Cookie Baking 2009

Every year for the past few years, some of my highschool girlfriends and I have gotten together for our annual Cookie Bake-Off.

The rules are simple: come prepared to make at least 1 (maybe 2) different recipes of Christmas cookies, and come prepared to make 1 dozen of your recipe for every participant in the bake-off.

This year, we had our date picked way ahead of time to accomodate busy schedules, but fate had other things in store for us. Between sick children, sick adults, and other issues, the role call for the day ended up just being Me and Amanda! :) We made the most of our predicament and still managed to crank out 4 seperate recipes of cookies this year. ALL of them were delicious!

On the menu for this year:
1. Santa's Surprises
2. Gingersnaps
3. Sugar cookies with candy cane kisses
4. Mint meltaways

The countertops were strewn with ingredients, recipes...and, of course, the obligatory COFFEE!

Santa's Surprise cookies required 2 bags of mini-snickers. Did I tell you how good these were? You should make them (recipe at end).

Doesn't this just make you want to start drooling? Don't worry...the recipe accounts for the fact that you will likely eat a few BEFORE they make it into cookie form....

This is what they look like after baking. They taste good warm, cold, frozen (and even still in dough form...SHHHH..don't tell my OB....)

Amanda prepares the balls for her sugar cookie with mint kisses recipe...She is an expert ball roller...

With these on the top...we also crushed these up and sprinkled them over the glazed mint meltaways for a double-minty experience. It was delicious!!!

Santa's Snickers Surprise Cookies:
2 sticks of butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 ½ cups flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 package mini-Snickers--originally one, but best if you get two just in case and for eating
Milk chocolate to melt

Combine butter, peanut butter, and sugars with a mixer on medium-low speed until light and fluffy. Slowly add eggs and vanilla until combined. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Add to peanut butter mixture and stir to combine. Cover and chill dough for 2-3 hours. Scoop up about 1 tablespoon of chilled dough and press into the palm of your hand. Wrap around a mini-Snickers. Repeat, trying to not eat too much dough or too many Snickers. Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 325° for 10-12 minutes. Let cool on wire rack. Melt milk chocolate and drizzle over top of cooled cookies. Cookies are better if you freeze them and then thaw to eat.