There is no sweeter get-together than a cookie-swap party. Throw one as an excuse to get together with friends during the holidays and to cross off some gifts from your to-do list!
To start, invite a handful of friends and family members who enjoy baking. Have each guest bring a dozen of their favorite cookies to the event, plus an extra dozen for tasting. Use cake stands and decorative trays to display the treats, and make it a proper occasion by serving tea with light snacks like a cheese platter or finger sandwiches.
After the socializing winds down, provide guests with cute paper treat boxes to carry home their grand assortment of goodies. Have all the recipes forwarded to you in advance if you want to create a customized recipe book as a fun party favor.
Snickerdoodle Sandwiches
Yield: about two dozen sandwiched cookies
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar plus 2 tablespoons, divided use
2 eggs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 jar Trader Joe’s Speculoos cookie (butter) and cocoa swirl
Procedure:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Set mixture aside.
2. Cream butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Next, slowly add dry ingredient mixture and mix well.
3. Combine the teaspoon of cinnamon and tablespoons of sugar in a shallow bowl. Shape the dough into 1/2-inch balls and roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
4. Place the balls 2 inches apart on a lined cookie sheet. Bake in middle of preheated oven for 7-9 minutes; let the cookies cool for 1 minute on the pan, then move to wire racks to finish cooling.
5. Match the cookies to identical-size partners. Spoon a generous heap of cookie butter filling onto the flat side of one cookie; use the partner to sandwich the filling, slowly rotating the cookies in opposite directions to spread evenly.
6. If cookie butter isn’t your cup of tea, try Nutella or cream cheese frosting.
Rocky Road Cake Mix Cookies
Yield: about two dozen
1 box chocolate fudge cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup marshmallows
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Procedure:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, eggs and oil until well blended.
2. Cut marshmallows into small pieces with scissors and stir into dough along with chocolate chips and pecans. The dough should be thick and tough to stir.
3. A mini ice cream scoop makes the dough-scooping process a dream. If you do not have a scoop, use a spoon to drop 1-inch balls of dough about 2 inches apart onto lined cookie sheets. For aesthetic purposes, make sure some marshmallow bits and pecans are peeking through the top of the dough.
4. Bake in middle of preheated oven for 9-11 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
5. Try this recipe with different combinations of cake mix flavors and mix-ins for the ultimate last-minute treat! Clean out your pantry by throwing in some nuts, sprinkles, chopped candy bars or whatever you have on hand to create a one-of-a-kind recipe.
Red-nosed Rudolph Cookies
Yield: about two dozen
2 ?cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cups brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup white sugar
1 package instant vanilla pudding mix (3.4 ounces)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 large bag plain M&M’s (11.4 ounces)
1 bag mini pretzel twists
2 tablespoons melted chocolate
Procedure:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, combine the flour and baking soda. Set this mixture aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until consistency is even. Slowly stir in the instant pudding mix. Add in vanilla, then one egg at a time. Finally, blend in the flour mixture until well incorporated.
3. Chill dough for 15-20 minutes in the refrigerator.
4. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Place dough on lined cookie pan and use the palm of your hand to flatten the dough. Shape the reindeer faces into circles or ovals, or taper one end to make a pointed nose. You can make all the faces the same shape or mix them up to create a variety of Rudolphs.
5. Bake on lined cookie pans for 8-10 minutes until edges are a golden brown. Remove from the oven and immediately place a red M&M at the point of the nose, and two brown M&M’s for the eyes.
6. Press two pretzels at the top of the head to make indents for the antlers (the pretzels will not stick yet). Allow the cookies to cool on a rack before using a dab of melted chocolate to secure the pretzels.
Source: Based on a recipe by Betty Crocker
