Saturday, December 08, 2007

Cookie Exchange and treat recipes



The Christmas cookie exchange was this morning. There were 10 women, 3 husbands, and 2 cute babies who came. Several women couldn't make it for one reason or another. I'm sad they couldn't make up but appreciate the ones who did and enjoyed their company and their yummy cookies. I stayed up til 1:00 frosting pink cookies (Grandma George's recipe) and cutting up fruit for the fruit tray. (Note to self...Tripling the batch makes 10 dozen) Got up early this morning, showered and got busy making salsa and cinnamon rolls while Mark made breakfast quesedillas with sausage, eggs and cheese. Everything was really good. Now don't be thinking I'm all that. Although I do know how to make awesome cinnamon rolls from scratch, this mornings rolls were courtesy of the Pillsbury dough boy and that wonderful little pop can.
So you all want Christmas treat recipes...okay...here goes. They are so simple...honest! In fact I'm sure you all have some of these already. The cracker toffee recipe I got off the making memories blog. I've made it before but used this recipe....but then again we did have the oven fire while cooking this. :o) **Disclaimer** I am not responsible for oven fire in your home if you choose to make this. :o) Truth be know, the fire was my fault from not cleaning up drippings on the bottom of the oven first.
Homemade Reese's
1 1/2 cup crushed graham crackers - 1 sleeve
2 3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup melted margarine 2 cups creamy peanut butter.
Mix together the above ingredients and spread into a jelly roll pan. In microwave melt 1/2 cup margarine and 12 oz. chocolate chips pour over peanut butter mixture. Chill and cut into desired size squares.
English toffee
2 cups sugar 1 pound butter 2 Tbsp. water
Cook sugar, butter and water in a saucepan over medium heat until it turns "paper bag brown" Pour into a lightly greased jelly roll pan. Sprinkle with milk chocolate chips immediately, spread then top with chopped nuts of your choice. Break when cool.
Holiday pretzel bark
Melt 2 pounds premium white chocolate Fold in pretzels and M&M's. Pour onto a wax paper lined jelly roll pan. Cool and break into pieces.
Peppermint bark
Melt 2 pounds premium white chocolate add 12 candy canes - crushed
1 tsp. peppermint extract or 1/2 if using peppermint oil.
mix together then pour onto a wax paper lined jelly roll pan. Cool and break into pieces.
People chow aka reindeer poop
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips 1/2 cup margarine
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
Melt together and pour over a box of Crispix cereal. Mix well the pour into a brown paper bag and shake with 2 cups of powdered sugar, added a little at a time.
Fudge
1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow cream 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar 2/3 cup evaporated milk 1/4 cup butter 1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups milk chocolate chips 6 ounces semisweet chocolate morsels
In a heavy sauce pan, combine marshmallow creme, sugar, milk, butter and salt. Bring to a full rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 5 minutes remove from heat. Add both kinds of morsels, stir until they are melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour into foil lined 8 inch square pan, chill 2 hours until firm.

Candied Pecans
1 pound pecan halves 1 Tbsp. water 1 cup sugar
1 egg white 1 tsp. Salt 2 tsp. Cinnamon
Put egg white and water in bowl and beat until frothy, but not stiff. In second bowl sift salt, sugar and cinnamon. Pour nuts into liquid and stir until well coated. Pour sugar mixture over nuts and stir again. Spread on greased cookie sheet and bake at 300 for 20-25 min. Stir every 10 min.
Mint Crisps
Melt chocolate mint wafers. Dip Ritz crackers in melted chocolate and cool on a rack
Cracker toffee
1+ sleeves of saltine crackers (also known as soda crackers)1 cup brown sugar1 cup (2 cubes) butter (or margarine)12 oz package of chocolate chips, Chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, or almonds all work wonderfully)*For best results follow the directions exactly*Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a 10"x15" cookie sheet or jelly roll pan by lining it with foil and spraying it with cooking spray. Line the cookie sheet with a single layer of saltine crackers (you may need to break a few in half so the entire bottom is covered).Bring brown sugar and butter to a boil in a saucepan. Boil for 2 minutes. Pour hot mixture over crackers and spread until crackers are covered. Bake for 5 minutes in a pre-heated oven (400 degrees F.). Remove from oven and carefully press down any crackers that have bubbled up. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top and let pan sit until chocolate has mostly melted. Use knife to spread chocolate around. Sprinkle with chopped nuts. Cool in fridge. When completely cool, break into pieces and store in air-tight container.
Grandma George's frosted pink cookies
1 1/3 cup sugar 1 cup shortening 3 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk 1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda 3 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt
Frosting:
8 oz cream cheese 2 Tbsp margarine
2 tsp. vanilla 1/2 bag or more of powdered sugar
(I added a teeny bit of milk too) food coloring
Cream sugar, shortening, eggs, and vanilla. Add buttermilk and baking soda; Cream. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well. spoon onto cookies sheet and bake at 375 for 8 to 10 minutes. My oven is 8 minutes.
Frosting: Mix together cream cheese, margarine and vanilla then add powdered sugar and food coloring. (hers were always pink) Frost cooled cookies and store in a container with waxed paper in between the layers. They are awesome and remind me of Kanosh Utah every time I eat them....good times there!
I'm off to work on Christmas cards that should have been mailed off weeks ago. I'm so far behind. I've had several of you email me asking for my new address. I thought I responded to everyone, but I could have missed someone accidentally. Please don't think I'm rude. Shoot me another email and I'll get that information to you. My email address is in my profile information on the side bar.



14 comments:

Anonymous said...

The cookies look delish. I think I'm going to try the Reese's one as my hubby loves PB.

Happy Holidays!
Jeanette :)

Carol Dunton said...

Oh THANK YOU for sharing your recipes with us! I was wooooooooonderin' about those recipes! I have to go to a cookie exchange in another week, so I just may have to try one of yours to share! I'm so glad you had such a nice time! Tell Mark he looks like a pro there! : )
VB

Grandma September said...

I'm SO glad you shared the recipes! yay! Thanks, sweetie. Um, address. Yes, address. Quickly, please, because I'm sending those darn cards out tomorrow! I completely spaced on your moving. DOH!

Now I have to bake, don't I? :D Go ahead, twist my arm! :D

Don't forget the address, please.

-xoxox

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Jacquie said...

YUM!!! That is all there is to say LOL. I am so trying some of your recipes, just need to decide which ones.

Mark's breakfast quesadillas sound yummy!

Anonymous said...

Wow.. thanks so much. It looks like you had a yummy time.

Chickenbells said...

Oh my heavens...it looks like you guys had a wonderful time indeed! Of course, any time you get cookies to eat and take home is good right?

Monogram Queen said...

Jolene you rock what can I say? I might just get industrious and try one of those recipes. Your disclaimer is duly noted ;)

CathyVal said...

Thanks for sharing the recipes!! I had my cookie exchange this past weekend. I made Toffee Crunch Cookies, Orange Cranberry drops and turtles. They were all so yummy. I did want to share a recipe with you since you shared so many with us. My turtles were a huge hit and everyone was excited at how easy they were. Place the small twist pretzels on a cookie sheet (line with parchment paper), place a Rolo on top of each pretzel, bake in the oven on 350 for about 2-3 minutes, once out of the oven place a pecan half on top of each rolo and smush the Rolo down and the chocolate should almost cover the pretzel - put the cookie sheet of pretzels in the refrigerator to cool for 10-15 minutes and take them out. Let them get to room temperature or else the caramel will be rock hard. These were so yummy and sooo easy to make. Loved the chocolate, carmel and pretzel take. ENJOY!

Briana said...

Looks like I'll be headed back into the kitchen to try a couple of those recipes! Thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

10 dozen cookies!! Holy moly woman, LOL

Nicole *Ü* said...

Oh!! Those sound so YUMMY!!! Thanks for sharing your recipes!! The cookie exchange sounds so much fun!! How does one of those work??

leosatter said...

Maybe you can help me out with something…? I want to order all of my food online from now on because of various reasons, but I don’t know where to go for quality food. I have tried 2 companies so far, Fresh Dining, and and Celebrity Foods, but I wanna get others I can try out. Do you know of any? The main thing I’ve ordered so far is steak. I guess you can say, I’m a steak junkie. LOL!!! From what I have found out (from what I have ordered so far) I think I am able to regulate the quality of beef I buy. I hate going to a store and getting that crappy slab of beef that I have to cut down until there is like nothing left. Hahaha!!!! (its so true though) Anyhow, sorry that I made this comment so long. If you can help me out or point me in a direction where I might find more quality foods online, I would greatly appreciate it. Have a good day or night! (depending on when you read this) LOL!!!!

Sandi @the WhistleStop Cafe said...

Thank you for sharing all of those recipes!
Looks like a fatteningfun time!