed by the craisins and chips.
DROP by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes.

[Liz2254]

Re: Cookie Exchange Recipes

Chewy Molasses Cookies
1. Melt 1 1/2 sticks of butter.
Add 1/4 C. unsulphered light molasses and 1 t. vanilla.
Set aside to cool.
2. Sift 2 C. flour, 1 C. sugar, 2 t. baking soda, 2 t. ginger, 2 t. cinnamon, 1/4 t. nutmeg, 1/4 t. cloves, 1/4 t. salt.
3. Add 1 egg to butter mixture and mix.
4. Pour butter mixture into flour mixture and mix.
Refrigerate 15 minutes.
5. Roll into walnut-size balls and roll in sugar.
6. Bake 9-10 minutes at 375°.

Iced Sugar cookies
Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix and whipped Pillsbury frosting... with fancy sprinkles. Was there a homemade expectation on this?

[SuzySunshine]

Re: Cookie Exchange Recipes

Liz, I'm always looking for a good sugar cookie - I don't care if it was homemade or not - those were YUMMY!

[poky]

Re: Cookie Exchange Recipes

These cookies are made by my MIL every year, and are by far the family favorite.

When she allowed me to copy down the recipe during our Thanksgiving visit, I discovered she got it from the 1961 “New York Times Cookbook”, which she must have bought about then, not long after moving to this country.

Below is how the recipe reads in the cookbook. In this color are my comments.

Viennese Crescents
Makes 6 dozen I got 4 dozen, but mine were about a heaping T of dough per cookie, too
¼ Vanilla Bean I used vanilla powder I had on hand, seemed to work well
1 C sifted confectioners sugar
1C Walnut meats
1C butter, room temp.
¾ C granulated sugar
2½ C sifted AP flour

1. Chop the vanilla bean. Pound it in a mortar or pulverize it in an electric blender with about 1 T of the sugar. Mix with the remaining confectioners sugar. Cover and let stand, preferably overnight. Reserve while cookies are baked.
2. Preheat oven to moderate (350 degrees)
3. Cut the walnuts with a sharp knife into very small pieces. Pound the pieces into a paste, using mortar and pestle.
4. With a wooden spoon or the fingers, mix the walnuts, butter, granulated sugar, and flour into a smooth dough. Shape the dough, about a teaspoon at a time, into small crescents, about one and one-half inches in diameter. A double recipe mixed up nicely in my kitchenaid. It took longer to mix than I expected, but it did come together into a slightly crumbly dough that held together nicely when compressed.
5. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet until lightly browned, or fifteen to eighteen minutes. Cool one minute. While still warm, roll the cookies in the prepared vanilla sugar. It took about 13 minutes in my convection toaster oven. Don't roll them in the sugar while still warm; it'll just get gummy. It'll still stick to the cookies after they've cooled.

Re: Cookie Exchange Recipes

Butter Crunch Toffee

This is my MIL's toffee recipe, she sends some to all the family every Christmas:

1 ½ Cups Raw Almonds
1 Cup Whole Pecans
1 Cup Butter
1 Cup White Sugar
2 TBSPs Light Corn Sugar
¼ Cup Water
1 TSP Vanilla
2 – 3 Cups Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

1. Toast Almonds & Pecans separately on a cookie sheet in oven at 350 degrees F.
Almonds can be toasted to a medium brown but the pecans should only be lightly toasted.
2. Roughly chop 1 cup of the Almonds and set aside to be added to the toffee at the end.
3. Finely chop the remaining almonds and pecans together (I use my blender, with an “on/off pulse” to finely chop. This method makes it necessary to empty the nuts from the blender jar and mix the lumps until the mixture is crumbly.) The finely chopped nuts are for sprinkling over the slab of toffee with the melted choc. Spread over at the very end.
4. In a medium saucepan with a good, heavy bottom (or Revere wear copper bottom) place the butter and put on stove over med. Heat to melt. Then add the white sugar and stir until the sugar seems melted and blended with the butter. Stir the sugar crystals from the side of the pan down into the mixture. Add the water and the corn syrup and continue stirring until blended.
5. Increase the heat slightly until the mixture starts to boil. Once it is boiling put a candy thermometer on the side of the pan. Stir slowly and constantly while the mixture boils until the candy thermometer shows 290 degrees Far. This will take 10 to 20 minutes!
6. When the temp is at 285 to 290, remove from heat, take out thermometer, and quickly add the nuts and the Vanilla. Stir well to comine the nuts and vanilla and quickly pour mixture into lightly buttered cookie sheet which has been set on a heat-proof surface. Smooth and “stretch” the candy to cover the entire cookie sheet so it is about ¼ inch in depth.
7. At this point you can sprinkle the hot surface of the toffee with about a cup of the choc. Chips – as evenly as possible. Wait for the choc. Pieces to melt and then smooth with a knife so that the whole surface is covered with a thin sheet of chocolate. Sprinkle the finely chopped nuts over this surface while it is still warm and use the tines of a fork to press the crumbs into the choc.
8. Once the first side of choc. And nuts have cooled and hardened, melt enough choc. Chips to “ice” the remaining side of the candy. (To flip the candy, place a sheet of waxed paper over the cooled choc./nut side and put another cookie sheet on top. Flip the cookie sheets over and gently work the toffe away from the cookie sheet to expose the “un-iced” side.)
9. Spread the choc. Out and sprinkle with the finely chopped nuts again. Allow to cool until set and then break into chunks.
10. Bon Appitite!

Shortbread

This is one of the cookies I can remember making when I was very small with my Mum, it is a very British cookie. It is super easy. This recipe is actually from the Joy of Cooking:

Beat together til fluffy:
10 tbsp (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Gradually sift over the top while stirring:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch

Knead until well blended and smooth. Add a few drops of water if it is too dry to hold together. Press dough into a 8 by 8 inch pan. Pierce dough all over with a fork. Bake until a pale gold and slightly darker at the edges (the book says 45-50 minutes but I find it never needs more than 30). When almost cool, cut almost through the dough to form bars, sprinkle top with sugar. Separate into bars when completely cool.