This week at MOPS was our annual cookie exchange! It was a very relaxed morning as we spent the first half of the meeting having breakfast as a big group and the second half exchanging cookies we all had brought in. For the cookie exchange, each person who wanted to participate was asked to bring in 8 dozen cookies to share. Although it is a lot of cookies to bake, taking home a beautiful cookie tray with so many different kinds of cookies is a wonderful thing! I posted all the recipes that I received at the bottom of this blog in case you want to try something new!
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We also had asked people to bring in Christmas books that they use with their children to share the gospel during this time of year, so I have included pictures of some of those as well in case you are interested!
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Press Cookies
Allison W.
2 cups unsalted butter
1 cup white sugar
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Cream together the butter and sugar. Add egg yolks and vanilla. Add sifted flour one half at a time.
Put dough into a cookie press and press into desired shapes.
Bake at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) for 10 minutes. Do Not Brown.
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Magical Peanut Butter Cookies
Justine N.
1 C peanut butter, creamy or crunchy
1 1/3 C sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a large baking sheet.
In a mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter, 1 cup sugar, egg, and vanilla. Stir well. Roll the dough into balls about the size of a walnut. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet. With a fork, dipped in sugar to prevent sticking, press a crisscross design on each cookie. Bake for 12-15 min. remove from the oven, and sprinkle the cookies with some of the remaining sugar if desired. Cool slightly before removing from pan.
Make about dozen cookies
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Old Fashioned Soft Pumpkin Cookies
Justine N.
2 1/2 C All purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 C softened butter (1stick)
1 1/2 C granulated sugar
1 C solid packed pumpkin
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Glaze:
2 C sifted powdered sugar
2 C sifted powdered sugar
3 Tablespoons milk
1 Tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.Combine the first 6 ingredients. Cream the butter and sugar in mixer, then add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla. Beat until light and creamy. Mix in dry ingredients until well-blended. Place small mounds of dough on greased cookie sheet and bake 15-20 min. Makes 5 doz. small cookies.
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Italian Christmas Cookies
Sharon M.
1 cup butter (no substitutes), softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 carton (15 oz.) ricotta cheese
2 t. vanilla
4 cups flour
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
Frosting:
1/4 cup butter (no substitutes), softened
4 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
4 T. milk
Sprinkles
Cream butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Beat in ricotta and vanilla. Combine flour, salt and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. For frosting, cream butter, sugar, and vanilla. Add enough milk until frosting reaches spreading consistency (I sometimes need a little more than 4 T.). Frost cooled cookies and immediately decorate with sprinkles. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 6 1/2 to 8 1/2 dozen.
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Cake Cookies
Julia S.
1 box cake mix (amazing w/ lemon cake)
1 tub cool whip
1 egg
powdered sugar
Combine first three ingredients. Drop small balls in powdered sugar and roll till coated. Place on sprayed cookie sheet. Bake 350 deg. for 8-12 min until crackly.
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White Chocolate Oatmeal Peppermint Cookies
Adrienne R.
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups uncooked regular oats
2 cups (12oz) white chocolate chips
1/2 - 3/4 cup crushed candy canes (about 6)
Beat butter at medium speed with electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugars, beating well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until yellow disappears after each addition. Stir in vanilla.
Combine flour, baking soda, & salt,. Gradually add to butter mixture, beating until blended. Stir in oats, chocolate chips and peppermint. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheets.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 3 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Yield: about 5 dozen (varies by size of cookie)
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Big Batch Ginger Snap Cookies
Laura W.
2 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. margarine, softened
1/2 c. molasses
2 eggs
4 1/2 c. flour
3 tsp. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. cloves
1 t. ginger
1/2 t. nutmeg
Sugar
In a large bowl, beat sugar, margarine, molasses and eggs until light and fluffy. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. Stir in flour, baking soda, salt and 4 spices. Mix well. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-12 minutes, until set. (Cookies will puff up and flatten during baking.) Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet. Store tightly covered at room temperature or up to 6 months in freezer. Makes about 10 dozen cookies.
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Oatmeal Butterscotch Bars
Deb Z.
1 1/4 cups unsifted flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups Old-Fashioned Quaker oats
1 (11 ounce) package Nestle Toll House butterscotch-flavored morsels (about 2 cups)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a small bowl; set aside. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats and morsels. Drop by rounded Tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake 7 to 8 minutes for chewy cookies, 9 to 10 minutes for crisp cookies. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes, remove to wire racks to cool completely. Pan Cookie Variation: Grease 15x10-inch jelly-roll pan. Prepare dough as above. Spread in prepared pan.Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.
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Spritz Pressed Cookies
Carrie S.
2 1/4 Cups of Flour
3/4 Cups of Sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of Baking Powder
1 cup of butter
1 Large egg
1 teaspoon of Vanilla
Turn Oven to 375 degrees. Mix all ingredients together (add food color if you want to make Christmas trees or hearts for Valentines day etc.) Fill press and press out all kinds of fun cookies Cook for 10-12 mins depending on how your oven runs. Can also roll into small balls and press Hershey Kiss into the middle.
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Holiday Gingersnaps
Carrie S.
2 1/3 cups of Flour
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 salt
2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup molasses
Cinnamon Sugar:
1/2 cup sugar mixed with 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets Combine flour, spices, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. In a large bowl, beat butter with sugar and egg at medium speed 2 minutes, until fluffy. Add molasses; beat 1 minute. Slowly add flour mixture; beat to combine. Using a rounded teaspoon for each cookie (make sure it just covers the teaspoon, to much batter will cause all the cookies to run into themselves), roll dough into balls, then roll each in cinnamon sugar and place on baking sheets. Bake 10 minutes, or until cookies are golden and crisp. Cool 1 minute, then transfer to wire racks to finish cooling. Yield 5 doz.
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Rocky Road Candy Cups
Mindy E.
1 2/3 cups peanut butter and milk Chocolate chips (11 oz pkg)
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 cup crispy rice cereal
1 cup miniature marshmallow
¾ cup chopped unsalted dry roasted peanuts
Microwave: pb and chocolate chips in a large glass bowl at 30 second intervals until melted. Stir in 2 tbsp pb until well blended. Stir in rice cereal, marshmallows and chipped peanuts. Spoon mixture evenly into miniature paper candy cups. Chill 1 hour until firm.
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Peg H.'s Shortbread Cookies
made by Marg F.
1 c. sugar
1 c. powdered sugar
1 c. butter
1 c. butter
1 c. oil
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. soda
5 1/2 c. flour
Cream sugars and butter. Add eggs; stir in oil and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients and blend. Chill. Form into balls. Flatten with bottom of water glass dipped in sugar. Bake at 350 degrees approximately 10 minutes.
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Fast and Easy Peppermint Bark
Lisa F.
Chocolate: Crush 3 reg. size candy canes (I used a hand chopper) and put aside. I used 12 oz. of semi sweet choc. chips, melt in a bowl for 90 sec, stir and do every 30 sec. until melted. Add 1/2 tsp. peppermint flavoring. Pour out onto a cookie sheet covered w/ wax paper. Sprinkle candy canes on and press down w/ hands lightly. Put in freezer 5 min. Break apart and store in refrigerator - makes 30 - 36 pieces or so.
White choc. - Do same way but use white choc chips or white coating chocolate. I increased to 1 tsp. peppermint flavoring. Swirl in some red or green food coloring when putting it on the cookie sheet if desired.
**Note - I made some w/ red and green sprinkles and jimmies instead of the crushed candy canes on top. Going to gives as gifts and thought would be more colorful. Fast, pretty and taste good too - kids liked them and liked crushing the candy canes/adding sprinkles. Can add almonds or cranberries as well.
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Chocolate Mint Sandwich Cookies
Sarah K.
1 1/4 cups butter (no substitutes) softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup baking cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
32 round thin chocolate covered mint patties (like York peppermint patties, the small ones)
Frosting:
1 bag mint choc chips
1 Tbsp. corn syrup (optional)
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. water (if too thick, can add more)
In a mixing bowl cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture, beating until well combined. Drop by teaspoonfuls two inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 8-9 minutes or until puffy and tops are cracked (don't overbake). Invert half of the cookies onto wire racks. Immediately place a mint pattie on each, then top with remaining cookie. Press lightly to seal. Cool completely and then frost. Yield - 32 sandwich cookies.
