Holiday Cookie Exchange

I had such a wonderful response to my birthday potluck, that I wanted to do something special for the upcoming holidays… all of them! No matter how you celebrate during this season, this is an invitation to join with me in a bit of friendship and sisterly (or brotherly) sugar love.

I’m hosting a holiday cookie exchange. During December I’m asking for everyone to share their favorite holiday goodie recipes. It can be a traditional cookie, dessert bar, candy or fudge, any sweet that reminds you of the holidays. 

Please leave your recipe in the comments, link to a post on your own blog where you’ve already included a recipe, or e-mail the recipes to me. I’ll leave this stickie at the top of the page for a while, then later I’ll add a link to this post in my side bar so you can join in the exchange. I’ll keep adding new recipes as they come it. Leave one recipe (or two, or three) and take as many as you like.

I’ll start it off. My kids love these and it’s hard to keep them out of the kitchen long enough for the cookies to set:

Tara R. – If Mom Says OK

No Bake Chocolate Cookies

2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons cocoa
½ cup milk
½ cup butter
½ cup peanut butter
3 cups rolled oats, uncooked
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place a piece of waxpaper on a cookie sheet. Combine sugar, butter, milk, and cocoa in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a rolling boil.

Continue to cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; cool 1 minute. Add peanut butter, stir to blend. Add oats and vanilla; stir to mix well.

Quickly drop mixture by heaping tablespoons onto wax paper. Cool completely. Store in cool dry place. (Makes approx. 24 cookies)

Barbara – The Unknown Blog

Homemade Oreo Cookies

1 box Devil’s Food Cake Mix
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar

Preheat oven 350°F

Mix all ingredients together till dough forms. Shape in to 1 inch balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake 10-12 minutes till set. Let cool 1 minute on cookie sheet then place on cooling rack. If you want added sweetness roll the balls in sugar before baking.

After allowing to cool 30 minutes; using 1 container of ready made vanilla frosting (if you are a chocolate fan you can use chocolate frosting as well.)  Spread on “back side” (the side of the cookie that was on the cookie sheet) with frosting and take another cookie and “smoosh” them together to make a sandwich.

Saintseester – Saintseester Says 

Cappuccino Biscotti

2  cups  all-purpose flour
1  cup  sugar
1/3  cup  chopped walnuts
1/4  cup  unsweetened cocoa
1/2  teaspoon  baking powder
1/2  teaspoon  baking soda
1/2  teaspoon  salt
1/2  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
2  teaspoons  instant coffee granules
2  teaspoons  hot water
1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
2  eggs
1  egg white
Vegetable cooking spray

Combine first 8 ingredients in a large bowl. Combine coffee granules and hot water in a small bowl. Stir in vanilla and next 2 ingredients, and add to flour mixture, stirring until well-blended.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead lightly 7 or 8 times. Shape dough into a 16-inch-long roll. Place roll on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray, and flatten roll to 1-inch thickness.

Bake at 325° for 30 minutes. Remove the roll from the baking sheet to a wire rack, and let cool for 10 minutes. Cut the roll diagonally into 30 (1/2-inch) slices, and place, cut sides down, on baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn cookies over, and bake an additional 10 minutes (cookies will be slightly soft in center but will harden as they cool). Remove cookies from the baking sheet, and let cool completely on wire rack.

(from Cooking Light) 

Ashley – Boss Sanders

Oreo Chocolate Swirls

Baking milk chocolate
Baking white chocolate
Oreo cookie crumbs

Cover a cookie sheet with wax paper, set aside. Melt milk chocolate and white chocolate in separate pans. Pour melted chocolates on top of covered cookie sheet, then swirl together, but not mixing. Top with Oreo crumbs. Put into freezer until firm, then break apart.

Jen, Queen of Poo – Don’t Forget to Flush

Russian Tea Cakes

1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar for decoration

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). In a medium bowl, cream butter and vanilla until smooth.

Combine the tablespoons confectioners’ sugar and flour; stir into the butter mixture until just blended. Mix in the chopped walnuts. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, and place them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. When cool, roll in remaining confectioners’ sugar. 

(from All Recipes)

Sandy – Momisodes

Lemon Spritz Squares

1 package of dry sugar cookie mix (like Betty Crocker)
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
2 eggs
1 tablespoon lemon zest
Confectioner sugar to garnish
Flour for dusting surface area

Preheat oven at 350°F. Mix sugar cookie mix and cream cheese. Add flour in 3 segments. Add eggs, lemon extract, and mix until just incorporated. Fold in lemon zest. On lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 12×14 inch rectangle. With pastry cutter, cut dough into 2 inch squares.

Freeze squares for 10 minutes. Then bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool and then dust with confectioners sugar.

Mama Wheaton – The Unperfect Mom

Peanut Butter Fudge

1 lb. white confectionary coating cut in pieces
1 cup creamy peanut butter

Melt coating in suacepan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Remove from heat, stir in peanut butter. Spread into a greased 8″ square pan. Chill until firm. Cut into squares.

Colleen – Mommy Always Wins

Cranberry Cream Cheese Bread

8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups whole cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Rinse and drain cranberries.

Blend cream cheese, butter, sugar, vanilla and eggs – beat until creamy. (Hint: I put the cream cheese and butter in the micro for 30 seconds or so to make them soft enough to mix.) Add 2 cups of the flour and the baking soda and beat well. Combine the other 1/4 cup of flour with the cranberries, fold them and the walnuts into the batter.

Grease 2 large loaf pans and bake at 325° for 50 minutes.

Tracy – The Journey

Mint Melt Aways

4 egg whites
1 1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon mint extract
1 cup chocolate chips (or chocolate mint chips if available)
green food coloring

Preheat oven to 350° degrees.

Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.  Gradually add sugar and salt a little at a time, dissolving completely.  Beat until fairly stiff peaks form.

Add mint extract and food coloring.  Fold in chips.

Drop by spoonfuls onto greased baking sheets.  If you want them to look a little fancier, put the mixture into a plastic food storage bag, and close.  Cut off a corner and use as a decorator tip.

Sprinkle with a few remaining chips if desired.

Place in oven and turn it off.  Leave in oven for six hours or overnight.  Do not open!

Remove from oven and serve!

(Tracy is also hosting a virtual cookie exchange. Stop by her place for a little cookie loving too.)

Dddiva – My Looney Verse 

Peanut Butter Cookies  with Stars

1 cup Peanut Butter
1 cup Sugar
1 egg
1 package of chocolate stars

Mix together and roll into one inch balls. Flatten a little on ungreased cookie sheet (I line with Parchment) and sprinkle with red or green sugar or other sprinkles. 

Bake in preheated 375° oven for about 8 minutes or until lightly browned.

Place Chocolate Star in center of each while still hot and let sit for 2 or 3 minutes on cookie sheet before moving them to racks to cool.

Heather – Singing With My Heart

Italian Wedding Cookies III

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups finely ground almonds
4 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 325°.

Cream butter or margarine in a bowl, gradually add confectioners’ sugar and salt. Beat until light and fluffy. Add almonds and vanilla. Blend in flour gradually and mix well.

Shape into balls (we do balls at our house ) using about 1 teaspoon for each cookie. Place on ungreased cookie sheets, and bake for 15-20 min. Do not brown. Cool slightly, then roll in the extra confectioners’ sugar.

For an extra “somethin’ somethin’” we recommend adding chopped nuts.  YUM. YUM.

Original recipe yield 80 cookies