Debbie Simurda hosted a cookie exchange party for Lakewood friends Tuesday evening in her Vickery Place home.
What says Christmas more than a tray of beautiful cookies? But let’s face it, making and baking several different cookies is daunting for many of us anytime, and during the busy holiday season — it sounds impossible.
The solution is “a cookie exchange” sometimes called a “cookie swap.”
As Denise Gee says in her popular dessert cookbook, “Sweet on Texas,” when it comes to creating a variety of cookies —“divide and conquer.”
“A cookie swap is the ‘potluck’ of dessert gatherings,” Gee said.
A cookie exchange allows each guest to take home a variety of cookies, which ultimately make an impressive cookie presentation for a holiday buffet or for holiday gift giving. It is also a fun evening for hostess and guests.
Simurda asked each guest participating in the exchange to bring three-dozen cookies packaged in plastic bags (six to a bag) along with a few extra cookies for tasting.
She placed the cookies on the table and set a bowl of samples next to each type of cookie.
After viewing and tasting the cookies, the guests drew numbers from one through eight and selected the cookies they wanted to take home in the order of the number they drew.
Each guest went home with six bags of cookies of different types; a total of three dozen, the same number of cookies they took to the exchange.
In addition to sampling cookies, the guests enjoyed other holiday goodies. Canadian-born Simurda served a meat pie, a French-Canadian recipe from her native home, along with salad and a platter of cheese and pate.
There is still time to organize a cookie exchange for your neighborhood, church or organization. You can make it as simple or as elaborate as you like. You and your guests still go home with a selection of cookies for a Christmas cookie buffet.
Following are two recipes from the cookie exchange to get you started:
Pam Thomas chose a recipe from Better Homes and Gardens.
Cherry Drop Cookies
Ingredients
¼ cup coarsely chopped maraschino cherries
1 Cup butter, softened
½ Cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon almond extract
½ teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
¾ cup chopped walnuts, toasted*
Red edible glitter (optional)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Drain chopped maraschino cherries on paper towels; pat dry to remove any excess liquid. Set cherries aside.
- In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the 1/2 cup powdered sugar, almond extract, and vanilla. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour, the walnuts, and maraschino cherries.
- Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until bottoms are light brown. Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes.
- If desired, stir some red edible glitter into additional powdered sugar. Roll warm cookies in the powdered sugar mixture to coat. Place cookies on wire racks; cool. If desired, roll cooled cookies in the powdered sugar mixture again before serving.
Deborah Loving “got her Betty on” with Cranberry-Pecan, Chocolate-chip Biscotti
Ingredients
1 pouch (1lb, 1.5oz) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup cranberries - coarsely chopped
1 cup chocolate-chips
Directions
1. Heat oven to 350
2. In large bowl stir cookie mix, butter, egg, flour, pecans, cranberries, and chocolate chips until dough is stiff
3. Shape half of dough at a time into 8x2 1/2 inches rectangle on ungreased baking sheet
4. Bake 20-25 minutes
5. Cool on cookie sheet about 15 minutes.
6. Cut crosswise into 3/4 inch slices
7. Place slices, cut sides down on cookie sheet
8. Bake 10-12 minutes more.
9. Remove from cookie sheet, to wire rack till completely cooled