Countdown to Christmas #9- Cookie Exchange 2009

Okay, enough with the stupid crap that's going on at the Dreamscape post. It's been taken to Facebook. I'm keeping the comments up for one more day, then they're being archived.

Soulspeak, baby. I love you. Thanks for saying everything I've been thinking.

So enough. Christmas is almost here!

Last Saturday we had our annual Cookie Party Exchange. I was smart this year and tried my cookies out in October because my cookies never come out like the picture of the recipe I use. The consensus was good so I stuck with that one. What's not to like about Caramel Apple Cookies?

We moved the party to Ronnie's house last year because it's apparent that my house is way too small. We ditched the kids this year since all our guests had kids and it would have been too crowded.

What do we do at a Cookie Party, you may ask? To start, each guest is asked to bring six dozen cookies and a $5.00 gift beautifully wrapped. They have to email me the recipe beforehand because each guest goes home with a tray of cookies (tray provided by us) a stack of recipe cards, a gift and a favor (provided by us) usually something baking related.
We play Steal the Gift, that's why the $5.00 gift has to be beautifully wrapped, to entice everyone to steal it. It's hard to find a $5.00 gift, so next year we're going to do Steal the Gift with ornaments or up the price of the gift.
Some of the games we play are;
  • Forbidden Words- each guest is given a necklace with a small cookie cutter attached. A group of five or six words are posted around the house. If you catch someone saying the forbidden words, then you get to take their necklace. The person with the most necklaces at the end of the night wins a prize.
  • Sit On Your Friends Lap- a list of questions is asked. If you answer "yes" to any of the questions, you move one seat to the right. If someone is sitting there, tough- sit on their lap. The person who ends up in their original seat wins.
  • Draw On Your Head- paper is placed on your head, and your given instructions on what to draw. The person who comes closest to the directions wins.
  • Left/Right Game- A modified version of "Night Before Christmas" is read and every time the word "right" or "left" is said, a stuffed Rudolph is passed around the circle in that direction. No hands allowed, though! Last one with Rudolph is the winner.
  • Guess What's in the Stocking- items are placed in two stockings and without looking, guests have to feel and write what's in them. The person with the most right answers wins.
Each day up until Christmas, I'll be posting the recipes of all the cookies that made an appearance at the party. I'll start with mine...it was originally found here.

Caramel Apple Cookies
1 cup butter
½ tsp salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
12 oz caramel baking bits
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups granny smith apples, peeled and finely chopped
2 cups flour
2¾ cup old fashioned oats, pulsed in food processor until finely ground (not quick-cooking oatmeal)
In a large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar with an electric mixer until the mixture is fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and eggs. Beat until combined. In a medium-sized bowl, stir the oatmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda until combined. Set aside. Using an electric mixer, stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture until combined. Stir in the caramel bits and apples. Save a few of each (the apple and the caramel) for dotting on top of the rolled cookie dough balls. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour. Roll the cookie dough into golf ball-sized balls.

Bake on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet in an oven preheated to 350 degrees F, for 10-12 minutes. The sheet should be placed on the upper middle rack. Cool on the pan for 4 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Note: Dough is best the day of. In time, the apples add extra moisture to the dough, causing a wider spread on the baked cookies. Alternatively, you can pre-roll the dough into balls and freeze if you aren't using it all the first day. Place the dough balls on a cookie sheet until solid, and then transfer to a labeled sealable freezer bag. Use within one month. Simply add an extra couple minutes to the baking time since the dough is frozen.
Yields 3 dozen

My Soccer Moms. Thanks Ronnie, for hosting the 6th (or it 7th?) Annual Cookie Exchange!

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