Save Time at Christmas With a Christmas Cookie Exchange

Author: Karen Ciancio
The weeks leading up to Christmas are so busy. You want to bake a variety of Christmas cookies, squares and goodies, but where do you find the time?

The answer may be in organizing a small Christmas cookie exchange. Here is how it works -

Having a variety of holiday treats on hand means baking at least 6 or 8 recipes. Instead, gather together a group of 4 to 6 people who are each willing to make a large batch of 1 or 2 recipes.

If 4 people each make a large batch of 2 recipes and share them with the other 3 bakers, each person will have a variety of 8 different holiday treats for family and friends. It works best if each person ends up with at least a dozen pieces of each recipe. Getting together to divide up the treats can be a fun time too.

Here are three large batch recipes that are perfect for sharing with members of your Christmas cookie exchange group.

Decadent Truffles

1 1/3 cups whipping cream
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup light rum
2 teaspoons vanilla
16 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
16 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
Finely chopped nuts and assorted sprinkles
1/4 cup (or more) cooca powder

Heat cream, sugar, salt, rum and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture is hot.

Remove from heat. Add chocolates, stirring until melted (return pan to low heat if necessary). Pour into a shallow dish.

Cover and refrigerate until just firm, about 1 hour.
Shape the mixture into 1 1/4" balls. Rolls balls in nuts, sprinkles or cocoa powder to cover.

Refrigerate truffles until firm, about 1 hour.

Note: If your kitchen is very warm, keep a portion of the truffle mixture chilled as you shape and roll balls.

Makes 6 dozen truffles

Sugar Cookie Wreathes

1 package Sugar Cookie Mix
1 egg
1/4 cup oil
1 tablespoon water
Green food coloring
Candied or maraschino cherry pieces, chopped

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Combine cookie mix, egg, oil and water in a large bowl. Stir until thoroughly blended. Tint dough with green good coloring. Stir until desired color.

Form into balls the size of miniature marshmallows.
For each wreathe, arrange 9 or 10 balls with sides touching into a ring and place 2" apart, on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten slightly with fingers. Place small pieces of candied cherry on the center of each ball.

Bake for 5-7 minutes or until set but not browned. Cool 1 minute on baking sheets, then remove to cooling racks.
Cool completely. Store in airtight container.

Makes 4 dozen cookies.

Chunky Butter Christmas Cookies

1 1/4 cups butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup dairy sour cream
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups old fashioned or quick oats, uncooked
1 package (10 ounces) vanilla milk chips
1 cup flaked coconut
1 jar (3 1/2 ounces) macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Beat butter and brown sugar together in large bowl until light and fluffy. Blend in sour cream, egg and vanilla.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix well. Stir in oats, vanilla milk chips, coconut and nuts.

Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of dough, 2" apart, onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on cookie sheet 1 minute then remove to cooling rack and cool completely.

Makes 5 dozen cookies

If you would like to have a variety of holiday cookies and treats on hand, but are short of time, consider the benefits of a Christmas cookie exchange for a more relaxed, and tasty, holiday season.

Easy Christmas Cookie Recipes One Recipe - Many Variations

Author: Karen Ciancio
There are so many Christmas cookie recipes around but often so little time to bake during the busy holiday season.

The solution? A great tasting basic cookie recipe that quickly and easily turns into such a variety of easy to make Christmas treats, friends and family will think you poured over all your favorite Christmas cookie recipes.

Let's start with the basics:

Basic Cookie Dough Recipe

1/2 cup (or 1 stick) butter (or margarine) at room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the flour. Beat with an electric mixer, scraping the sides of the bowl several times, until the mixture is light and fluffy. With mixer at a low speed, add the flour gradually, beating just until everything is well blended.

Place the mixture on a baking sheet using a tablespoon measure and press down with a spoon to flatten a bit. Or roll our and cut into shapes with a cookie cutter. Bake at 350ºF for about 12 to 15 minutes, until golden.

This basic cookie mixture is also the base for the following cookie recipes (all baked in a preheated oven at 350ºF).

Orange Cookies
(Makes about 32)

Add 1 tablespoon of grated orange zest to the recipe. Shape into a log that is about 1 1/2" in diameter and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Slice dough into 1/4" thick slices. Place on cookie sheet. Cookies can be decorated with candies, rolled in colored sugar, or cut into pretty holiday shapes before baking. Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned.

Cherry Coconut Chocolate Squares
(Makes about 54 squares)

In addition to the basic dough you will need:
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups flaked coconut
1/2 cup maraschino cherries, well drained and coarsely chopped

Line a 13"x9" baking pan with foil.

Stir cocoa powder into basic dough mixture. Press evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the crust looks dry.

In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, sugar, almond extract and baking powder until well blended. Stir in coconut and cherries. Pour over the baked crust.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until top just begins to brown and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Lift it out on to a cutting board using the foil ends and cut into 1 1/2" squares. Squares can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Coconut Pineapple Cookies
(Makes about 36)

In addition to the basic dough you will need:
1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1/3 cup pineapple preserves (use raspberry or apricot if you prefer)

Add 1 cup of the flaked coconut to the basic dough mixture and mix well. Shape the dough into 1 1/2" balls and roll in the remaining coconut to coat them. Place the balls 1" apart on lightly greased cookie sheets. Make a deep indentation in the center of each cookie with your fingertip.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until the cookie is firm and the coconut is lightly toasted. When cooled, fill each hole in the center of the cookies with the preserves.

You can vary this basic dough to make a wide variety of Christmas cookie recipes. Add other flavorings like maple, ginger or cinnamon. Add chopped dried fruits like apricots or dates. Or bake them plain in holiday shapes and decorate with colored icing.

Christmas is such a wonderful time of year. Here's hoping these quick and easy Christmas cookie recipes help keep the pressure off the cook.

Tasty Christmas Cookie Recipes:Essential Christmas Cookie Recipes for your Christmas Exchange Party

Author: kevinnairvij
If you are usually losing interest of making cookies every Christmas simply, then you can always accept the invitation of your family members for this Christmas Exchange Party. For this Christmas Exchange Party you could simply plan to prepare a lot of various cookies in different batches along with your friends. Then everyone brings several dozen of cookies for the party, adequate for everyone to have a specific amount of every cookie which is cooked. Using this method, everyone goes home with a huge number of homespun cookies! This is perhaps certainly one of the top ways to have plenty of fun with friends over a plate filled with cookies. And if in case you have made up the mind to organize a cookie exchange party this Christmas, then following are several of the cookies that you must include during this event:

1. Sugar Cookies

Sugar cookies are adorable. These are beautiful and simple to prepare. You could any time select from a variety of selections like sugar cookie drop cookies to slice and bake sugar cookies. You will not desire to forget to make sure there are actually sufficient of those classic cookies at the party. These are most likely the 1 fundamental!

2. Try Including Several Conventional Cookies

While planning a cookie exchange party, one have to add in some customary American cookies as they could relate to American families. Cookies like Peanut Butter Blossoms, that happen to be humble peanut butter cookies which has a Hershey's kiss pressed in to the center and in addition Snickerdoodles, so classic yet effortless to make and full of flavor too.

3. Bar Cookies are Must

These cookies are fantastic for cookie exchange parties, since they are simple to prepare very rapidly. There's less mess since they are likely to be made in a single bowl and you'll make a full batch suddenly, in a single pan. Therefore, bar cookies are considered handy for even an new cook. There are actually a lot of choices in this category which are sure to satisfy the other cookie exchangers. Try brownies with different additions like candies or different types of chocolate chips and chunks. Also try blondies and shortbread bar cookies.

4. Include A Few Gingerbread Cookies

Gingerbread men are certainly one of the foremost traditional Christmas cookies you could make. Even though, they could look like sugar cookies, they are slightly flavored with different popular spices such as cinnamon, allspice, ginger and cloves. With this uncommon flavor, gingerbread cookies are perhaps the perfect choice to also please the santa on your Christmas bash.

Now that you have pretty much idea on what should be there in the cookie exchange party, you need to not forget to come up with a big container to take home every variety of cookie brought by your party mates.

Christmas Cookie Recipe:: Find out how To Make Tasty Christmas Cookies In Only 30 Minutes

Author: kevinnairvij
The year is about to end and everyone is gearing up to celebrate the very last festival for the year. Yes, Christmas isn't far! Christmas tree, Christmas lights, Christmas cards and shopping, there is a lot to be completed prior to 25th December. Aside from all these items, Christmas is maybe the one festival when the entire scattered family arrives in concert in a year for celebration.

Moreover, if you're planning to celebrate Christmas, one thing that you can not miss onto is cooking some homemade Christmas cookie recipes and cakes. It might be the oldest custom that one family presents another family a box of scrumptious and moist cookies on Christmas Eve. Although, with so much things to do, we hardly get enough time to make or bake things in the home. Thus, one of the simplest ways could be to gather all your family a week before Christmas and get their help in planning a bake-a-thon. Yes, it may sound funny, but this could be a perfect idea to make a few nice Christmas cookies simply and also to spend a little quality period with friends. Besides this, we now have even put together another method of making effortless Christmas cookie recipes only in thirty minutes.

Having a cookie mix is the simplest way of preparing trouble-free and rapid cookies in the home. All you have to do is usually to get the Betty Crocker Cookie Mix from the marketplace which will assist you in making good cookie dough. Firstly, pour the complete cookie mix into a big bowl and add some butter or oil in it. Further, you should add an egg in the combination to stir further. Mix all of the materials properly to make fine dough for cookies. To keep it simple and short, one can simply make a roll from the dough and slice it further in small shapes. Further, if you need to cook the cookies more flavorsome, you may add up a few extra components such as white chocolate chips. Afterward, you may oven bake the cookies for at least 20 minutes. Then decorate them and also you are ready with a scrumptious batch of easy Christmas cookies. You can even try some other flavored cookie mixes. A few of the favored Betty Crocker Cookie mixes are sugar, chocolate chip, peanut butter, oatmeal and even gingerbread.

Favorite Easy Christmas Cookie Recipes

Author: Karen Ciancio
We all have memories of our favorite Christmas cookie recipes.

Whether chocolate covered, fruit filled or icing topped, holiday baking recipes have to include a few fantastic cookie recipes to satisfy the sweet tooth in all of us.

I love easy cookie recipes. Most of us don't have enough time to accomplish all we hope to, so quick and easy recipes, especially at this busy time of year, make it a bit easier on the cook. That's always a good thing.

This is a selection of delicious but very easy Christmas cookie recipes that are a perfect fit for the festive season. 

Any of these treats would be a wonderful contribution to a Christmas cookie exchange too, where a group of friends each makes a bulk amount of one or two cookie recipes, then trades, so all have a variety of cookies to serve throughout the holiday season.

Create holiday memories for your family with this batch of sweet and delicious easy Christmas cookie recipes.

Christmas Surprise Cookies

3/4 cup of shortening
3/4 cup of light brown sugar
1 egg
1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup shredded coconut
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
Any flavor jam or jellyPreheat the oven to 375ºF.

Cream the shortening and the sugar together. Add the egg and mix it all together well. Sift the dry ingredients together and add them to the wet mix. Add vanilla and mix. Drop the dough by teaspoons-full onto an ungreased cookie sheet. With your finger or a spoon, make an indentation in the center of the cookie ball and fill with jam or jelly. Sprinkle coconut over all and bake at for 10-12 minutes.


Fruited Shortbread Cookies

2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 - 9 ounce jar mincemeat
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter, softened
1 eggPreheat oven to 375ºF. 

Combine the flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar.  In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add the egg.  Stir in the vanilla and the mincemeat. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mix. Mix together well. (The batter will be stiff.) Roll into 1 1/4" balls. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and flatten slightly. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly brown.

Tip:
You can ice these cookies with a glaze mixture if you would like. Mix confectioner's sugar with a few drops of milk and vanilla until it reaches a runny but thick consistency. Drizzle over the Christmas cookies while they are still warm.


Almond Christmas Balls

1 cup of soft butter
1/4 cup of confectioner's sugar
2 cups of sifted flour
1 cup of ground almonds
1 teaspoon of almond extract
Candied or maraschino cherries
Granulated sugar (for rolling cookies after baking)

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the flour, ground almonds and almond extract and mix until it forms a dough.  Roll a teaspoon of the dough into a ball, press down in the middle and place a cherry in the center. Cover the cherry completely with the dough.  Bake the cookie balls on a greased cookie sheet for 30 minutes at 325ºF.  Roll in granulated sugar before cooling.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.