Virtual cookie exchange 2010

FIORI DI SICILIA BISCOTTI

Ingredients
2 ½ Cups Flour
1 ½ Tsp Baking Powder
½ Tsp Salt
¼ Lb Butter (at room temperature)
¾ Cup Sugar
1 Tsp Grated Orange Zest
2 Eggs
½ Tsp Vanilla Extract
¼ Tsp Fiori di Sicilia Extract **
1 ½ Cups Coarsely Chopped Almonds
½ Cup Golden Raisins

Directions
Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar and orange zest until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla and Fiori di Sicilia extracts. Gradually beat in the flour mixture. Stir in almonds and raisins. Form dough into three logs about 1 ½” wide by 12” long. Put on baking sheet about 3” apart. Bake until golden brown, about 45 minutes. Cool. Reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees. Cut logs into ½” slices and put, cut-side up, on baking sheets. Bake until dried, 30 to 40 minutes. Yield: serves 36


Notes:
Yields 3 Dozen Cookies
** Fiori di Sicilia Extract can be substituted by using ¼ Tsp Cinnamon, 1 Tsp Lemon Zest and ½ Tsp Vanilla Extract

It is that time of the year again, maybe you will find something new to try.
Below is a like to our 2009 cookie exchange, and in the 1st post you will find the link to 2008

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1057678/?hl=cookie+exchange

heaven help me I just agreed to our community cookie exchange in two weeks. I have often made peanut butter cookies with M and Ms in them

My sister made these for Thanksgiving...they were to die for so she gave me the recipe:


Café Coffee Cookies

½ cup sugar

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup butter, softened

1 egg

1 ½ cups flour

1 tbsp instant coffee power or instant espresso coffee

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

½ cup chopped pecans

1 11.5 oz or 12 oz semisweet chocolate chunks

(Coffee Drizzle)



Beat sugars, butter and egg in large bowl. Stir in flour, coffee (dry), baking soda and salt. Stir in pecans and chocolate chunks. Bake at 350⁰ for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown and edges are set. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Drizzle with coffee drizzle.

Peanut blossoms
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. peanut butter
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
Hersheys Kisses, 1 for each cookie


Pre-Heat oven to 375°F.
Cream together butter, both sugars and peanut butter. Add 1 egg and vanilla. Add flour, baking soda and salt.

Form in walnut size balls. Roll in white sugar and place them on a cookie sheet.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Press Hershey Kiss into each cookie when fresh out of the oven.

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen.

Those are lucious!

This message was edited Dec 3, 2010 6:08 AM

Those sound good, Hall. Make sure you click on the link in my first post to see all the other cookies we have baked in the last 2 years.

Jen, those are good, usually someone at work makes them and they are in our cookies exchange.
We usually get together at the boss' house, bring our premade cookies dough, cookies sheets and cookie decorations and have a baking day. We get feed and have some drinks. We all bring our cookie tins and the finished cookies are divided up. It's a good time.

No recipes to share today but did want to tell you ladies that this all sounds good. I definitely have a sweets love affair. Chris, the baking get together sounds like a lot of fun. My mother and some of her co-workers had an annual cookie baking day too. They made a cookie called Cherry Winks and they can be frozen. It was so much fun even after the holidays to munch on those yummy cookies. I may try making them this year nyself. I am drooling here.....

Ruby

Everything looks so good. Every year, my best friend and I get together and make Christmas cookies together. It is always so much fun!

This year, I decided I was trying all new recipes for Christmas cookies this year. I thought it was time to try something new and it would be fun. I plan on sending tins of these cookies out to all my relatives and asking them for feedback on what they like the best, or don't like......

Love the peanut blossoms!! I always have to eat them so I have a chunk of Kiss in each bite. My neighborhood has a cookie exchange. I am signed up again after a year or two off. I think I have made those Coffee cookis before, or something very close, they were easy and good. I usually make a peanut butter cookie with M and Ms in them. This year I'm doing something with pecans and brown sugar, mix it, roll into logs and slice to bake. I feel like a change from drop cookies.
Last couple years I took it easy and made Magic cookie bars--graham crumbs, sweetened condensed milk, butter, nuts, chips, coconut..... what's not to LOVE??!! Bakes in 13 by 9 and cut into bars.

With our cookie exchange, you make up bags of cookies ahead, and take them, and bring home a different bag of dozen for every one you brought. And share the recipe too. Then I usually think--what the heck will I do with all these cookies? Then I subsist on them for the week or two before Xmas while running errands etc.

Sally, that pecan-brown sugar sounds good, you will have to share that one ! The cookie baking bug has been dorment since I baked the biscotts. I have thought about it but that is far as it got. I have been busy decluttering small piles of paper that have been laying untouched for a long time.

These are super yummy and chewy...one recipe I have is while still warm turn them out on wax paper...this NEVER works, it just falls onto the wax paper in globs...but I eat them anyway. For some reason hubby doesn't like them I think he's CRAZY

Noels
Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped nuts(your preference)
confectioners' sugar for dusting, I only use a little
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Melt the butter in a 7x11 inch baking dish, and tilt the pan to coat all of the sides; set aside.
2.In a medium bowl, stir together the brown sugar, flour, and baking soda. Mix in the eggs and vanilla until smooth, then stir in the walnuts. Pour over the melted butter.
3.Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 mins, or until firm to touch. Cool, then cut into squares, and dust with confectioners sugar.

I think I'll try these for the first time. Directions are sort of different but this is what they say. Note also there is frosting to make. Wish me luck!

Praline-Brown Sugar Rounds~ Better Homes and Gardens Old Fashioned Home Baking

1/2 c marg or butter
1/2 c shortening
3 c flour
1 c packed brown sugar
1 egg
2 TB milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 c finely chopped pecans

Beat margarine and shortening on med to high speed 30 seconds or till softened. Add about half the flour. Add brown sugar, egg, milk, vanilla, baking powder, soda, and salt. Beat till thoroughly combined. Stir in remaining flour. Stir in 1/2 c of the pecans. Shape dough into two 10- inch rolls. Wrap in waxed paper or plastic wrap, chill 4 to 48 hours.

Cut dough into 1/4 inch thick slices. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet, 375F, 8- 10 min or till edges are firm. Cool on wire rack. Top with remaining pecans and drizzle with warm frosting, see following recipe. Makes about 72

Brown Sugar Frosting

In a small saucepan, combine 1 c packed brown sugar, 1/4 c marg or butter and 1/4 c light cream. Heat and stir over med heat until mixture comes to a full boil. Boil one minute stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add 1 1/3 c sifted powdered sugar. Beat with whisk or fork until smooth. Frosting will thicken as it cools. If necessary add a few drops of water to make it drizzling consistency.

Thanks Sally, I have everything but the light cream for the frosting.

I made some chocolate truffels quit a few years back, they were easier then I thought. I am tempted to make them again. Nice to have a few chocolates on the cookie tray.

Those sound good Sally.
Oh yeah, Chris truffles are surprisingly easy to make

I've used a quick truffle recipe- something like ''hot cream in a blender with chocolate chips.'' I imagine you could then easily add a bit of liquer for flavors.

You've seen chocolate dipped pretzels? How about potato chips? I like them both, the salt and choc---yummmmm

I made these last night, they make a large batch (around 50) and have a nice spicy flavor, and are not hard as rocks. Enjoy

Swedish Gingersnaps
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups butter
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 dash salt
1 1/2 tablespoons molasses
4 teaspoons baking soda
4 cups flour
additional sugar for rolling

1. cream sugar and butter
2. add eggs
3. Stir in spices and soda
4. Mix in flour
5. Roll into balls the size of walnuts and then roll in sugar
6. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet
7. Bake in 350º oven for 10 minutes until brown

Funny coinc- I just made some molasses gingersnaps from Southern Living !! Check out the amount of ginger. I see this recipe is about a half size of yours, Chris, but with much more molasses. And yours has plenty of spices, just a different combo. I thought I was out of luck when I saw I had no ground cloves but my recipe omits the cloves. And they are good; I already ate three. I'll edit if they become rock hard tomorrow.

Molasses Gingersnaps

3/4 c shortening
1 c sugar
1 egg
1/4 c molasses
2 c all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 TB ground ginger
Sugar for rolling

Cream shortening, gradually add cup of sugar, beating at medium until light and fluffy.
Combine flour, soda, salt and spices. Add to bowl about half-cup at a time, mixing well each addition. Chill an hour or more.
Shape into one inch balls, roll in sugar and bake on ungreased sheet at 375F for ten minutes. Cool on wire racks, yield about 4 1/2 dozen.

Gee, I was dragging my feet on getting cookies made but once I started mixing I was psyched! except I ran out of brown sugar...Tomorow I slice and bake my above pecan brown sugar--I'll report back on them.

Hollie Molie Sally 1 Tablespoon of ginger ! I would think your recipe is more of a gingersnap then the one I posted, I'd call mine more of a Spice cookie. I'm debating on which cookies to make next. Have to do my Cranberry Pumpkin bread to take to my dog groomer, it's her favorite.
Happy Baking everyone !

Everyone liked the molasses gingersnaps; i guess it wasn't too much but I sure thought it could be a misprint when I read it LOL. Still, since it has no cloves or allspice...

I opened my Penzeys bag of cinnamon for this and boy does it smell good. I really MUST try cinnamon rolls over the holidays. I made them once but I think I had my friend's bread machine at the time, to make the dough. I have a mixer with dough hooks--how hard can it be?
I'll be at Target sometime today- I imagine the baking supplies are all lined up and on sale--powdered sugar, brown sugar, coconut, choc chips, ....YUM

I always used my mixer with the hook, I just went to the bread machine as it is getting harder on me standing and kneeding dough for a long time. The bread machine cuts down on the work. But I prefer the hook method.
I love when the stores put up all the baking supplies in one spot, so easy to get what you need without running all over the store, and it makes it less likely to forget something. Our Walmart does that.

Sally

cinnamon rolls sound good. I make my own cinnamon rolls as well, but I have found it much easier to use the frozen bread dough than to go through all the trouble of making my own dough.......

I thought I would do muffins this year for Christmas.... couldn't make up my mind which kind to make, so I'll do blueberry when my daughter is in town - the weekend of the 17th and then for Christmas morning when it is just hubby and myself, I think I'll do banana....

Try these cinnamon rolls...easy to make and great for a brunch or just a treat for your family:

2 loaves of frozen bread dough
1 stick of butter (margarine) melted
1 large vanilla pudding mix - NOT instant
2 TBsp. milk
2 tsp. cinnamom
1 cup brown sugar

Cut bread in walnut size pieces- (spray pan with pam and use a 9 x 13 cake pan.) And put the pieces in the pan

Mix ingredients together, pour over the bread dough and cover and refrigerate overnight.

Bake in the morning at 350* for 25 to 28 minutes.......Enjoy!!!!!

These are to die for....a girlfriend uses the brown sugar splenda for the brown sugar.....

Hall, They sound so good. I don't buy bread dough but I might have to just to try these.
These would be great on Christmas morning while everyone is opening gifts.

Hall--

Please clarify.......

--You cut the frozen dough in walnut-sized pieces?
--When you lay them in the cake pan--do you lay them touching or a bit separated?
--what is the purpose of chunking up the dough--since you will bake it all as a pan-cake?
-- Do the chunks stay separate--so you can pull them apart when you eat these?
--When done--does it look like a solid sheet of a cake or is it in "chunks"?

I would like to make this--but don't understand all the directions.....or the "WHY???".....

Thanks, Gita

Hall -

I am also wondering what the vanilla pudding does.......

Yum, Thanks for the cinnamon rolls discussion. I'll just have to try all the methods
8 ^)

A 'bomb went off ' in my kitchen yesterday~ when the dust (of flour) settled I was left with three batches of pecan cookies baked, and two of gingersnap dough in the fridge. Gosh, it is so easy to just keep batching them out when you have everything out ~ all over the place
8 ^)

We had some technical difficulty with the frosting on the Praline Brown Sugar Rounds (needs a better name by the way). We (DD and I) decided we should have the pecans on top of the frosting, not under as they called for.The frosting did not want to drizzle. There's such a fine line between drizzle and GLOB. They aren't the prettiest of things but we ended up some frosting and a pecan topping on each cookie. And this morning when I was rested, they looked kind of tasty. I guess, how bad can it be with all that sugar and pecans?
Now I am here to copy/paste my recipe for the Exchange tomorrow.

Sally, I don't think I'll get the picture out of my mind of you standing in the kitchen covered in flour with a glob of Praline Frosting dripping off your spoon. And plates of cookies all around. LOL

LOL- Every inch of counter space had baking supplies or empty bags, or assorted elements of dinner (still had to make dinner!), the sink was about to overflow with dishes, and the whole dining table was wire racks, waxed paper sheets, or pans of cookies!! Talk about multi tasking--assembling / mixing dough while keeping track of cookies in oven. I was at my limit by 8 pm when DD had abandoned me on the last batch, I was mid-glob/ sprinkle when the timer went off and you know they will be overbrown in a heartbeat...DH rescued them PHEW
Quite the exciting event!

PHEW is right just reading about it made me tired. I made my pumpkin-cranberry bread yesterday, dinner and had to go to the bank and the grocery store for more flour and sugar. I was done in by dish washing time. I just left them sit. Paul washed them early this morning when I was still in bed. I'll put them away later and then maybe do another cookie recipe. I have my eye on a golden raisin pinwheel cookie.
I had to pick up some more molassas and noticed there is a "robust" molassas. It is less calories, more potassium, just sounded like it needed to go home with me, can't wait to try it. I have been using a spoonful in my morning oatmeal. I have to increase my potassium level so I'll take it anyway I can get it.

A clarification on the sticky buns.....

A. Yes...frozen bread dough into pieces....doesn't matter if they touch as your gonna pour the sugar-butter liquid over top....
B. Doesn't matter again, see A.
C. They pull apart when you chunk them...some people here call it monkey bread...... they're delicious!
D. Kind of a chunk...but does pull apart easily.

Make sure you DO NOT mix the pudding as directions on box....just add to the butter-sugar as is.
Again..not sure what the pudding mix does but OH....So good......And I used frozen bread dough....saves me time....I always have a bag of it in the freezer.

Directions- cut (pull) your pieces of dough and lay them in the pan (I use my 9 x13 cake pan).....Mix other ingredients together (melt butter)...and pour over the dough...cover and put in the refrigerator overnight...they'll raise till morning then bake them in a 350* oven for 25 to 28 minutes......When done invert onto a plate - cookie sheet and enjoy......

This message was edited Dec 13, 2010 4:16 AM