Cookie Exchange Recipes

Ah cookies.... I love cookies. 

When you get a chance to go to a party where cookies will be given... go! My only fault in having this party was not inviting more people. I could have had more cookies! There's always next year. This one was just for a few mom friends, but next year I think it needs to be expanded a bit.

We had a great time taste testing each other cookies and sipping cider and coffee.

I thought I would share the yummy recipes. 

We will start with mine. 

I went to cookiesandcups for mine.

She posted a great tutorial so please, if you decide to make these, check her out.

Salty Caramel Oat Bars

1 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cups finely crushed pretzels
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 cups rolled oats
1 (14 oz) can of sweetened condensed milk
caramel sauce

2 tsp vanilla
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup chopped cashews
1 tsp coarse sea salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°
Line a 15x10x4 inch pan with foil

With your electric mixer beat butter and sugars together. Add eggs and vanilla until incorporated.
On low speed add in your pretzels and flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly mix in your oats.
Set aside 1 cup of your batter.Press remaining batter into prepared pan.

In medium saucepan combine your caramels and sweetened condensed milk over medium heat until caramels are melted and mixture is smooth.
Pour caramel on oat batter. Sprinkle the cashews, chocolate chips and remaining oat batter on top.
Sprinkle your coarse sea salt evenly over top.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until top starts to golden. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.
When cool lift bars from pan with foil and cut.

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Next up is Heather's recipe. She was gracious enough to host the exchange.

Palmiers

from Pillsbury.com

Ingredients

1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
Coarse sugar

Instructions

Heat oven to 375°F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Separate or cut dough into 4 (4x7-inch) rectangles; if using crescent roll dough, firmly press perforations to seal.

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar on cutting board. Place 2 dough rectangles on sugar; press lightly. Brush both tops of dough with about 1 tablespoon butter; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Place one rectangle on top of another; tightly roll both short sides of the dough rectangle so they meet in the middle.

Repeat step 2.

Using a serrated knife, cut each roll into 8 slices. Place cut side down, 2 inches apart, on parchment-lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle with coarse sugar. Press each slightly to flatten.

Bake 10 to 13 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely.

Instead of (or in addition to) the granulated sugar, try these variations: cinnamon and sugar or citrus zest and sugar.
Palmiers keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. If desired, palmiers can be recrisped in a 300°F oven until heated through, about 5 minutes.

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Next is Jessica's cookie which she found in Parenting Magazine. Very inventive.

Pomegranate Drops

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
4 oz. (3/4 cup) dark chocolate chunks
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds, patted dry

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, cream butter and sugars until smooth. Add egg and vanilla; beat on low until well combined. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and beat until just combined. Fold in chocolate until evenly distributed, then very gently fold in seeds.
3. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until light brown (centers may not appear set). Remove and let cookies stand 2 minutes on cookie sheets. Cool a bit on wire racks. Serve cookies warm. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to three days.

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Then there is our friend Veronica. Her and her family are missionaries to Liberia. She said that she is able to make these cookies there from fresh pumpkin. The pumpkins are a different color, but still taste the same. They were yummy.

Iced Pumpkin Cookies

* 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup butter, softened
* 1 1/2 cups white sugar
* 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
* 1 egg
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
*
* 2 cups confectioners' sugar
* 3 tablespoons milk
* 1 tablespoon melted butter
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and

1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by
tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.
3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.
4. To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency. 

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Last but not least, there is Heather's mother in law and my dear friend, Gayle. Her recipe is so simple, but was my favorite. Going to definitely be making these as snacks for my kids.

White Chocolate Ritz Crackers

40 Ritz crackers
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
8 ounces white chocolate

Take Ritz Crackers and make sandwich cookies out of them using peanut butter for the filling.

Melt the white chocolate according to package directions.

Dip each cookie in the melted chocolate, covering it entirely.

Place on wax paper.

Store in air-tight container for up to one week.

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There were also some Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies, but I did not receive that recipe.

Heather read an awesome poem about 1 Corinthians and how we need to remember to love our family and children during this time of year. Sometimes we get so caught up with Christmas that we forget it's true and wonderful meaning. I praise the Lord for my friends. I thank the Lord for my family and the love I have!

I hope you enjoy a few of these recipes, I know I did, maybe more than I should!

Merry Christmas!

Baking from my heart to your kitchen,

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Cookie Dough Christmas Cake

The youth Pastor at my church stopped me in the hall last week and asked if I wanted to come to the Youth Christmas Party, I was more than welcome to go. What he was really saying is, "Will you please bring cake to the Youth Christmas Party". I am a sucker for a Christmas cake challenge so of course my answer was yes. After a little research and falling asleep with visions of gingerbread men dancing in my head, this is what I came up with.

The top layer was an idea I got from bakingdom.com, she is super talented and I loved this idea. Hers is much more clean and even than mine. My husband pointed this out, but I still love him, because, well, he is right. I like being a little uneven. :)

The bottom layer and gingerbread men fun I thought of all by my lonesome, aren't you proud!

I used:

Marshmallow Fondant

Lots of Buttercream 

White cake (half the batter dyed red)

Chocolate buttercream flavored with creme de menthe

Cookie Dough Frosting (Recipe at the end of post)

Brown Butter Cake (recipe also at end of post)

I made a 10" brown butter cake for the base. Please excuse the board, I wasn't thinking and forgot to cover it. To make the topsy turvy slope I used a video tutorial found here

Top layer I sliced at a slant as well.

I made fondant gingerbread men, fondant snowflakes with royal icing and fondant snowballs.

To make the trees, I used a sugar cone and piped green frosting on with a star tip.

Just keep piping until you fill the cone. To achieve this color green I used leaf green and added a bit of sky blue. Worked beautifully.

I also used a toothpick and dipped it in royal icing then dipped it in sugar sprinkles to achieve the "snowflakes" you see on the cake in the background.

I had fun making the gingerbread men. I used a biscotti for the sled.

For the top I rolled fondant balls and cut them in half, then painted them with gel food coloring.

More of the decor.

Let's look at the inside after I reluctantly sliced it.

Top layer... supposed to be "cany-cane" colors. Close enough.

This cake is so yummy... I am actually eating some of the leftover as I type. I have so much cake that I am usually not that tempted, but this was good. My husband tastes everything for me. He usually tastes and has a comment such as, "needs more butter", "too much sugar" and such, but this time he said, "Put a tight lid on it and put it in the back of the fridge where I can't find it". Needless to say he liked it... alot!

I love how the fondant gingerbread man is about to run off the cake.

I had so much fun making this cake, I'm so glad I was asked to go to the party.

Even if it was just for my cake.

On to the recipe...

Adapted from Hello Baker, check her cupcakes out... yummy.

I doubled her recipe to accommodate this cake

I also only put this in the middle and covered with another recipe.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Filling

1-3/4 cups confectioners sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon heavy cream
Eggless cookie dough (recipe below)

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine 1-1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar, unsalted butter, salt, and vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as necessary.
Add milk and continue mixing until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary. With the mixer running, slowly add remaining 1/2 cup confectioners sugar, mix until well combined.
At this point you can mix in the eggless cookie dough. Mix in enough cookie dough to suit your taste. Any cookie dough leftover you can gladly eat! There are no eggs in it so it is safe. Yum!

Eggless Cookie Dough

(Recipe from How To Eat A Cupcake)
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
2 teaspoons water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chocolate chips
Cream the butter and brown sugar in a small bowl. Add water and vanilla and mix well. Add flour and salt and stir to combine. Stir in mini chocolate chips (optional).
Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

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Cookie Dough Frosting

This is what I frosted the outside of the cake with, again, doubled the recipe.

Adapted from bakingjunkie.

3 sticks salted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup flour

3/4 tsp salt

3 Tbsp heavy cream

2 1/2 tsp vanilla

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Brown Sugar Cake

also adapted from hellobaker.net

(Recipe from Cupcake Bakeshop. Makes about 12 cupcakes)
3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line 2-3 cake pans depending on size, I used a 9" and 10" pan for this cake.
Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds.
Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add eggs one at a time, beat for 30 seconds after each.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
Measure out milk and vanilla together.
Add about a fourth of the flour to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine.
Add about one third the milk/vanilla mixture and beat until combined.
Repeat above, alternating flour and milk and ending with the flour mixture.

Pour in pans.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden and the cake springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick comes out clean.

Baking from my heart to your kitchen,

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