Holiday cookie recipe swap and contest
I’ve been baking cookies today, as I probably will be for most of the week. At this time of year, I sell cookie baskets, so for the few weeks leading up to Christmas, my kitchen is constantly in use. 
I’m always looking for new recipes, and this year I thought it would be fun for everyone to share one or two of their favorites. Whatever holiday you celebrate, whatever country you live in, feel free to post a cookie or dessert recipe in the comments section, and feel free to share the link to my blog with anyone who might like to participate. I would love to get a diverse and fun group of recipes.
For everyone who participates by sharing a recipe or commenting over the next few weeks, I’m offering a few prizes–a download of my holiday story Same Time Next Year, a download of Drop Dead Sexy, and a signed print copy of Settling the Score. I’ll run the recipe swap until Friday, December 22, and then draw the winners that night.
To start things off, here’s the recipe for one of the cookies I made today. This is a recipe my kids insist I make every year, though I do substitute grape jelly for the strawberry jam, since my boys won’t eat the strawberry. It isn’t really a holiday recipe, but I usually bake it around the holidays anyway since I know they’ll get eaten.
Peanut Butter Jam Sticks
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 cup peanut butter
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup strawberry jam
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix sugars, shortening, peanut butter, and eggs together in large mixing bowl. Blend in flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix either by hand or electric mixer until combined. (Dough gets very stiff, so I usually knead mine a little once it’s mixed to make sure everything is incorporated.)
Reserve 3/4 cup of dough, and press remaining dough into greased 11×14 jelly roll pan. Whisk jam in small bowl until smooth. Spread over dough in pan. Crumble remaining dough evenly over jam layer. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.
Cool for 20 minutes.
Mix powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract together until smooth. Drizzle over cookies in pan. Let cool completely, and then cut into 2×1 inch bars and serve.
Idiot Proof Microwave Fudge
2 cups soft dark brown sugar
3/4 cup soft butter or margarine
can condensed milk
choc melts
Put sugar, butter & condensed milk in lge microwave bowl
Microwave on High for 9 minutes stirring every 3 minutes
Add choc melts and stir until combined well(comes away from sides)
Pour into a greased and lined lamington tin(Glad Bake)
Cut when cold.
To make caramel fudge use soft brown sugar, caramel top’n'fill & white
choc melts.
To make Christmas fudge use dk choc melts, rum essence & jar of fruit
mince( all added at the last stage).
For Turkish Delight fudge add rosewater essence(1/2 bottle) just
before the chocolate.
If you like ginger just add chopped ginger before the chocolate.
(This isn’t so much a holiday recipe but I do get lots of compliments on it and requests for the recipe)
Chocolate Caramel Brownies
1 German chocolate cake mix
1 bag caramels
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 stick butter
1 cup chocolate chips
preheat oven to 350 degrees
Melt caramels and 1/3 cup evaporated milk in saucepan. Mix cake mix, 1/3 cup milk, and butter until crumbly. Press half of the cake mixture into a greased 9×13 pan. Bake for 6 minutes.
Pour chocolate chips over cooked cake layer. Poor melted caramel over chocolate chips. Crumble remaining cake mixture over caramel.
Bake 15-18 minutes.
Thanks so much for sharing your recipe, Megan! (That’s my mini-diva daughter’s name, too *g*) It sounds great. I’m going to try making the fudge this week.
Sharon–another recipe I just have to try. This sounds awesome. Thanks for posting!!
[...] Don’t forget to check out yesterday’s post–the holiday cookie swap andcontest. A couple of great recipes have been posted, but we need lots more. There are some prizes for everyone who posts a recipe or comment (either in the recipe swap or any other blog entry until December 22nd). [...]
The manuscript that didn’t want to be written… « Elisa Adams said this on December 12, 2006 at 6:04 pm
just make sure you keep an eye on her the fudge is scalding hot out of the microwave.
Thanks, Megan.
Don’t worry–I won’t met my Megan make the fudge. She’ll just help with eating it once it’s finished. 
hehe that’s my kids favorite part too. Not to mention all Megan’s are chocoholics
ICE BOX COOKIES
1 cup white sugar
1 cup butter or margerine
4 cups flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs, well beaten
1 pinch salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup walnuts (chopped)
Mix sugar & butter. Add beaten eggs and vanilla. Add flour and all other dry ingredients all sifted together. Add chopped nuts. Form in three rolls (wrap each in wax paper & form rolls into rectangular shaped long bars).
Refrigerate overnight. Slice 1/4″ thick and back at 350. Don’t place too close together on pan as they spread a little while baking. Bake approximately 10 minutes. Bake till only slightly browned. Don’t over back.
Russian Bread, from Delicious Days
4 egg whites
a pinch of salt
125g white sugar
2 tsp vanilla sugar
2 tbsp unsweetened cacao
1/2 tsp cinnamon
150g flour (1 1/4 cup for non-metric people)
Sift the flour, cinnamon and cocoa powder.
Whip the egg whites with the salt until soft peaks, add the sugar and continue whipping until stiff.
Fold in the flour mixture–do not overmix; this isn’t macarons we are talking about.
Fill your piping bag and pipe out shapes and what not. I’ve been sticking to straight sticks for ease of storage and writing time munchies.
Bake at 170C (340F) for 10-15 minutes. If you overbake, they become HARD, which makes them hard on your teeth. Underbaked makes them a little chewy, which isn’t a bad thing.
Chocolate Éclair
Line pan with Gram Crackers.
In bowl mix:
2 lg. Instant pudding Choc.
5 Cups Milk
Let set.
Mix.
8 oz. Cool Whip with Pudding.
Layer: Start with Gram Crackers the Pudding mix. End with Gram Crackers.
Use Cool Whip for Icing.
Grade a Candy Bar.
Sprinkle on top.
Can do the same but use vanilla pudding mix and top with Cherry pie filling.
Peppermint Crunch Cookies
72 Servings
Measure Ingredient
3.5 Cup All Purpose Flour
1.5 Cup White Sugar
3 Each Large Egg
1 Tbl. Extract Vanilla
1 Tea. Baking Soda
1 Tbl. Baking Powder
1 Tea. Salt
1 Cup Butter Flavor Shortening
10 Oz Andes Peppermint Crunch
Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder & salt in a small bowl, set aside. Cream shortening & sugar together. Add eggs & vanilla; beat well. Gradually beat in flour mixture, mixing until well combined. Shape into small balls (can used 3/4″ cookie scoop). Place 12 balls onto greased cookie sheet or ( use parchment paper or Reynolds release). Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes (new pan 13 min. 30 sec.) or until light golden brown. Let stand for 2 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Freeze cookies on a cookie sheet. When frozen stack cookies in a zip lock bag. Cookies can be stored frozen.
Question? Your Peanut Butter Jam Sticks, I didn’t see it call for peanut butter. Where does that come in?
Megan what are choc melts? Never heard of them.
Thanks, everyone, for entering!! There are some really great recipes here I can’t wait to try.
Megan–my Megan is definitely a chocoholic.
Tammy–Thanks so much for pointing out my omission! I can’t believe I forgot the peanut butter in the recipe.
Ok, Elsa
You’ve added the peanut butter now, but where do you mix it in? I don’t see where the peanut butter is added.
Tammy,
Thanks again.
I’ve added where to mix it in now. I promise, I’m not usually this scatter-brained. 
Elsa,
Thank-you!
The Peppermint Crunch cookies are yummy. In fact, they might become my favorite cookie! One thing–you forgot to include “add peppermint crunch pieces” in the recipe. Of course, it’s a no-brainer…
grated chocolate works if you don’t have choc buttons
Sometimes I can’t help but give free reign to my slimy spine Wanna very nice joke?)) What do fish play on the piano? Scales.