First Annual Virtual Cookie Exchange !

It's still Monday here on the West coast... but it's Tuesday on the East coast so I decided to go ahead and start the cookie exchange. We LOVE baking cookies and they're a part of our Christmas tradition. We bake lots of different cookies every year and share them with our friends, neighbors, teachers, pastors, etc. I would love to have everyone bake some cookies and come over to my house to exchange real cookies. But that's a little far for some of you so here's what I thought we could do instead.

If you have a blog, bake your favorite cookie recipe and take photos along the way, post the photos and recipe on your blog, then add your link to Mister Linky below. If you don't have a blog you can share your recipe as a comment on this post. Include any baking, wrapping, decorating, or shipping tips you have, too. I'd love to see how you package your cookies for giving. Now... which recipe will I share first?

Reindeer Patties

These are the chocolate cookies in the basket above. I believe the year I took this picture I used butterscotch chips instead of chocolate.

2/3 cup butter flavored Crisco

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

1 T water

1 t vanilla

2 eggs

1/3 cup cocoa

1/4 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1 1/2 c flour

2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375.

Beat Crisco and sugar until creamy. Beat in water, vanilla, and eggs. Mix in cocoa, baking soda,and salt. Add flour and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips.

Shade dough into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 7-9 minutes or just until set. They will appear soft and moist. Do not overbake.

Cook 2 minutes and remove from sheets onto waxed paper.

Makes about 36 cookies.

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Now start baking! And invite all your friends over to join in the exchange. Feel free to use my cookie exchange button -- my sister made it for me! One more thing, I'll have a drawing next Tuesday for everyone who participates. It will be something related to cookies or baking! I'll let you know for sure later in the week.