Virtual Cookie Swap - Chocolate Cookies/Candy & Giveaway

I hope you've enjoyed The 12 Days of Christmas Cookies. I have had such a wonderful time sharing my recipes with you over the past 12 days. And, of course, I've loved giving away some goodies during that time. But now the real fun begins ....

Today, Kathy and I are each hosting part of the Virtual Cookie Swap. We have set up Mr. Linky's on both of our blogs, and we ask that you link your cookie recipe blog posts to us. Kathy will be hosting the traditional cookie recipes; and I will be hosting the chocolate cookie and candy recipes. Hopefully, we can make up for not having any true chocolate cookie recipes during The 12 Days of Christmas Cookies!

To entice you to join us in our little Cookie Swap, we will both be giving out copies of THE CHRISTMAS COOKIE CLUB to two lucky participants who link their recipes to our blogs. That means that you can enter to win on both of our sites by linking a traditional cookie recipe to Kathy's blog and a chocolate treat to mine. Please make sure you also leave a comment with a valid email address in the comment section of this post. Don't worry if you don't have a blog -- just leave your recipe in the comments section along with an email address. Then, you can hover over the date/time of the comment and copy that link as your URL for Mr. Linky.

And to make things even "sweeter," we will also each be giving away a BIG Cookie Prize Pack which includes a copy of THE CHRISTMAS COOKIE CLUB, a cookbook, and other cookie-related items. (Hint - my prize pack includes chocolate!!!) Because of the cost of postage, only those in the US and Canada are eligible to win the prize pack, but international readers can enter to win the book. To be eligible for the prizes, you must leave a link before Friday, December 4th at 11:59 p.m. ET. We will notify the winners the following day.

Items included in The Christmas Cookie Club Prize Pack
- THE CHRISTMAS COOKIE CLUB by Ann Pearlman
- 100 Best Chocolate Recipes
- Plastic Coffee Tumbler
- Hershey's Cocoa
- Hershey Milk Chocolate with Almonds Big Candy Bar
- Plastic Snowman Tray
- Spatula
- 2 Potholders
- Towels with Cookie Cutter
- Gingerbread Cookie Tin

We're hoping that many of our friends out there in the blogosphere will join us. Please help spread the word about not only the virtual cookie exchange but also some of the great prizes you can win!

Format: Your Name/Blog Name (Name of Cookie/Candy Recipe)

Day 11 - The 12 Days of Christmas Cookies

It's Day 11 of The 12 Days of Christmas Cookies -- I can't believe how quickly the past week and a half has flown by. I hope you are enjoying Kathy's and my favorite cookie recipes!

As many of you already know, my little guy has life-threatening food allergies to anything dairy. In addition, he is very allergic to peanuts, tree nuts and eggs so finding Christmas cookies that he can eat is a challenge to say the least. Today, I'm going to share with you a recipe for Holly Leaves that I can adjust a tad so that Booking Son can eat them. The ironic thing is that they are actually tasty and the entire family enjoys them. Plus they are very pretty and add some much-needed color to my cookie trays!

HOLLY LEAVES

32 large marshmallows
1/2 cup dairy-free margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoon green food coloring
4 1/2 cups corn flakes
cinnamon red hots for decoration

Melt dairy-free margarine in nonstick pan.
Add and melt marshmallows.
Stir in vanilla and food coloring.
Remove from heat.
Mix in corn flakes.
Drop in cookie sized mounds on wax paper.
Place 3 cinnamon red hots in center of each cookie.

Day 10 - The 12 Days of Christmas Cookies & Giveaway

Welcome to Day 9 of The 12 Days of Christmas Cookies! Today, Kathy has posted a recipe for Raspberry Almond Cookies, but I have something extra-special too to share -- a giveaway for some classic Christmas DVDs!

Earlier today, I posted a review for The Original Christmas Classics Limited Keepsake Edition DVD Boxed Set. This collection includes seven holiday favorites which are family classics including Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus is Comin' to Town!, The Little Drummer Boy, Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol, Cricket on the Hearth, and Frosty Returns. In addition, there is a bonus holiday music CD which includes the classic Burl Ives' songs "A Holly Jolly Christmas" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."

Needless to say, I love these movies and so do my kids. Thanks to the kind folks at The Morris + King Agency, I have a complete set of The Original Christmas Classics to share with one of you! To enter the contest, all you have to do is leave a comment telling me which one of these seven movies is your favorite. Please include a way for me to contact you! To increase your chances, you can blog and/or tweet about this giveaway with a link back to this post. This contest will be open until Tuesday, December 8th at 11:59 p.m. ET, and I will notify the winner the following day. This contest is open to those of you with U.S. and Canada mailing addresses only -- no p.o. boxes please. Good luck!

Day 9 - The 12 Days of Christmas Cookies

Welcome to Day 9 of The 12 Days of Christmas Cookies. It seems like time is really flying by, but I always feel that way around the holiday season.

Today I'd like to share with you a recipe for a relatively recent addition to my Christmas Cookie list -- Coconut Biscotti! I have only made the plain coconut cookie, but I decided to include the recipe the chocolate drizzled version due to popular request (Deborah!) I absolutely love this cookie for breakfast or anytime of the day, and it's especially yummy with coffee!

COCONUT BISCOTTI
(from Cooking Light magazine)

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon grated whole nutmeg
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup flaked sweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife.
Combine flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and nutmeg.
Place sugar, vanilla and eggs in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed 2 minutes or until thick.
Add flour mixture and coconut; stir to combine (cough will be very sticky.)
Turn dough out on to a heavily floured surface; knead 7 or 8 times.
Shape dough into a 15x3 inch roll.
Place roll on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and pat to 1 inch thickness.
Bake at 300 degrees for 40 minutes or until roll is golden brown.
Cool for 5 minutes on a wire rack.
Cut roll diagonally into 2o (1/2 inch) slices; stand slices upright on baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes (cookies will be slightly soft in center but will harden as they cool.)
Remove from baking sheet; cool completely on wire rack.

Yields 20 cookies.

Variation:
Chocolate-Drizzled Biscotti

Melt dark chocolate chips in a small bowl in the microwave, stirring after 30 seconds and then in 10 second increments until smooth. Spoon the chocolate into a plastic zip-top bag, snip off a corner and use to drizzle chocolate onto the cooled biscotti.

Day 8 - The 12 Days of Christmas Cookies & Giveaway

Welcome to Day 8 of the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies. Today is Kathy's day to post a recipe for Pecan Balls, but I wanted to celebrate by giving away some books!

First up is a very-gently read HORSE DIARIES: BELL'S STAR by Alison Hart and illustrated by Ruth Sanderson. I thoroughly enjoyed BELL'S STAR (you can read my review here) and I think it would make an excellent gift for the upcoming holiday season. In addition to BELL'S STAR, I have a very-gently read copy of a MG/YA mystery book called SHADOW HORSE also by Alison Hart. I really liked SHADOW HORSE too, but I haven't gotten around to writing my review yet!

To enter the giveaway for both books, all you have to do is leave a comment telling me something you found interesting in Ms. Hart's Book Club Exchange Post. To increase your chances, you can blog and/or tweet about this giveaway with a link back to this post. This contest will be open until Friday, November 27th at 11:59 p.m. ET, and I will notify the winner the following day. This contest is open to those of you with U.S. or Canada mailing addresses only -- no p.o. boxes please. Good luck!

Summary: Vermont, 1850s Bell’s Star is a brown Morgan colt with a white star and two white stockings. He was bred for hard work, yet he longs to run free with his human friend, Katie, on his back. But when Star helps rescue a runaway slave girl, his ideas about freedom may change forever. Here is Star’s story . . . in his own words. With exciting and knowledgeable text and lovely black-and-white art throughout—both by real horse owners—Horse Diaries are the perfect fit for all lovers of horses and history! -- Random House Kids

Summary: Horses + mystery + rescuing abused animals = a triple crown of perpetually popular preteen genres! Thirteen-year-old Jasmine is found guilty of assaulting Hugh Robicheaux, the owner of the horse farm where she works. But she's still determined to prove that Robicheaux killed Whirlwind, the mare she loved. Jas is sure that Shadow Horse, a scrawny brown gelding she rescues at a horse auction, is the key to the mystery—but just how is Shadow Horse connected to Whirlwind? Deftly written by a teacher and equestrian who has authored more than sixty books, this heartwarming and inspiring Edgar Award nominee will have special appeal for mystery fans as well as young horse lovers. -- Random House

Day 7 - The 12 Days of Christmas Cookies

It's Day 7 of The 12 Days of Christmas Cookies. I'm sure you already know by now what this is all about, but I'll give you a brief recap just in case. After reading THE CHRISTMAS COOKIE CLUB by Ann Pearlman, Kathy and I thought it would be fun to share some of our favorite cookie recipes with you.

I realize that I just told you that the idea of The 12 Days of Christmas Cookies is about sharing cookie recipes, but I couldn't resist posting this one recipe for Pecan Mix. I guess technically you could make these sweet pecans and package them in little muffin cups or even tiny bags to add to your holiday cookie tray. We'll just go with that, alright, because I really want to share this recipe.

I first received a tin of this Pecan Mix over ten years ago from a co-worker. I couldn't believe how delicious (and addictive) these nuts were. And then, when I discovered how incredibly easy they were to make, they quickly became a regular addition to my Christmas cookie trays.

PECAN MIX

1 lb. pecans
1/4 cup brownulated sugar
2 teaspoons cold water
1 teaspoon salt (optional)
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg white
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 225 degrees.
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl and put aside.
In another bowl, whisk egg white and water until fluffy.
Fold pecan into egg white mixture.
Pour dry ingredients on pecans and mix.
Place pecans on a cookie sheet. Make sure pecans are spread out evenly.
Bake in oven for 45 minutes, turning after 30 minutes.
After baking, place pecans in a brown paper bag for 10 minutes.
Shake the bag.

Do not double recipe!

Day 6 - The 12 Days of Christmas Cookies & Giveaway

It's Day 6 of The 12 Days of Christmas Cookies, and we're just about at the half way point. I hope you are enjoying this week and all of the recipes as much as Kathy and I are. Today is Kathy's day to post a recipe (and it's for rugalah!), but I still wanted to be part of the celebration. So instead of doing something cookie-related, I'm going to giveaway a book -- and it's a good one!

Thanks to Kyle at Harper Collins, I have a copy of Wally Lamb's Christmas book WISHIN' AND HOPIN'. I just finished this book a few days ago, and I really liked it. It is the perfect read for this time of year, and it's guaranteed to make you laugh -- a lot!

To enter the giveaway, all you have to do is leave a comment telling me about the best gift you've ever received. To increase your chances, you can blog and/or tweet about this giveaway with a link back to this post. This contest will be open until Friday, November 27th at 11:59 p.m. ET, and I will notify the winner the following day. This contest is open to those of you with U.S. or Canada mailing addresses only -- no p.o. boxes please. Good luck!

Summary: It's 1964 and ten-year-old Felix is sure of a few things: the birds and the bees are puzzling, television is magical, and this is one Christmas he'll never forget.

LBJ and Lady Bird are in the White House, Meet the Beatles is on everyone's turntable, and Felix Funicello (distant cousin of the iconic Annette!) is doing his best to navigate fifth grade—easier said than done when scary movies still give you nightmares and you bear a striking resemblance to a certain adorable cartoon boy.

Back in his beloved fictional town of Three Rivers, Connecticut, with a new cast of endearing characters, Wally Lamb takes his readers straight into the halls of St. Aloysius Gonzaga Parochial School—where Mother Filomina's word is law and goody-two-shoes Rosalie Twerski is sure to be minding everyone's business. But grammar and arithmetic move to the back burner this holiday season with the sudden arrivals of substitute teacher Madame Frechette, straight from Québec, and feisty Russian student Zhenya Kabakova. While Felix learns the meaning of French kissing, cultural misunderstanding, and tableaux vivants, Wishin' and Hopin' barrels toward one outrageous Christmas.

From the Funicello family's bus-station lunch counter to the elementary school playground (with an uproarious stop at the Pillsbury Bake-Off), Wishin' and Hopin' is a vivid slice of 1960s life, a wise and witty holiday tale that celebrates where we've been—and how far we've come. -- Harper

Day 5 - The 12 Days of Christmas Cookies

It's Day 5 of The 12 Days of Christmas Cookies! If you're new to my site and wondering what's going on, Kathy (Bermuda Onion) and I decided to host a virtual cookie swap. To get things started, we are taking turns posting some of our favorite cookie recipes.

Today, I am going to share with you a recipe for Walnut-Pepper Biscotti, that at first sounds a little strange, but I promise is absolutely delicious! These cookies are just as good with coffee and tea as they are with red wine. But I have to warn you, the pepper does give them a little kick!

WALNUT-PEPPER BISCOTTI

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs (room temperature)
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 cups walnuts (lightly toasted and chopped)

Stir first 4 ingredients into medium bowl.
Mix in pepper.
Using electric mixer, cream butter in another bowl until light.
Gradually add sugar and beat until fluffy.
Mix in eggs one at a time.
Mix in orange peel and vanilla and almond extracts.
Mix in walnuts.
Add dry ingredients and mix just until blended.
Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled. (can be prepared one day ahead.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter and flour 2 baking sheets.
Divide dough into 3 pieces.
Using lightly floured hands, roll each piece until 1 1/2 inch diameter log on lightly floured surface.
Arrange 2 logs on one sheet, spacing 5 inches apart.
Arrange third log on second sheet.
Bake until logs are light brown, about 18 minutes (logs will spread during baking.)
Cool slightly on pan.
Cut logs crosswise on diagonal into 3/4 inch wide slices.
Turn cut side down on baking sheet.
Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Flip over about halfway through.
Transfer to racks and cool.
Store in airtight container.

Day 4 - The 12 Days of Christmas Cookies & Giveaway

Welcome to Day 4 of The 12 Days of Christmas Cookies. Today is Kathy's day to post her recipe (and it's a good one for a Basic Spritz Cookie); but I wanted to do something fun too.

Thanks to Miriam at Hachette, I have a copy of THE PAPER BAG CHRISTMAS by Kevin Alan Milne. I read this book during the last holiday season, and it deeply touched my heart. You can read my review here.

To enter the giveaway, all you have to do is leave a comment telling me one of your favorite holiday stories -- it can even be a children's book! To increase your chances, you can blog and/or tweet about this giveaway with a link back to this post. This contest will be open until Friday, November 27th at 11:59 p.m. ET, and I will notify the winner the following day. This contest is open to those of you with U.S. or Canada mailing addresses only -- no p.o. boxes please. Good luck!

Summary: Dr. Christopher Ringle is the last person you'd expect to find moonlighting as Santa Claus at the mall on the day after Thanksgiving. But it is there that he meets a young man named Molar Alan, who desperately needs a new perspective on the underlying value of Christmas. Dr. Ringle recruits Mo and his older brother as volunteers at a nearby children's hospital for the holiday season. At the hospital, Mo is tasked to help bring holiday cheer to the young cancer patients on the fifth floor. His biggest challenge is befriending a decidedly angry girl who is so embarrassed by her scarred appearance that she hides her face behind the safety of a paper bag. -- Center Street

Day 3 - The 12 Days of Christmas Cookie

Welcome to Day 3 of The 12 Days of Christmas Cookies!

A few days ago, Kathy from Bermudaonion's Weblog and I announced that we are hosting a Virtual Cookie Swap. We are counting down the days to the swap by sharing twelve of our favorite cookies recipes! Then we want all of you to share your favorite recipes with us next Friday. I will be hosting the chocolate/candy recipes and Kathy will be hosting the traditional cookie recipes.

Since I already shared my recipe for one of childhood favorite cookies -- Nut Squares, I thought I'd share one of my husband's favorite recipe for Sand Tarts. I had never heard of Sand Tarts until I met him, but they are hugely popular in Central and Eastern Pennsylvania. They are a very simply butter cookie that some people slice while others cut out and decorate. We choose to go the easy route and roll the dough into logs and thinly slice them. You can also refrigerate the dough and make just a few cookies at a time!

SAND TARTS

1 lb. butter
2 cups sugar
few grains of salt
4 cups flour
1 egg

Cream butter and sugar with electric mixer. Add egg, salt and flour. Separate dough into two sections and roll into long logs about 2 1/2 inches wide by 1 1/2 inches high. Refrigerate overnight. Slice into 1/4 inch cookies and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until edges turn slightly brown. Sprinkle colored sugar or nuts on top if you choose.

Make sure you visit Kathy's blog tomorrow to see one of her very special cookie recipes!

Day 2 - The 12 Days of Christmas Cookies

Make sure you check out the today's Christmas Cookie Recipe. Kathy (aka BermudaOnion) has a yummy sounding recipe for No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies. My mom made a similar recipe to this one when I was growing up, but Kathy's has a few differences like crunchy peanut butter. I can't wait to try it!

Day 1: The 12 Days of Christmas Cookies

Welcome to the first day of The 12 Days of Christmas Cookies!

If you missed out on my post yesterday, Kathy from Bermudaonion's Weblog and I are hosting a Virtual Cookie Swap. We are kicking things off by taking turns posting some of our tried-and-true cookie recipes for the next twelve days. Then we want all of you to share your favorite recipes with us next Friday.

I knew right away what recipe I wanted to first share with all of my friends -- Nut Squares! It's a long-time family favorite and Christmas wouldn't be the same for me without them. The Nut Squares are delicious with coffee and tea -- I even eat them for breakfast. And best of all, they are super easy-to-make and they can be frozen!

NUT SQUARES

1 stick margarine
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg (divided)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
pinch of salt
chopped walnuts (about 1 1/2 to 2 cups depending on preference)

Cream margarine, butter and sugar together with electric mixer.

Add egg yolk, vanilla, flour and salt; and mix. Spread dough onto ungreased 9x13 inch (or 14x16 inch) cookie sheet. Whip egg white and brush on top of dough. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts. Bake at 250 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until edges start turning light brown.

Make sure you visit Kathy's blog tomorrow to see one of her very special cookie recipes!