Monday, December 1, 2008

12 Days of Christmas!

Over at SNS we are celebrating the 12 days of Christmas with a new project every day for 12 days. The DT has come up with some very creative stuff! The project for December 1 was my project, and it is a Christmas Cookie Recipe Exchange. I thought that I would post it on my blog, too! Here is the challenge as it is at SNS :
On the first day of Christmas my true love made for me......some Christmas cookie recipes!

Christmas Cookie Exchange

One of my most favorite things to do at Christmas time is to bake Christmas Cookies! Every year I have a Christmas Cookie exchange with some friends. How it works is everyone bakes a different kind of cookie (the hostess has to keep track so there are no duplicates). Each attendee brings a dozen of her cookies for each of the other attendees, plus a sample tray to share during the exchange. The recipe for the cookies must be attached to each tray or container. At the exchange, everyone gets a dozen of everyone else’s cookies, plus all those yummy recipes!

At my party every year, I usually do a brunch with some quiche, wassail, and of course lots of cookies! I make the cut out cookies, and we all decorate cut-outs after the brunch and chit-chat. Then we exchange cookies and do some sampling! One year, I tried to have people bring cookies that were either a family recipe, or part of some sort of tradition. Each person had to share their story behind the recipe. This is a great event for kids, too.
For our first day of Christmas here at SNS, I would like you to share your favorite Christmas Cookie recipe! But there is a project to go along with it. I have attached a Microsoft work document where you can type in your recipe. Then upload your recipe file with your post. Everyone can print off everyone else’s recipes and create their own little recipe album!
The file has cards that are 3x5 in size. Print out the recipes on any type of paper you’d like, then perhaps distress the edges or add some bling. Attach the 3x5 card to a piece of 4 x 6 paper, and keep the recipes in a photo album. I bought this cheap photo album for $1.00 at Michaels. It had a cover with a rose on it, but you can take it out, and I made my own cover. Just slide your 4 x 6 recipe cards inside, and Viola! You have a Christmas Cookie Recipe Album!
In the attached document, I have included 2 of my favorite recipes! Hope you enjoy!

**NOTE: you may need to adjust the sizes of the text boxes depending on the length of your recipe.

Here is the front cover of the simple album I made:



Here is the back cover:


And the inside with the two recipes that I have attached!:



By the way, if you don't have Microsoft Word, you can just type your recipe here and then copy and paste all the recipes that are posted! Here are mine:

Snickerdoodles

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Cream together butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, the eggs and the vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls. Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Remove immediately from baking sheets.


Cherry Rum Nut Balls


¾ cup chopped dried tart cherries
¼ cup dark rum
2 cups finely crushed vanilla wafers (about 54)
¾ cup ground pecans, almonds, or walnuts
¼ cup powered sugar
¼ cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 2/3 cups white baking pieces
2 tablespoons shortening

In a small bowl, combine cherries and rum; cover and let stand for one hour. Line two baking sheets with waxed paper and set aside. In large mixing bowl, combine crushed wafers, ground nuts, and powered sugar. Add undrained cherry mixture, melted butter, and orange juice concentrate. Stir until combined. Shape mixture into one inch balls and place on prepared baking sheets. Let stand until dry, about 1 hour. In small heavy saucepan, combine baking pieces and shortening. Cook and stir over medium low heat until melted. Remove from heat. Dip rum balls in the mixture, turning to coat completely. Remove each ball with a fork and return to baking sheets. Chill for 15 minutes or until coating is set.

Post a comment on this post and include a link to your blog that has YOUR cookie recipe on it, or just put your recipe in the comment! One random lucky person will win a RAK from me! Please upload your recipe by Dec. 25!

4 comments:

wendy said...

This is great! Thanks for sharing with us :). I can't wait to check out all the recipes.

Here's mine...(It's on my blog too...http://wenspostitnotes.blogspot.com/). I'm going to print this out with the others and decorate them up once I gather more :) Can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!


1¼ cups of sugar
2 tablespoons of butter
½ cup of glucose
3 tablespoons of flour
1 pint of cream
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 yolk of egg
1. Put the sugar, glucose and one cup of the cream over the fire to cook.
2. Beat the yolk of egg; add the rest of the cream and very gradually (do not allow the mixture to stop boiling)
stir this into the boiling candy; then let cook to the soft ball degree, 236 deg F., stirring occasionally.
3. Beat the butter to a cream; gradually beat in the flour, then gradually stir this into the candy and let cook
to 240 or 245 deg F., according to the season or the hardness desired in the candy.
4. Add the vanilla and pour into two buttered bread-pans.
5. When cold cut in cubes
6. Wrap cubes in foil

Colleen said...

Great idea.

Susie said...

love that recipe book! great post now off to post my favorite cookie! have to hide them when I make them! my blog is
http://www.somanyscraps.blogspot.com

twinkle teaches said...

I gave you an award on my blog Audrey! :)
tina