Last Minute Holiday Gift Guide	Cookie Exchange by Artvoice Staff

The holiday cookie exchange is a sweet yet practical tradition, invoking the spirit of sharing while saving everyone valuable time. Each person makes a different kind of cookie and then all get together to trade, providing each participant with a variety that would have taken 10 times as long to create alone. We at Artvoice are just starting the tradition this year, and staff from every department has been kind enough to share recipes for this year’s Gift Guide. These all sound equally delicious and diverse, and they would all make perfect gifts or party treats.

SNICKER SNACKS

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter (no substitutions), softened

1 cup (packed) brown sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 18-ounce jar creamy peanut butter

Bite-size Snickers bars, equal in number to cookies being made

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On waxed paper, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In large bowl, with mixer on medium speed, beat butter, brown sugar and one cup granulated sugar for two minutes or until creamy, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Reduce speed to low; beat in vanilla, then eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add peanut butter and beat on medium speed two minutes or until creamy. Reduce speed to low; beat in flour mixture just until blended, occasionally scraping bowl. Pinch a tablespoon worth of dough and form around a mini bite size snicker and roll forming a ball. Place remaining two tablespoons granulated sugar on plate or sheet of waxed paper roll cookie in sugar. Drop dough two inches apart, on ungreased large cookie sheet. Bake cookies 12 to 14 minutes or until lightly browned at edges. Cool cookies on cookie sheet for two minutes. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough, Snickers bars and sugar. Store cookies in tightly covered container at room temperature up to two weeks or in freezer up to three months. Instead of rolling cookie dough in sugar I have also drizzled ooey, gooey, melted chocolate over each with a spoon. That too is extra yummy and aesthetically pleasing.

—nancy mccarthy

NUTTY CHOCOLATE

CARAMEL BARS

2 1⁄3 cups all-purpose flour, divided

2 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

teaspoon salt

1 cup butter, melted

12-ounce package (2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate morsels, divided

1-1⁄2 cups chopped walnuts

1 cup (12.25 ounce jar) caramel ice cream topping

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine two cups flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Sir in butter; mix well. Reserve one cup of the crumb mixture; press remainder into an ungreased 13X9-inch pan. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven; sprinkle with chocolate and walnuts. Combine caramel topping and remaining 1⁄3 cup of flour in a small bowl; drizzle over chocolate and walnuts. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture. Return to oven; bake an additional 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely; cut into bars.

Yields 32 bars.

—amanda ferreira

WHITE CANDY

FANTASY CLUSTERS

4 cups Rice Chex cereal

2 cups pretzel sticks, coarsely broken

1 cup cashews, coarsely chopped

1/2 package (16-ounce size) vanilla-flavored candy coating (almond bark)

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Spray with cooking spray or grease 13x9-inch pan. In large bowl, mix cereal, pretzels and cashews. In a two-quart saucepan, melt candy coating over low heat, stirring constantly. Pour over cereal mixture, stirring until evenly coated. Press in pan; cool slightly. In microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips uncovered on high about one minute or until chocolate can be stirred smooth (bowl will be hot). Drizzle chocolate over snack. Let stand about 30 minutes or until chocolate is set. Break into clusters. Store in airtight container. Not just a snack, not just a candy, but a combination of both that is outstanding. It makes a great gift too!

Yields 24 clusters.

—deb ellis

HAZELNUT JEWELS

2/3 cup sugar

1 cup softened Butter

2 teaspoon vanilla essence

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1 egg yolk

2 1/4 cup fine wheat flour

1 1/2 cup ground hazelnuts

1/2 cup jam

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a bowl mix sugar and butter. Beat the mixture till soft and fluffy. Add vanilla essence, lemon peel and egg yolk. Mix well. Add the flour and the hazelnuts to make a soft dough. Roll into 1-1/4-inch balls. Take a ungreased cookies sheet and place the balls on it two inches apart. Press the cookies in the center with the thumb. Bake at 325 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown around edges. Let them cool. When completely cool fill the cavity of each cookie with 1⁄2 teaspoon jam in all different flavors—raspberry, apricot and blueberry are good.

—k. o’day

COCONUT MACAROONS

(Ginny’s Recipe)

14 ounces flaked coconut, sweetened

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together ingredients, then chill. (Chilling the mixture makes it easier to handle.) Some optional ingredients you can add include mini chocolate chips or chopped pecans. For variety, a Maraschino cherry can be poked into the top before baking, or a half cherry if your cookies are small. Spoon onto parchment paper using teaspoon or tablespoon, whatever size you want. (If you do not use parchment paper, you will have a big sticky mess of broken cookies!) Bake for 10 to 15 minutes. They will get a little brown along the edges. Allow cookies to cool.

Makes about two dozen cookies.

—cindy farrington

KOULOURAKIA

(A lightly sweetened Greek cookie)

8 to 9 cups flour

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 pound butter, softened

2 cups sugar

6 eggs, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 egg beaten with 1-tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sift together flour and baking powder. Set aside. Cream butter and sugar, and then add eggs to butter mixture. Combine completely. Add vanilla. Add enough flour mixture to make soft dough. Shape dough with lightly floured hands into twists and arrange on ungreased cookie sheets. Brush with beaten egg and water. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on racks.

—agathi georgiou

WHITE CHOCOLATE BISCOTTI

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour plus 1/4 cup

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup sliced almonds

2/3 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and vanilla. Mix flour and baking powder and add to wet mixture. Add chips and nuts. Divide dough in two and spread on greased cookie sheet in two rows, about 12 inches long and two inches wide. Bake about 25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes, slice crosswise into one inch pieces and return to a turned off oven to dry.

—denise lasher

MOLASSES GINGER COOKIES

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon ground ginger

2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

3/4 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup (lightly packed) dark brown sugar

1/4 cup dark molasses

1 large egg

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper, or grease them lightly with vegetable oil. Sift the flour, baking soda, all of the spices, and salt together into a small bowl and set aside. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream the butter and both sugars together until light and fluffy, one minute. Add the molasses and mix until blended, 10 seconds. Then add the egg and mix until it is incorporated, 10 seconds. Add the flour mixture and blend on low speed until dough is smooth, 20 seconds. Drop the dough by heaping teaspoons two inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until they are still slightly soft, 15-16 minutes. Let them cool completely on the baking sheets.

—vicki helinski