Wednesday, December 09, 2009

cookie exchange '09

The first Monday in December means that it's time for me to make 12 dozen cookies to trade with friends. This year I chose White Chocolate Raspberry Bars. (I'm pretending to be a foodie in this post -- I know, this is so not a foodie blog.)
Since this is a bar cookie it only took 3 batches in jelly roll pans to meet my quota.
All packaged up and ready to go! The recipe follows, along with a couple of our favorites from this year.

White Chocolate Raspberry Bars

½ cup butter

12 oz white chocolate chips

2 eggs

½ cup sugar

1 cup flour

½ tsp salt

1 tsp almond extract

½ cup raspberry jam

¼ cup sliced almonds

3x recipe for jellyroll pan, or 1= 9x13

Melt butter over low heat. Remove from stove and add 1 cup white chips. Do not stir.

Beat eggs till foamy and gradually add sugar at high speed until lemon colored.

Stir in butter and melted chips. Add flour and salt and almond extract. Mix at low speed until just combined. Put half of mixture in greased and floured pan and bake for 15 minutes at 325 until golden brown. Stir rest of white chocolate chips into remaining batter. Melt jam over low heat and spread over baked layer. Gently spoon remaining batter over jam and sprinkle with almonds and bake for 25-35 additional minutes until done.


Torrie's Peanut Butter Balls
1 stick margarine
1 pound powdered sugar
2 cups peanut butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
optional: handful of Rice Krispies
1 package melting chocolate
Mix together all ingredients except chocolate until well blended. Roll into balls; place on wax paper; set in refrigerator to firm. Melt chocolate blocks in double boiler; dip balls in melted chocolate and place on wax paper. Refrigerate until chocolate is hardened.

Shana's Peanut Brittle Bars
2 cups flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup butter
2 cups cocktail peanuts
1 cup milk chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate
1 12.5 oz jar caramel ice cream topping
2 T flour

Preheat oven to 350.
Line a 15x10x1" baking pan with foil and grease it. Set aside.
In a medium bowl or mixer with paddle attachment, stir together 2 cups flour and brown sugar. Add butter and mix until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Press flour mixture into bottom of prepared pan.
Bake about 12 minutes until golden brown.
Sprinkle peanuts and chocolate pieces over hot crust.
In a small bowl stir together caramel topping and 2 T flour.
Drizzle over the top.
Bake 12-15 minutes until caramel is bubbly.

7 comments:

mindy said...

Those raspberry bars sound delicious. I will definetly have to give those a try.
I wish I was still apart of that cookie exchange. Lots of fun!!
Happy Holidays.

Shannon said...

YUM! Post away - I love finding new recipes and delicious pics on friends blogs! I have to make cookies for a band auction on Monday, and I think these might just fit the bill.

Kathy said...

They were so delicious!

Kelsey K. Hartley said...

You are so smart to do bars. I would have been in the kitchen for hours baking sheet after sheet of cookies to get 12 dozen. They do look and sound delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipes!

Torrie said...

oh my gosh! i made the favorites list! thanks!
and that was fun!

Unknown said...

Gasp! You GAVE AWAY the secret family recipe? :-O My mother guards this one with her life! lol. I remember asking her once if she was going to put this in a ward cookbook, and she said she never would, she used them to impress people when she had to take something yummy to a gathering. But I guess the more people that have it, the more opportunities we have to enjoy it, right?

Jaime said...

I am totally making these. I just baked yesterday, and now that i see these, I think I will for sure make them, and the peanut butter balls. Yummy! Thanks, and you can never have too many recipes, so keep posting your favs & I'll keep trying them. :)