Cookie Swap

This semester the theme for Kindermusik Our Time was Milk and Cookies.  I love to bake and share cookies with my Kindermusik families during the holidays, so this year one of my classes had a cookie swap.  I had everyone bring 3 dozen cookies.  At the end of class we sampled and swapped cookies to take home.  Several of the moms shared their recipes, and I wanted to post them for everyone to enjoy.  You can find more cookie recipes on my personal blog.

Snickerdoodles - Crystal Langella, Lucas' mom.

1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/3 cup sugar + 3 tablespoons
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cream of tartar
2 eggs
Fun Sprinkles for kids (optional)

Blend 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and 3 tablespoons of sugar together and set aside.  Sift flour, baking soda, salt and cream of tartar together.  Blend butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla together and mix until smooth.  Add flour mixture to butter mixture gradually, mixing well to form dough.  Use a tablespoon, scoop out pieces of dough and roll in a ball; toss in cinnamon sugar mixture and place on a cookie sheet; repeat with remainder of dough, placing cookies 1 inch apart on the cookie sheet. These cookies will spread!  Bake at 375 for 10 -12 minutes or until golden brown, remove from oven and cool before serving.

Peggy's Print Cookies - Alice Suroviec, Peggy's mom

1 3/4 cup of all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. fine salt
3/4 c. unsalted butter, softened
2/3 c of sugar, plus more for rolling
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
strawberry jelly

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  Combine the flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside.  In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar with a mixer.  Beat in the egg and vanilla until just mixed.  Slowly add the flour mixture until a dough forms.  Scoop the dough into 1 inch balls and roll in the sugar.  Place on the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.  Press a thumbprint into each ball and fill each indentation with jelly.  Bake until the edges of cookie are golden, about 15 minutes.  Makes approximately 30 cookies.

Mint Chocolate Cookies - Alice Suroviec

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup of butter
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 large eggs
10 oz package chocolate and mint morsels

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.  Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl until creamy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Gradually beat in flour mixture.  Stir in morsels. Drop by well rounded tablespoon onto un-greased baking sheets.  Bake for 11-13 minutes or until cookies are puffed and centers are set.  Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes, remove to wire racks to cool completely.  Makes approximately 4 dozen cookies

Gingerbread Cookies - Kathryn Nobles, mom to many!

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. shortening

1/2 c. dark molasses

1/4 c. water

3/4 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. ground allspice (I admit to not using this)

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

mini-chocolate chips

writing icing

Beat sugar, shortening, molasses and water in a large bowl on low speed until blended. Stir in remaining ingredients except chocolate chips/icing. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, 1 to 2 hours. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Sprinkle wax paper with flour and roll the dough with a rolling pin until 1/4 inch think. Cut with gingerbread man cutter or any favorite cut-out, sometimes I use a Christmas stocking. Using a spatula, lift the gingerbread shape onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Decorate with mini chocolate chips...eyes, buttons. Bake approximately 5 minutes. Let cookies cool and then finish decorating with icing.

Some of my gingerbread men have only chocolate chips, others have a combination of chips/icing. This recipe makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Chocolate Oat Bars (no bake) - Kathryn Nobles

2 sticks of butter, melted

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 1/2 c. oats

3/4 c. peanut butter

8 oz. chocolate chips

In a saucepan on the stove, melt butter and add brown sugar and vanilla and mix well. When well blended, add oats and let cook for 5 - 10 minutes on low. In another saucepan melt peanut butter and chocolate chips together until smooth and creamy. In a 8 X 8 glass dish, layer oats on the bottom with peanut butter mixture in middle and oats on top. Refrigerate for at 2 - 3 hours. Remove from the refrigerator and allow bars to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before cutting.


Happy Baking!