Virtual cookie exchange 2009

We came from here...... http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/794563/
Had to go back to page 7 of the threads started in 2007. Everyone have fun, share your favorite cookie recipes, fancy, bars, dropped, whatever taste good.

This one is easy and not overly sweet. If you like pecan pie try these.

Pecan Pie Bars

Preheat over to 350º

Combine:
2 cups flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter (one stick)

Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly, press this mixture in to 9 X 13 pan. Bake for 15 mintues.

While "crust" is baking Combine:
1 (14oz can) sweeted condensed milk
3 eggs beated
1 1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 tables lemon juice

Pour above mixture on crust speading around the pecan pieces
Return to over for 25 minutes.
Top should be set, remove from oven and cool. cut into bars (16)

Store covered at room temp.

Sounds yummy and easy Lady!! May try some of them for Thanksgiving!!

oh yum!!!

My mom has those plates!!!

You are so cute Jen!!! Thanks, we now know something about your mother that we didn't know before. hahaha Just playing with you sweetie. I finally have a smile on my face after sitting in this same spot for most of the day, and most of the very early morning hours too. You saying that just struck me as funny and I have read several jokes today, but none were more speical than this is to me.

Gosh, don't know about what I might add to this thread, but hope to be able to keep up with it. Are there any guide lines to it, without me having to go back and read older posts? Is it holiday themed, or just any ole time good recipes?

The pecan bars would go over big here Chris. I think that I have the ingredients, other than the evaporated milk. Maybe I could give some thought to preparing them for Thanksgiving too. Thanks for sharing. I am with Stormy and believe that you should make Paul bake everything that you had planned to. hahaha I only let John in the kitchen on special occasions, such as when I was him to slice meats that I have never learned to do or when I want a good grilled cheese sandwich or some of his fantastic crab meat salad. Yummy, that would be tasty to have on hand during the holidays too.

Hmmmphhhh...... this thread is costing me money and I haven't left my seat. hahaha Will need to keep a shopping list here on the desk to jot down things as I read. Hello to Sally and I am looking forward to hearing about everyone's recipes. Take care and be well youse guys.

Ruby

Ruby, just jump right in with any cookie recipe as long as it's yummy.
I started this thread several years ago when I started my Holiday baking and have just picked it back up the next year.
But you must go back to look at the goodies that have been posted.
No, I am not responsible for any gain of inches to the waist line.

Paul does do some baking usually when I am not home. I am pretty fussy about technic and it is hard for me not to step and just show how I do it. If he is in the kitchen doing any cooking I stay out.

And make sure you get Sweeten Condensed Milk for the Pecan bars, Not evaporated......see what I mean, there I go again.

Does anyone have a good Oatmeal Raisin Cookie that stays soft?

Hi Ruby! and John! and Jen and Chris...!
Darn, I meant to get graham crumbs today...Spent lots of money anyway, Boo hoo, just kidding. Got a fresh turkey for The Big Day and a frozen one for Later at 39 cents a pound.
I will try to dig up something I heard from Alton Brown about how to alter recipe and make cookies softer. Or google that.
Hey, here's a tip. To make them less breakable for shipping: Take a little of the liquid and stir it into the dry flour before doing the recipe as usual. That will make a little gluten and make them less fragile. Well, that's what I was told, pretty sure it was one of the pros whose name I can't recall at the moment, not one of the Food network glamour gals either.

Jen, I absoluterly hate soft chocolate chip cookies, but here's how to do it. UNDERCOOK them by a quarter of the time specified. While they are hot put them on plates and immediately wrap plate snuggly in Saran wrap. Leave wrapped until completely cooled then store in air tight container with a fresh piece of bread or a shard of terra cotta. Change the bread slice daily.

This message was edited Nov 25, 2009 11:50 AM

I am glad that Sally and Stormy were here to answer the soft cookie question, because I had no idea.

Yeah Chris, I did buy the sweetened condensed milk and not evaporated yesterday while at the grocery store. I came here just a bit ago to get the recipe for the Pecan B ars which I am going to try making this afternoon.

Okay, so this is a holiday cooke recipe exchange. Got ya. I don't have the recipe in front of me, but did see it while looking for something else yesterday and will share it here later on. It is a recipe for cookies that my mom and some of her girl friends would get together one night before the holidays and fix dozens and dozens of these cookies each year. I was always there too which ever house it was where they were baking. They are called Cherry Winks and can be frozen which is a bonus.


You ladies take good care and happy baking.

Ruby

Here is a good one that makes a nice gift

Mock Toffe Bars

(A tip..) I use the foil cookie trays you can get at the dollar store, they don't stick and you don't have to line the pan.

1 bag semi sweet chocolate chips or chunks
1 sleeve saltine crackers
1 cup brown sugar
2 sticks butter (not margarine)
Optional crushed nuts of your choice

Preheat oven to 400

Line one cookie sheet with a sleeve of crackers

Mix together butter and sugar in a small heavy sauce pan, bring to a boil, lower heat a bit and cook for 3 minutes. Stir constantly so it doesn't burn

Carefully pour over crackers ( I kind of go in a line up and down to get some on each) It will look like you don't have enough but you do!!

Cook for 7 minutes

Press down any floating crackers and reline them if you need to.

Let cool 3 minutes.

Put chocolate over crackers evenly and let sit for a few minutes. It will begin to soften from the heat of the toffee.

Spread chocolate evenly as it begins to melt and add your peanuts.

Cool in fridge and cut up or beak apart.

Ronnie, Love this one!! I was going to post it for Lady as it could be done with one hand!! Be careful, one year, some of the caramel splashed on my hand and I had a really nasty burn, where there is still a big scar from 20 years ago. These also look festive for Christmas with green and red jimmies on top. You can also use crushed candy canes. This is a crowd pleaser, the mixture of salt and dark chocolate is heavenly.

Ronnie, Those do sound good, I like sweet and salty together and chocolate is a double Yum!
Stormy, I just got back today from DD, on the way there I got some Snow Flake and Gingerbread men shaped sprinkles. Too cute to pass up.

The candy canes sound good!!

I have made these many times! Always welcome--and not too many left over.....VERY addictive!

I know them as "Saltine Crisps".....but it always reminds me of Peanut Brittle--the way the pices break up when it is all cooled and you are about to serve/store them.

Gita

OK Lady, fess up. Any cookies made this weekend?

Ronnie, too funny.... one of my friends made that mock toffee bars for community time after church....they were sooooo good, everyone wanted the recipe.

Over in the recipe forum someone was talking about Pffernuse. I LOVE them!! My mom used to make them.

No Stormy, no cookies. We are doing a cookie baking Party at the boss' home this Friday. We all bring a cookie dough or two to bake and decorate. I may do the eggnog cookies that I made last year. We have lunch together and fill up our cookie tins.

Jen caught me on the recipe threads, a DG member was looking for an easy Christmas Breakfast recipe.

I want to try those Mock Toffee Bars they sound good!

Just made 3 batches of toffee bars and a bunch of raisin cakes are in the freezer. The house smells so yummy this time of year. Pizzelles and snickerdoodles this week too.

Ronnie, I've been trying to get around to making the Pizzelles since before Thanksgiving! LOL, Not getting very far.

I'll fess up, but I guarantee I'm no Lady. JR spent the night Friday after helping Holly babysit the other Grandbabies at their house. After lunch he and I retired to the kitchen to make Darth Vader cookies??? It took me a while too! So we mixed up our dough (Peanut Butter he's 6, and that's the only kind) and started to put it on the cookie sheets.
As an extra treat I began to put dark chocolate chips on the cookies I had pressed with the fork to show him how, I was putting 4 chips on each cookie that had been pressed cross ways. He told me I was doing it wrong, there should only be 2 eyes. He then took the fork, dipped it in the warm water and pressed the dough ball once, from the mid point and pulling to elongate it, he then put 2 chips in the upper unpressed dough and said "See Poppie, Darth Vader". Yup we had Darth Vader cookies...with sprinkles.
LOL Ric

Ric, that is a great shared moment! Thanks for sharing with us. I bet they were yummy!

OK, Ric. Got any left? We need a photo!!

No, Ric bagged up a few cookies to send home with JR. As they were leaving he said JR don't forget to take your cookies so JR picked up the big container of cookies and left us with just the few in the bag. LOL
Somebody better make me some molasses cookies soon or I may have to make them myself. ;-} Holly

LOL That's funny Holly.

I may just try some of these before Holly gets home. The only thing I change is I use blackstrap molasses. Ric
Molasses Cookies
Original Recipe Yield 5 dozen

Ingredients
• 3/4 cup margarine, melted
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 cup white sugar
Directions
1. In a medium bowl, mix together the melted margarine, 1 cup sugar, and egg until smooth. Stir in the molasses. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger; blend into the molasses mixture. Cover, and chill dough for 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Roll dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining white sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until tops are cracked. Cool on wire racks.

Holly, they sound very interesting. Are they chewy?

That's Ric there, and does he really use blackstrap molasses, that 'industrial' stuff doc gets for the garden??
I made a huge batch of quite chewy molasses cookies once... They all stuck together in the plastic tub.

Drats, that would be frustrating.

Nah, Sally, This is not feed grade molasses, which is not filtered and pasteurized, but cooking grade. A popular brand is Brer Rabbit Black strap and available in most chain markets. The stuff for compost is getting harder to find. You almost have to go to a feed mill to find it.
Stormy, They are sort of chewy, like a brownie.
I use black strap in my baked beans with ginger, mustard, and horseradish also. It's distinctive and zingy. Ric
I just looked outside and it's coming down fast and furious,looks like over an inch already! Ric

This message was edited Dec 9, 2009 12:30 AM

WOOHOO, I was out all day and came home to Yummy molasses cookies. I had a few last night before I toddled up to bed and they make an excellent breakfast, too. Holly

I was going through my old cookie book looking for something different. I had this tucked away inside the book and realized that I have never made them and I usually don't ask for a recipe unless it is something I don't have and it is really good.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Sift together: 3 cups flour
1 teas. baking soda
1 teas. salt

Beat together: 1 cup butter crisco ( one stick)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teas. vanilla
2 tables. water
2 eggs

Add flour mixture Stir in 1 1/2 to 2 cups Chocolate chips.

drop onto an ungreased cookie sheet . Bake at 375• for 8
minutes.

these did not flatten out and did not turn hard and crunchy when they cooled, this is how I like my CC cookies.

Picture of cookies in next post
This message was edited Dec 9, 2009 6:49 PM

This message was edited Dec 9, 2009 7:06 PM

Enjoy!

Lady, Were those cookies of a chewy texture?

Holly, you also came home to a wonderful pot roast!!

Stormy, They are chewy (soft), just call me a Kebbler Elf. LOL

Having one with my morning coffee right now.

Lady, have you ever used real butter? I don't have the crisco...want them chewy though.

Ronnie, Here again, it's the 8 minute cooking time that makes them chewy. Most recipes call to bake them longer than that.

luvs, I usually use real butter "Land o' Lakes" is my choice, as some off brands may be more on the salty side. But I stick to this recipe with the crisco. Some recipes I feel you can play around with but I don't fool with baking recipes.

Do you have regular Crisco ? Might try 1/2 butter and 1/2 Crisco.

I love using real butter, or at least half real butter in cookie recipes. I have found that cookies made with the butter flavored Crisco have a much lighter texture.

I agree with Lady about not altering cookie recipes. Usually you get an entirely different cookie if you do. I've also found that any cookie that calls for lard is never as good when you substitute some other fat.

Watch out with real butter-- it has a lower melting point and they can spread more- so I have read.