Cookie Exchange Recipes

Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies

• 2 sticks butter - softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 ounces Almond Bark
• Large handful of red or green peppermints

Cream softened butter with powdered sugar.  Add egg and vanilla and mix to combine.  Add dry ingredients and mix together until dough comes together.  Place plastic wrap on surface of dough and refrigerate for 2 hours.  In the meantime, unwrap candy and place them in a plastic bag.   Beat with a mallet until finely crushed. leaving large chunks if desired.  Or crush them in a food processor.
Preheat oven to 375*
Roll cookie dough into walnut sized pieces on a cookie sheet.  Gently press balls flat with a plain, smooth surface.  Bake 7-9 min, being careful not to overcook/burn.  Remove from oven and place cookies on a cooling rack.  Allow them to cool completely.
Place crushed candies in a bowl.  Melt almond bark n the microwave.  Dip cooled cookies into almond bark, coating half of the cookie.  Immediately sprinkle crushed peppermints over both sides of the almond bark.  Gently set on a non stick surface and allow to cool before serving.


Chocolate-Marshmallow Pillows

• COOKIES:
• 1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker double chocolate chunk cookie mix
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1 egg
• 23 cup chopped pecans
• 12 large marshmallows, cut in half
• FROSTING:
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (6 oz)
• 1/3 cup whipping cream
• 1 tsp butter or margarine
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 ~ Heat oven to 350*.  In large bowl, stir cookie mix, oil, water, egg and pecans until soft dough forms.

2 ~ On ungreased cookie sheets, drop dough by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart.
3 ~ Bake 7 min.  Remove from oven; immediately press marshmallow half lightly, cut side down, on top of cookie.  Bake 1 to 2 min longer or just until marshmallows begin to soften.  Cool completely, about 15 min.
4 ~ Meanwhile, in 1-quart nonstick saucepan, melt chocolate chips over low heat, stirring until smooth.  Remove from heat.  Add whipping cream, butter and vanilla; blend well.  Stir in powdered sugar until smooth.
5 ~ Spread frosting over each cooled cookie, covering marshmallow.  Let stand until frosting is set.

Mexican Wedding Cookies / Swedish Cookies

• 1 cup butter
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp water
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 1/4 cup flour
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• ~ powdered sugar for dusting

Soften butter.  Add sugar, water and vanilla.  Beat well.  Add flour, mix.  Add pecans, mix.

Roll into 1" balls.  Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 325* for 20 min.  Remove from oven and roll in powdered sugar.  Makes about 36 cookies.

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

• 2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
•  1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cups Craisins Dried Cranberries
• 2/3 cup white chocolate chunks or chips

Preheat oven to 375*.  Using an electric mixer, beat butter or margarine and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, mixing well.  Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate mixing bowl.  Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition.  Stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate chunks.  Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake for 10-12 min or until golden brown.  Cool on wire rack.  Makes approximately 2-1/2 dozen cookies.

Peanut Blossoms

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 12 oz chocolate kisses or stars

Cream first 4 ingredients.  Beat eggs, milk & vanilla.  Stir in soda, salt & flour.  Mix it all together.  Shape dough into balls.  Roll in sugar.  Bake at 375* for 10-12 min.  Immediately press chocolate candy into each cookie.

Christmas Dinner Recipes

Salad with Pink Dressing
Salad ingredients:
Spinach
Spring Mix
Pears
Craisins
Feta Cheese
Purple Onion
**Other Ingredients that would be good: Romaine lettuce, pomegranate, apple,
or whatever sounds yummy to you!

Pink Salad Dressing:

3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dry mustard
1/3 inch purple onion
1/3 cup cider vinegar
Blend ingredients together in a blender
add:
1 cup oil- add slowly while blending
mix by hand:
1 tsp poppy seeds

Marilyn's Bookshelf

December 2010

Naslund, Sena Jeter, Abundance: A Novel of Marie Antoinette

            Sena Jeter Naslund has created an engaging novel about Marie Antoinette who was the daughter of Maria Therese of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and married to the dauphin of France at age 14, he 15.  Thus she is married to create a political liaison while still a girl, transported to France, never to return to her native Austria again, nor ever to see her mother again.  The dauphin, eventually Louis XVI, is also very young, and unfortunately their marriage is not consummated for seven long years.  In the meantime, however, they become good friends.  Marie charms her husband’s grandfather, Louis XV and most of the court, but vicious rumors begin spreading about her profligate lifestyle and questionable liaisons with various members of the court. Thrown into this dangerous political situation, we see the events leading to the French Revolution in 1789 and the guillotine death of both Marie and her husband, the king.  Based on accurate research of historic documents, the novel is told in the first person of Marie.  We are led through her life, her life at court, the birth of her four children (two of whom survived childhood), her friendships, her marriage, and the horror of her prison life at the end.  Marie in this novel becomes a believable and sympathetic figure, a victim of circumstances of her time.  I loved it.

Relief Society Christmas Dinner Party

"Pamper Me"Christmas 
Thursday, December 9th -6:30 pm
Jill McQueen's house
5820 Twin Creek Road
Bring a wrapped gift for the "Pamper Me" 
gift exchange