[kgm0612]

Is there anyone from the board that bakes Christmas cookies and/or does a cookie swap that would like to share easy recipes or ideas?

My sister and I bake cookies and host an annual cookie swap every year. We'll be doing this on the 17th of December with 6 other women. I'd like to try some new recipes if anyone would like to share.


Karen

[Keezheekoni]

If you want a severely sugar-laden recipe, that I have no idea what the nutritional info is, I'll share my hubby's favorite that I make for him every year. I haven't tried to make them with Splenda... I really should try that I guess.

[kgm0612]

Rikki..............I am looking for non-diabetic recipes! LOL

[Keezheekoni]

Well, you asked! LOL

No-Bake Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

* 2 cups sugar
* 1/2 cup milk
* 1/2 cup cocoa
* pinch salt
* 1/2 cup butter
* 3/4 cup peanut butter
* 3 cups oatmeal

PREPARATION:
In large saucepan, combine sugar, milk, cocoa, salt, and butter and mix well. Bring to a boil and cover saucepan to allow steam to wash sugar crystals down sides of pan. Boil mixture for 1 minute. Then remove from heat and stir in peanut butter until smooth.

Add oatmeal and mix well. Drop mixture by spoonfuls (I actually use a 2 Tbsp scoop from Pampered Chef) onto parchment lined baking sheets or do what I do and line your dining room table with parchment or waxed paper. Let cool and store at room temperature.

You can also pour this mixture into a 9" square pan that has been greased with unsalted butter, let cool, then cut into squares.

Yield: about 30 - I always triple the recipe...so I get like 90 or thereabouts.

[Keezheekoni]

My other favorite is to use your favorite peanut butter cookie recipe, then for the last two minutes of baking time, add a Hershey's Kiss to the middle of each cookie. YUM! If you have a cookie shooter, you can use the "spritz" blade, bake the cookies and then put the Kiss in each...that looks kinda pretty.

[ladytaz]

My hubby LOVES these cookies as well, and even makes them himself
They are SO yummylicious!!

Originally Posted by Rikki

Well, you asked! LOL

No-Bake Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

* 2 cups sugar
* 1/2 cup milk
* 1/2 cup cocoa
* pinch salt
* 1/2 cup butter
* 3/4 cup peanut butter
* 3 cups oatmeal

PREPARATION:
In large saucepan, combine sugar, milk, cocoa, salt, and butter and mix well. Bring to a boil and cover saucepan to allow steam to wash sugar crystals down sides of pan. Boil mixture for 1 minute. Then remove from heat and stir in peanut butter until smooth.

Add oatmeal and mix well. Drop mixture by spoonfuls (I actually use a 2 Tbsp scoop from Pampered Chef) onto parchment lined baking sheets or do what I do and line your dining room table with parchment or waxed paper. Let cool and store at room temperature.

You can also pour this mixture into a 9" square pan that has been greased with unsalted butter, let cool, then cut into squares.

Yield: about 30 - I always triple the recipe...so I get like 90 or thereabouts.

[rzrbks]

Most awesome cookies EVER................they are a pain though because if the humidity is wrong, they don't rise correctly. If they don't rise, they still taste wonderful but aren't the visual surprise they can be.


I've made them several times and have the best luck when they sit over night in a cool room rather than in hot or too warm room.

No clue as to the carb count.

GERMAN ANISE COOKIES

1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. anise seed

Cream sugar and eggs for 12 minutes on #8 mixer speed. Add flour and seeds; mix well. Drop by teaspoon on greased cookie sheet and let sit overnight. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool slightly before removing from cookie sheet.

[mg_2204]

I've done a cookie swap only once and I loved it!!!

These are NOT Christmas cookies but my kids insist I bake them and lots. The recipe itself is very versatile! Use raisins, chocolate chips... and at Chritsmas time I use Christmas M & Ms!!! The best oatmeal cookies ever. You can also freeze them, they won't lose their great taste.

Milk Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies -

**1 cup of real butter unsalted (no margerine please!), soft
1 1/2 cup of brown sugar
2 big eggs, beaten
1 1/3 cup of plain flour
2 cups of oatmeal (the one that cooks quickly)
1 tsp bicarbonate
1/2 tsp salt
300 g of milk chocolate chips ---> For Christmas use Christmas M & Ms!

In a big bowl, and with a fork, beat the butter and brown sugar together. Add the eggs.

In another bowl, mix together the rest of the ingredients. Add to the egg mixture, and mix just enough to get a soft dough.

On a slightly greased baking sheet drop mixure by spoonful. Bake at 350F, 9 to 12 minutes. Let them cool a bit on a rack.

** THE rule for the best cookies ever is to ALWAYS use real butter only. Stay away from those light margerines especially, they'll make your cookies flat and crumbly.

**************************************

Coffee and Spice Cookies -

These I call 'fridge' cookies. You must put the dough in the fridge at least 3 to 4 hours before baking them. Gives you time to make an other kind of cookies or time to do something else! The dough is rolled into sprinkles so the cookies are colourful and tempting.

1 tsp of instant coffee
1 tsp of hot water
3/4 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of real unsalted butter, soft
1 egg
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup of plain flour
1 tsp of baking powder
1/4 tsp of salt
1/3 cup (sometimes I need more!) of rainbow sprinkles

Dissolve the instant coffee into the hot water.

With a mixer mix the coffee, brown sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla extract until you get a light mixture.

In another bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the help of a wooden spoon, mix with the coffee mixture.

Divide the dough in 2. Each should be made into a roll of 1 1/2 inch in diameter.

Pressing lightly, roll the dough in the sprinkles. Make sure the sprinkles cover the rolls entirely. Wrap in Saran Wrap (cling film) and put in the fridge for 3 to 4 hours.

Oven at 375F. Cut the rolls into slices of 1/4 inch approx and put onto an ungreased baking sheet (and 2 inches apart!). BAke 6 to 8 minutes.

Enjoy!

[Penny]

My RedHat group is doing a Cookie Swap this coming Sunday. I am going and taking a healthy snack, but not participating. We need about 10 dozen cookies, one to share, and 9 to swap. If I have cookies in the house I will eat them, I have been known to eat one or two frozen, straight from the freezer. Cookies are my biggest weakness, and it is easier to just not have them around. I also would not be able to trust myself not to taste while I was baking them. I thought I might do it anyway, and have the cookies for the grandkids and neighbor kids, but I would just be fooling myself....the kids can't eat them fast enough. Life just isn't fair!

[kgm0612]

Thank you! I'm hoping to try all the recipes that were posted. I was looking for something "new" to bake because I am bored with the same cookies every year.

Karen