My friend, Marie, had a cookie exchange this week. I like cookie exchanges. I enjoy getting together with fun people, get a chance to make a new recipe that wouldn't necessarily appeal to my family, and get to try everyone else's favorites. This cookie exchange was a particularly good one. Here's what everyone else brought ... what I brought is a looong story that I'll cover in an upcoming post!
These had a chewy texture and a nice coconut-y flavor. You wouldn't guess these start with cake mix.3 cups flaked coconut
1 yellow cake mix
1 egg
1/2 cup Crisco oil
1/4 c water
1 teaspoon almond extract
Preheat oven 350.
Place 1 1/2 coconut in small bowl; set aside. Combine cake mix, egg, oil, water and almond extract in large bowl. Beat at low speed with electric mixer. Fold in remaining coconut.
Drop rounded teaspoonful dough into reserved coconut. Roll to cover lightly. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute and remove to cooling rack.
Pat's Pecan Tarts
These were the prettiest tiny tarts I've seen! The secret was rolling the crust and cutting it with fluted cookie cutters instead of pressing it into mini muffin tins.
3 oz cream cheese, room temperature1/4 pound butter, room temperature
1 cup flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
2/3 cup chopped pecans
Mix cream cheese, butter and flour. Chill. Roll thinly and cut with a small fluted cookie cutter. Press into mini muffin tins.
Mix together remaining brown sugar, butter, vanilla and egg. Put 1 teaspoon in each tart. Sprinkle top with chopped pecans.
Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.
Dawn's Peanut Butter Balls
These were some of the best peanut butter balls I've had. My son and I almost came to blows over these. I think her secret is adding extra peanut butter.2 cups sifted conf sugar
1 cup peanut butter -- she swears Peter Pan is the best -- she says she adds extra, so maybe 1 1/2 cups?
1 stick soft butter
chocolate disks
Mix until light & fluffy. Refrigerate until firm. Roll into 1" balls. Refrig again until firm. Melt choc wafers. Roll balls in choco Dry on wax paper.
Marie's Chewy Peppermint Cookies
These were chewy and minty. I liked them ... but I would have loved them if they incorporated some dark chocolate!1/2 cup margarine (or butter)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
4 Tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon mint extract
red-colored sugar (optional, but looks nice)
3-4 candy canes
Preheat oven to 350. Cream together margarine with sugar and brown sugar until light and creamy. Add vanilla and blend in.
In a separate bowl mix flour, salt and baking soda. Add to sugar mixture. Stir in water as needed. Add more water if necessary if batter is smooth. Blend in mint extract.
Drop spoonfuls of batter on ungreased cookie sheet. Roll in red sugar, if desired. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove cookie sheet from oven and sprinkle with crushed peppermint candy. Return to oven for 2-3 minutes or until candy begins to melt. Remove and cool on wire rack for 20 minutes.
Makes about 2 dozen cookies.
Terri's Salted Nut BarsI've made these before and they are a yummy combination of buttery crust, sweet butterscotch filling, and salty peanuts. They are one of my favorite bar recipes.
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Blend together (I used my hands):
3 cups flour
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 cup butter or margarine, melted
Press into an ungreased 15 X 10 pan (I used 12 by 18). Bake 10 - 12 minutes.
Sprinkle 3 cups of mixed nuts over the crust. (I used a little more because I used a bigger pan.)
While the crust is baking, combine in a small saucepan:
1/2 cup corn syrup
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp water
6 oz. butterscotch chips
Bring to a boil and boil 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour cooked mixture over nuts. (I moved the nuts around to make sure they were in the cooked mixture.) Bake 10 - 12 minutes. When cool, cut into bars.