Cookie Exchange!

we organize an annual cookie exchange and cookie hamper at our church, and well, this week it was time once again to gather, trade, share and taste our goods!

I’m going to list some recipes, along with some photo’s of cookies i will be bringing to either trade or share.  i hope it doesn’t complicate things if they’re all in one post.    if you want to print them out for yourself, copy and paste them to a word processing document for yourself and edit the font to fit your printing style!

Carrot Cookies- from a church cookbook called Taste of Homemade – submitted by Barbara Penner

3/4 cup margarine                     Grated rind of 1 orange
1 cup sugar                               2 tsp baking powder
1 egg                                         pinch of salt
1 cup grated carrots                  2 cups flour
1 tsp vanilla

Mix ingredients in order given. Drop by spoonful onto a cookie sheet and bake at 375 F for 12 minutes. Make icing with icing sugar to spread on cookies. Very good cookies.

i used the pampered chef medium scoop and topped with the betty crocker cream cheese icing. oh my…those are SO delicious!

Next is the Brownie Sandwich Cookie.  i found this recipe in “The Great Canadian Cookie Cookbook” i once got as a gift from a prayer sister at church.  it’s absolutely HUGE, and has wonderful pictures for many of the recipes.  this recipe is easy bo breezy, and is found on page 438.

Brownie Sandwich Cookies

Brownie cookies

1 package Duncan Hines Chocolate Lovers Double Fudge Brownie Mix
1 egg
3 Tbsp water
sugar

Filling

1 container cream cheese frosting
red food coloring (optional)
1/2 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Grease cookie sheets.  For brownie cookies, combine brownie mix. fudge packet from mix, egg and water in large bowl.  stir until well blended, about 50 strokes.  Shape dough into 50 balls (1 inch).  Place 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.  grease bottom of drinking glass; dip in sugar.  press gently to flatten each cookie to 3/8 inch thickness.  repeat with remaining cookies.  bake for 6 -7 minutes, or till set.  cool 1 minute in pan, and remove to cooling racks.  cool completely.

for filling, tint frosting with food coloring if desired. stir in chocolate chips.  spread 1 tbsp. frosting on bottom of one cookie’ top with second cookie.  press together to make sandwich cookie.  repeat with remaining cookies.

makes 25 sandwich cookies.

This recipe is also from “The Great Canadian Cookie Cookbook” found on page 342.  i don’t have any pictures to share, but it’s a thumbprint cookie with a chocolate filling.  looks simply delicious!

Chocolate Fudge Cookie Cakes

Chocolate Filling

1 square (1 ounce) unsweetened chocolate                  3 tbsp water
1 tbsp light corn syrup                                                 2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder                              1/2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp vanilla

Chocolate Dough

1 cup sugar                                               1/4 cup dried plum puree OR 1 jar first stage baby food dried plums
2 egg whites                                             2 tbsp water  (*omit if using baby food dried plum jar)
1 tsp instant espresso coffee powder       1 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour                     1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda                                     1/2 tsp salt

Filling:  in a small heavy saucepan, melt chocolate with water over very low heat, stirring until smooth.  remove from heat; whisk in corn syrup, sugar, cocoa and cornstarch.  bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking occasionally.  Cook 1 minute, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened.  remover from heat; stir in vanilla.  let cool, stirring occasionally.

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Coat baking sheets with vegetable cooking spray.  To make dough, in mixing bowl, beat sugar, dried plum puree, egg whites, water, espresso powder and vanilla at high speed for one minute until fluffy and light in color.  combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into dried plum puree mixture until well blended.  shape dough into thirty balls. (if dough is sticky, moisten hands with cold water)  Place on prepared baking sheets, spacing 3 inches apart.  Bake in center of oven 11 – 12 minutes.  Remove from oven; immediately make a 1 inch wide indentation in each cookie with handle of wooden spoon.  Spoon scant 1/2 tsp filling into each cookie.  cool completely on baking sheets.

makes 30 cookies

And made new years cookies (Portzelky).  hmmm…..they can be found on the link below for Lovella.

Finally, i’ll finish with some links to some great cookie recipes!

Mennonite Girls Can Cook

Christmas-Cookies.com

Lovella (an author of mennonite girls can cook, but her own site)

Recipe Zaar.com