A bag of dried tart cherries, a gift from my sister, was tempting me in the cabinet. I hadn’t baked anything to bring to work in ages, so I decided to try these oatmeal cherry cookies. They taste similar to traditional chocolate chip cookies, with a chewier texture and slight twist of flavor. The bottoms browned a little too quickly, but I think that is probably due to my oven and the fact that I used the same cookie sheet for each batch. Here they are, cooling on the rack:

1 c. butter, softened
1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 t baking powder
2 cups quick cooking oats, uncooked
1 1/2 c. dried tart cherries
1 c. semisweet chocolate chips

Put butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed 3 to 4 minutes, or until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Combine flour and baking powder; add to egg mixture. Stir in oats, cherries and chocolate chips; mix well. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire rack to cool completely.

–choosecherries.com

This is the final Christmas cookie post of the season. Dave and Rachel brought these Cookie Dough Truffles to this year’s swap, and they were awesome. This was a reprise of their prize winning recipe from a previous swap. If you love cookie dough, you’ll love these too!

1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. thawed egg substitute
1 t vanilla extract
1 1/4 c. flour
1 c. mini chocolate morsels
3/4 c. chopped pecans or walnuts
1 (12 oz.) package semisweet chocolate morsels
1 1/2 T shortening

Beat butter at medium speed until creamy. Gradually add sugars, beating well. Add egg substitute and vanilla, beat well. Add flour and beat well. Stir in miniature chocolate morsels and chopped nuts. Cover and chill 30 minutes.

Shape mixture into 1″ balls. Cover and freeze balls until very firm.

Place 12 oz. package chocolate morsels and shortening into a glass bowl. Melt in microwave according to package directions. Using two forks, quickly dip frozen truffles into melted chocolate, coating completely. Place on wax paper to harden. Store truffles in refrigerator for 2-3 days. Yields 4 1/2 dozen.

This was my personal favorite from this year’s cookie swap. The bark was so festive, and who can resist the combination of chocolate and mint? Thanks for sharing the recipe Catherine!

1 bag white chocolate chips (approx. 12 oz.)
1 bag of milk or dark chocolate chips
8 candy canes
peppermint extract (optional)

1) Line cookie sheet with wax paper.
2) Unwrap candy canes, place in zip-top bag and crush.
3) Melt milk chocolate in double-boiler or microwave.
4) If desired, mix 1/4 tsp. peppermint extract into melted milk chocolate.
5) Spread milk chocolate evenly over entire cookie sheet.
6) Place cookie sheet in refrigerator for approx. 15-20 minutes. Check to see if chocolate has set before proceeding to step 7.
7) Melt white chocolate.
8) Mix 1/2 of the crushed candy cane into the white chocolate.
9) Spread melted white chocolate over the hardened milk chocolate.
10) Sprinkle remaining crushed candy canes on white chocolate.
11) Place cookie sheet in freezer for at least 30 minutes. When chocolate has hardened, break up peppermint bark.

If you melt the chocolate in the microwave, go low and slow so it doesn’t seize or scorch. White chocolate is particularly fussy. It’s always good to have an extra bag on hand, just in case. I usually start heating for 1 minute at 50% power and then heat at 30 second intervals until it’s sufficiently melted.

Susan and Caprice teamed up to make these cookies for this year’s swap. They look somewhat similar to Phil’s Chocolate Chunk Cookies, but they definitely had a different taste with the Heath Bar pieces and almonds, and I liked them a lot. Susan and I talked about how messy it can be to drizzle chocolate on cookies; it seems as if the chocolate ends up everywhere! But apparently Caprice has the magic touch and can do this without making a mess. Now that’s another secret we need to know.

My sister Kelly made these Italian Toto cookies for this year’s swap. She worked very hard to get this recipe just right, making test batches for her husband and family. If you are a fan of this type of cookie, definitely give this recipe a try.

4 c. sifted flour
2 t cloves
2 t nutmeg
1/2 t salt
4 heaping T cocoa
2 t cinnamon
2 T baking powder
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. chopped walnuts
1 t vanilla
1/2 c. shortening, melted and cooled
1 c. raisins
1 c. warm coffee
2 bars Hershey’s Milk Chocolate, chopped
3/4 c. applesauce

Sift together flour, cocoa, spices, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Mix together the shortening and sugar. Stir in vanilla, warm coffee, and applesauce. Gradually add the shortening/coffee mixture to the flour mixture until blended well. Add nuts, raisins, and chocolate, and mix well. Roll dough into 1″ balls. Bake at 350F for 9 minutes only. When cookies are cool, drizzle with mixture of 1 c. powdered sugar, 1 t cocoa, and 2 T water.

Makes 6 dozen.

I asked Phil to share the secret behind his prize winning cookies, and he came through big time! There’s a lot of great info here and I will be referring back to this the next time I bake cookies. Thanks so much Phil!

Today is Cookie Swap Sunday – tomorrow’s post will feature the winner! Today I will leave you with an easy old fashioned candy recipe.

3 c. mini marshmallows (192)
12 oz. package chocolate chips
1 c. crunchy peanut butter
1/2 c. butter

Place 4 marshmallows in each of 48 mini muffin cups. Combine remaining ingredients in a saucepan and cook over low heat until melted and mixture is smooth. Spoon over marshmallows. Cover and refrigerate until set.

My friend Susan brought these cookies to the swap a few years ago, but I still remember how much I liked them!

2/3 c. macadamia nuts
1/2 c. sugar
1/2. c. packed brown sugar
1 t vanilla
1 egg
1 1/4 c. flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/8 t nutmeg
1/2 dried, sweetened cranberries

Process nuts in food processor until smooth. Combine macadamia butter, sugar, and brown sugar in large bowl and beat at medium speed. Add vanilla and egg; beat well. Combine dry ingredients and add to sugar mixture. Beat at low speed until combined (mixture will be thick.) Stir in cranberries and chill 10 minutes.

Roll dough into 30 balls. Place 1 T sugar into a small bowl, and lightly press each ball into sugar and place on cookie sheet. Make criss-cross pattern with forks. Bake at 375F for 9 minutes.

Hi-Ho, Kermit the Frog here. Kerry’s friend Diane made these rumballs for one of the early cookie swaps. It’s another no-bake recipe which was a hit. Hope that you are having a great holiday weekend!

These cookies are a no-bake holiday classic. My house is decorated, and I am fully in the Christmas spirit.

12 oz. chocolate chips
12 oz.butterscotch chips
10 oz. Chinese noodles
12 oz. cashews or peanuts

Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips in glass bowl in microwave. Add Chinese noodles and cashews. Mix well, and drop by spoonfuls on waxed paper. Let cool until hardened. Makes 30.