December 7, 2007 at 9:56 am
· Filed under Casual Friday
The closer we get to the holidays the less I feel like working and the more I want to just take in all the traditions that make the holidays so special. Wouldn’t it be fun to get all the Casual Friday crew together for a holiday cookie swap party? I think it would be so much fun and I’m sure everyone would have the most delicious baked goods to share.
Since distance, time and money keeps us from having a big holiday party in my office, I think we should have a virtual one instead today!! Leave us a comment with the name of the baked good you are bringing to the party - you can post the recipe on your site and I’ll link to it, or just put the recipe in your comment. Also if you have any tips for making holiday baking more fun, successful or a tale of holiday baking gone wrong, you just have to share. Just like a real holiday party, fill us in on your week, your weekend plans, brag on your kids, or give us some juicy gossip - what ever works!!
I’ll get us started! After many years of burning cookies, getting them stuck on cookie sheets, and other disasters, I have figured out that lining my cookie trays with parchment paper is the way to go. Reynolds Parchment Paper has a free offer right now - you can get a free sample pack of parchment paper when you visit their web site. They also have great cookie exchange tips and recipes.
My favorite holiday cookies are the peanut butter cookies with Hershey’s kisses on top.
HERSHEY KISS COOKIESÂ Â Â
1 3/4 c. sifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter
1/3 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
Sift soda, flour, and salt together. Cream butter, peanut butter, and sugars in another bowl. Add egg and vanilla. Beat well. Blend in dry ingredients. Then shape dough into 1 inch balls; roll in granulated sugar. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes. Take from oven; place a Hershey Kiss in center of cookie. Return to oven for 2-5 minutes.
The coffee is hot, the holiday music is on, and it smells a lot like Christmas! The best part is that virtual cookies are calorie free. Come join the party!!
Permalink
Deaf Mom wrote @ December 7th, 2007 at 10:07 am
Now I’m craving some cookies!
Char wrote @ December 7th, 2007 at 10:09 am
These cookies are calorie-free so have as many as you want!! What are your favorite holiday treats?
homemom3 wrote @ December 7th, 2007 at 10:18 am
Ooh, I’ll take some candy cane cookies. 
How’s the holidays going?
Char wrote @ December 7th, 2007 at 10:23 am
Hi Eliza - I feel like I have the holidays much more in control this year than in years past. Still trying to come up with a few good gift ideas for my husband but that is about it.
Good mornin’ everyone! I can’t believe we’re only a couple of weeks away from Christmas. As if the two weeks of Christmas break weren’t enough - we’re having snow days and 2 hour delays already LOL
Nice talk about cookies. Hubby and I are investing in putting together a weight room this year - the boys are all in rasslin’ so they will benefit - and cookies somehow don’t fit in.
Do you know that a half an hour of riding a stationary bike only burns up enough calories to cover FIVE Saltine Crackers? That just does NOT seem right.
BUT if we’re going to talk about favorite holiday sweets, I do have to admit I LOVE chocolate fudge with tiny bits of candy cane mixed in.
Char wrote @ December 7th, 2007 at 10:34 am
Hey Gayla - welcome to the party. My kids were hoping for a snow day this week, but we were just south of the weather line and just got a dusting.
We just got the weight bench set up in the garage again - the kids thought it was funny that I was bench pressing.
Fudge is definitely one of my favorites too. I like peanut butter fudge or any combination of chocolate and nuts.
This party is great - I don’t even have to change out of my pajamas!
I’m bringing Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread… YUM!
3 cups white sugar
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
1 cup vegetable oil (or canola oil)
2/3 cup water
4 eggs (egg whites are fine)
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional, I am not a big fan of nuts so I don’t use)
What you do:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour or three 9×5 inch loaf pans. Or use Pam spray with flour for baking.
2. In a large bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin, oil, water, and eggs. Beat until smooth. Blend in flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts. Fill pans 1/2 to 3/4 full.
3. Bake for 1 hour, or until an inserted knife comes out clean. Cool on wire racks before removing from pans.
ENJOY!
Char wrote @ December 7th, 2007 at 11:07 am
Jane - I’ve still got my bunny slippers on, too!! Your recipe looks very yummy.
Lucy wrote @ December 7th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
Baking? I haven’t got time to bake today - can I just bring some chips?
My eldest is 12 today, and we’ve got eight other 11/12 year-old girls arriving in about an hour (plus my 10 and 8 year olds) for a sleepover. Yes, I know - no-one will sleep. And 5:30 seems very early for a sleepover party to start, to me, but that’s what the birthday girl wanted.
Must go check her room is tidy enough to let the girls all have space to sleep … I haven’t even had time to bake a cake for her. I’m going to assemble mini desserts on a plate, with marzipan figures and candles, and call that a cake!
homemom3 wrote @ December 7th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
All we can do this year is buy store bought, I can’t wait to get that new house and cook up a storm. That cookie recipe sounds great, peanut butter fudge is a favorite of mine too, as is peanut butter brittle.
Char wrote @ December 7th, 2007 at 1:25 pm
Lucy - good luck with the sleepover! I bet the mini desserts will go over better than cake anyhow.
Eliza - when do you expect to be in your new house?
Nice idea Char. My recent cookie recipe discovery is Pumpkin Cookies with Caramel icing. That’s a link to the recipe on my personal blog- they are soooo yummy. My other favorite is regular old chocolate chip cookies, but with vanilla pudding in the recipe so they stay soft- definitely better than the standard chocolate chip cookie.
I always use Reynolds Wrap Release when I’m making cookies (or anything else for that matter), but maybe I’ll give the parchment paper a try.
homemom3 wrote @ December 7th, 2007 at 3:47 pm
We move from this house on the 14th, leave base on 22nd….hopefully sometime before Jan but we have to find a house for sale or rent at christmas time. Wish me luck.
Char wrote @ December 7th, 2007 at 4:15 pm
Randa - those cookies look very good!! I had never thought of using pudding in chocolate chip cookies either. How are you feeling these days?
Eliza - Here’s hoping you find something sooner rather than later.
Lucy wrote @ December 8th, 2007 at 10:20 am
Party survived! I seem to be four loo-rolls down, as the girls used toilet paper to “decorate” their room and each other overnight, but they have decorated the Christmas tree for me (one job less!) - luckily, not with toilet paper.
After some intense negotiation conducted by paper aeroplane, one visiting girl seems to be staying for an extra night, but they’re all snuggled down now for a quiet afternoon watching Hairspray on DVD.
I’m going to the gym now to work off all the (virtual) cookies from this party - thanks for the invite!
I like parties! Especially ones that i don’t have to dress up for. LOL! I’m going to have to make those cookies. Note to self. .call hubby and ask him every so sweetley and with a lot of eye batting to pick up a bag of Hershey’s Kisses!
Char wrote @ December 8th, 2007 at 8:08 pm
Tiff - thanks for coming to our party! Let us know how the cookies turn out.
Lucy - glad to hear you survived. I’d be heading out for some R&R too.
[…] Yikes, I’m late for Char’s cookie swap. […]
Linette wrote @ December 8th, 2007 at 11:05 pm
Sorry I’m late, I brought some Mexican Wedding Cookies.
Great idea BTW.
Char wrote @ December 9th, 2007 at 10:24 am
Linette - you are never too late! The cookies look delicious.
I don’t really have a cookie recipe. I usually buy a ton of the Pillsbury cookie dough sheets at the grocery store and I will make about 10 dozen cookies. I invite kids from the neighborhood over and tell them to bring all their favorite toppings and let them decorate as many cookies as they can. They get to take home all the cookies they decorate. It is a huge mess but lots of fun.
[…] There’s a virtual cookie swap happening at Casual Keystrokes. […]
HTML-Tags:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>
Subscribe via RSS
