Let's Have a Cookie Exchange

Each year prior to Christmas, I organize a pre-season cookie exchange for friends. What initially began as a ladies cookie exchange has now developed into a couple’s cookie exchange with several of the men participating in the cookie making.

A dozen cookies are baked for every person participating in the exchange. For example, if ten people are making cookies, each person brings nine dozen cookies to the exchange (less the dozen for yourself). Each of the dozen cookies are to be wrapped in individual ‘dozen’ packages’. Over the years many of the participants have extended their creative energies to packaging the cookies in containers such as fancy Xmas bags, decorative Christmas tins, velvet bags and ribbons.

The cookie exchange has become an excuse to have an early pre-Christmas get-together (late November or very early December), and is a wonderful way to have a variety of goodies for the holiday season.

There are few rules other than to enjoy ourselves. There are a wide variety of recipes chosen including the usual of mincemeat, shirtbread and butter tarts. Bars are also allowed.

The following are some recipes that have been used for the Cookie Exchange which have proven to be very popular over the years.

Fudge Puddles

½ cup butter softened ½ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup white sugar ½ cup packed brown sugar
1 egg ½ tsp. Vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups all purpose flour ¾ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp salt

1 cup milk chocolate chips 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 – 14 oz. Can sweetened condensed milk
¼ tsp vanilla extract ¾ cup pecan halves

Preheat over to 325 degrees. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt.
Cream butter, peanut butter, white sugar and brown sugar. Mix in egg and ½ tsp of vanilla. Sir the flour mixture into the creamed mixture. Shape the dough into balls approximately 1 inch in size. Put each one into one compartment of a mini muffin tin.
For the filling, put the chocolate chips into a double boiler over hot water. Stir in the milk and vanilla and mix well. Make a well in the center of each little ball and bake for 14 to 16 minutes until lightly browned. Then fill each shell with the chocolate mixture and top with a pecan half.

Chocolate Drop Cookies

1 ¼ cups all purpose flour ½ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp salt
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder ½ cup margarine
1 cup white sugar 1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract ¼ cup milk
18 large marshmallows

2 cups confectioners sugar 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ tsp salt 3 tablespoons soft margarine
1 ½ tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa.
In a large bowl cream together margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg then add vanilla and milk. Gradually stir in dry ingredients until well blended. Drop by spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 8 minutes.
Cut large marshmallows into halves. When cookies come out of the oven, press one piece of marshmallow onto the top of each one. Return cookies to the oven for an additional 2 minutes. Combine confectioners sugar, cocoa and salt. Beat in softened margarine and heavy cream until icing is smooth. Spread onto cooled cookies.