For those who WISH to participate, I propose a holiday cookie exchange! Like all cookie exchanges, the exchange is not limited to jUST cookies, but any yummy treats you might like to share. Post the recipe and if you have one, a picture of the final product that you wish to share with all of your Dokuga pals! Let us know why you chose to share this particular recipe - family tradition, sentamental memories, or best thing you ever ate, etc!

Once you have contributed a tastey treat, grab your banner! And enjoy making all those yummy snacks that your friends here on Dokuga have shared with you.

Image Address Link

Chewy Molasses-Spice Cookies

Makes 36

2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
1/4 cup molasses

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a shallow bowl, place 1/2 cup sugar; set aside.
2. With an electric mixer, beat butter and remaining cup of sugar until combined. Beat in egg and then molasses until combined. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in dry ingredients, just until a dough forms.
3. Pinch off and roll dough into balls, each equal to 1 tablespoon. Roll balls in reserved sugar to coat.
4. Arrange balls on baking sheets, about 3 inches apart. Bake, one sheet at a time, until edges of cookies are just firm, 10 to 15 minutes (cookies can be baked two sheets at a time, but they will not crackle uniformly). Cool 1 minute on baking sheets; transfer to racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 4 days.

This recipe and picture are from MarthaStewart.com

I made this for the first time last year and they were such a HIT that I've made them several times sense then. I always get complaments on them, and people asking for the recipe. I'm NOT a baker, and even this was easy enough for me to handle. I think these tastes a lot like gingerbread, but with a slightly less sharp bite to them.

Please Enjoy!

Servings: 8
3 cups heavy cream
4 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
2 (9-ounce) packages chocolate wafer cookies
1 sprig fresh mint
2 Tablespoons scraped milk chocolate
DIRECTIONSIn a large bowl, beat cream, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form.



On a flat serving plate, arrange 7 cookies side by side in a circle, keeping 1 cookie in the center.



Spread with 1/2 cup whipped cream, making a 7-inch circle.



Repeat with remaining cookies and cream, making 11 layers of cookies and ending with a layer of cream.



Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.



Before serving, scrape milk chocolate on top and garnish with fresh mint.



Cut cake into wedges and serve.

Mexican Sugar Cookies (aka Hojarascas)

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups shortening
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon anise seed, ground
2 eggs
6 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 tablespoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 cup white sugar

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.Beat shortening until light and fluffy. Add one cup sugar, and anise seed. Mix until creamy. Add eggs and mix well. Add flour, baking power, cream of tartar, salt and orange juice. Mix well.
3.Knead dough until smooth. On lightly floured surface, roll to 1/2 inch thick. Cut using cookie cutter into different shapes. Bake until light brown, 5 - 8 minutes. Roll cookies in mixture of 1 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons of cinnamon while still warm.

Recipes and Picture from AllRecipes.com.

This are really good cookies. My family, friends, and myself eat this only during the Christmas holidays. I just learned how to make them last year by a friend. We are going to make them again this year and hand them out to our family and friends.

(It may seem weird to add orange juice, but you won't taste it.)

Usually I have a lot of family over so I double this recipe therefore I don't know how many it makes but these are Sugar Cookies which are fun for kids to decorate once they are cut into shapes and cooked.

200 grams margarine
2 eggs
1/2 a cup sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 teaspoon baking powder
(Optional:1/2 a teaspoon of cinnamon)

Use room temperature margarine
Pre-heat oven to medium temperature.
Place all the ingredients into a bowl, and kneed to an even dough.
Divide the dough into balls, and roll them out with rolling pin to about 1/2 a centimeter thickness.

Cut into shapes with a cookie cutters.
Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.
Allow the cookies to cool before eating.

Unfortunately no icing recipe because my nana will not let me give it up.
But place various colour icings and sprinkles on a table, covered in a plastic disposable tablecloth you can throw out later if the children are really little.

(I don't have a picture of this, we haven't made out cookies yet for me to take pictures.)

Okay, this recipe is one of my favorites. I make it during the holidays in mini loaf sizes to give to family.

Banana Coffee Bread

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup mashed ripe banana (I typically do a full cup for extra moistness!)
1-1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat over 350 degrees

Cream shortening and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, on e at a time, beating well
after each. Stir in banana. Sift together dry ingredients; add to banana mixture
and mix well.
Pour into greased 9x9x2-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.

I love this cake with coffee in the morning, especially warmed up

Sorry, no pictures.

MMM!!!! Banana Coffee Bread! I've never had this before!

Gran's Peanut Butter Balls

1 cup peanut butter
6 teaspoons. butter softened
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 package of chocolate Candiquik

Soften 6 teaspoons of butter by placing in microwave (approximately 20 seconds).

Mix 1 cup peanut butter, 2 cups confectioners sugar, and the softened butter in a bowl until a nice texture is formed.

Spoon out mixture and roll into balls, place on wax-paper.

Let stand about 10 minutes (I cooled mine in the refrigerator during this time).


.............
My grandmother always makes these every Christmas and well it just makes me remember good family memories.

I got this recipe from my old coworker, Nikki the Awesome Hamster! It doesn’t have a name, but let us call it the Raspberry White Chocolate Cheesecake Cookies. Enjoy!

4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 (3.4 ounce) packages of instant cheesecake pudding mix
4 eggs
2 teaspoons raspberry extract
4 cups white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Sift together the flour and baking soda, set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar.
Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended.
Stir in the eggs and raspberry extract.
Blend in the flour mixture.
Finally, stir in the white chocolate chips.
Drop cookies by the rounded spoonfuls onto an un-greased cookie sheet.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven.
Edges should be golden brown.

~~~~~*phishy's follow-up steps*~~~~~

Curse colorfully at the fact you just made close to 7 dozen cookies (depending on the size you made them). Make a list of people who are getting the blasted things and start searching for cookie tins.