January Recipe Swap- Chocolate Chip Cookies

We enjoyed a fun night of chocolate chop cookies and milk and had a whopping 16 sister there! There were many different varieties and add ins as well as some interesting tricks of the trade. Like for a soft chewy cookie, add sour cream and for puffy yet crisp cookies, dissolve the baking soda in hot water before adding it to the mix.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookie (submitted by Lori B.)

Cook Time: 10 Minutes Servings: 24

"Crisp edges, chewy middles."

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons hot water

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. 

Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. Stir in flour, chocolate chips, and nuts. Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans.

3. Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.

Peanut Butter Cookies with Milk Chocolate Chunks

(Submitted by Ellen P., taken from bakeorbreak.com)

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Yield: about 24 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 & 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 6 ounces good milk chocolate, coarsely chopped
• granulated sugar or sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Instructions

Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and peanut butter. Beat until combined.

Add half of flour mixture. Mix for 15 seconds. Add remaining flour mixture and mix just until combined. Fold in chocolate. Cover bowl and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 375°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between cookies. Using the palm of your hand, gently press each cookie down so that it forms a tall disk shape. Be sure not to press too hard or press cookies too flat.

Sprinkle tops of cookies with granulated sugar or sanding sugar. Bake 10-12 minutes, until tops of cookies just begin to brown.

Cool cookies on pan on wire rack for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Choc. Chip Pretzel Cookies  (Submitted by Lindsay B.) 

3/4 c. butter

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

2 generous cups flour

2 tsp. corn starch

1 tsp. baking soda

dash of salt

choc chips to taste

pretzels to taste (about 1/2 cup or so, run through the food
processor or chopped small)

Oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugars.  Add egg and vanilla and beat
until light and fluffy.

Add dry ingredients and stir until just mixed.

Stir in chocolate chips and pretzel pieces.

Bake for 8-10 minutes until barely golden brown around the edges. 

Outrageous Chocolate Chip Cookies (Submitted by Daniel D. from AllRecipies.com)

Description

18 Servings, Prep Time: 15 Minutes, Cook Time: 10 Minutes

A great combination of chocolate chips, oatmeal, and peanut butter. She says to add Recees peanut butter chips for extra yumminess!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the peanut butter, vanilla and egg until well blended. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the batter just until moistened. Mix in the oats and chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Drop by tablespoonfuls on to lightly greased cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges start to brown. Cool on cookie sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

December Recipe Swap- Cookie Exchange

Ellen hosted our annual Cookie Exchange this month and there was a great variety of cookie and treats for us all to take home and share with family and friends.

Starlights Sugar Crisps (submitted by Sarah Nichol via Dorothy Britsch)

Soften 1 cake of yeast in ¼ c warm water.  (1 cake of yeast = 1.5 to 2 tsp. of instant yeast or 2 to 2.5 tsp. of active dry yeast).

In separate bowl, sift together 3.5 cups flour and 1.5 tsp. salt.  Cut in 1 cup of butter until particles are the size of small peas.

Blend in 2 beaten eggs, ½ cup sour cream, 1 tsp. vanilla and the cake softened yeast.  Mix thoroughly, cover and chill at least 2 hours or overnight – up to 4 days. 

Sprinkle rolling surface with vanilla sugar (see below).  Roll out half the dough to a rectangle about ¼” thick.  Fold one end of the dough over to the center, then fold the other end to the center.  Sprinkle the rolling surface with vanilla sugar again, turn dough by ¼ turn and roll out again.  Again, fold by thirds.  Repeat sprinkling sugar, rolling, and folding 3 times. 

Cut into strips of 4” x 1”, twist 2 or 3 times each, and place on a greased cookie sheet. 

Bake at 325 – 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes.  Watch very carefully.

Vanilla Sugar

1.5 cups sugar + 1.5 tsp. vanilla, blended.  

November Recipe Swap- Green Smoothies

We had a record number of women attend this months recipe swap! Shelby O. talked about what she has learned about green smoothies and many shared recipes as well as tips on the best blender! Many people like the blendtec blender best.

October Recipe Swap- Apples

Apple Cranberry Crisp (submitted by Lindsay Bullock

Mix together and put in 9x13 pan:

5 Large Apples, peeled and chopped fine

1 cup fresh cranberries, chopped fine (I run mine through a food processor)

1/3 cup orange juice (I used concentrate J )

1-2 Tbls. Lemon juice

¼ cup sugar (or a little less)

1 heaping Tbls. Corn Starch

Mix together the following topping (I also put this in the food processor.  If you don’t use a food processor, use a pastry cutter or fork and make butter pea size or smaller):

½ cup oats

½ cup flour

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup cold butter

Sprinkle topping over apple/cranberry mixture.  Bake at 375 for 40 minutes.  

September Recipe Swap- Meal Planning

This month we met and discussed meal planning about what has worked for people in the past and shared ideas of how to make it work for each specific family.

August Recipe Swap- Backyard BBQ

This month we had a backyard BBQ in Shaunna B.'s yard and shared our favorite summertime recipes. Shaunna made pizza on the grill with fresh garden basil and tomatoes. Yummy!

Pizza on the Grill (Submitted by Shaunna B.)

1. Place dough on grill. Cook until lightly charred on one side, 3 to 4 minutes; press lightly with a spatula to deflate any air bubbles.
2. Flip dough; layer with cheese and  tomatoes, dividing evenly. Cover grill; cook until cheese melts and bottoms of crusts are charred, 4 to 6 minutes. Garnish with basil.

July Recipe Swap- Summer Treats

This month's theme was Summer Treats or anything you like to eat in the summertime! Ice Cream and frozen desserts seemed to be the most popular favorite. Ellen's lemon Dessert was DELICIOUS!

Lemon Dessert (Submitted by Ellen P. from her Grandmother Pitchforth)

3 eggs beaten

1/2 cup sugar

juice and rind of 2 lemons

Mix ingredients well.  Cook in double boiler after water boils first.  

It will thicken in 3 minutes.  Mix with 1/2 pint whipped whipping cream.  

Spread over crushed vanilla wafers.  Refrigerate.