It's cookie day! Yippy!!!!

Hey everyone!!

Welcome to my 2nd cookie swap.

There are lots of girls playing this year.

so let's get this party started!

My cookies this year are....

"Peppermint Snow Balls"

These are technically Mexican Wedding Cakes or Russian Teacakes, but my grandmother gave up on us calling them that years ago!
Yield:
5 dozen
Ingredients

1 cup butter1/2 cup confectioners' sugar1/4 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon vanilla extract2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour1 cup chopped pecans1/3 cup confectioners' sugar for decoration1/4 cup finely crushed peppermint candy canes
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Cream the butter with 1/2 cup of the confectioners' sugar and the vanilla. Mix in the flour, nuts and salt. Roll about 1 tablespoon or so of dough into balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 15 minutes. Do not allow these cookies to get too brown. It's better to undercook them than to overcook them. While cookies are still hot roll them in confectioners' sugar. Once they have cooled roll them in confectioners' sugar once more. Variation: add some finely crushed candy canes to the confectioners' sugar used for the final dusting.

CUTE PACKAGING

i love to give cookies in unique packaging

i love to recycle vintage items.

reuse vintage linens. tie up in pretty bows.

reuse vintage serving trays

Both of these items can be picked up at any local antique store.

They are pretty inexspensive, and show that you took the extra effort to make the gift special.

HOLIDAY DRINKS

while im baking i love to have hot chocolate, with lots of marshmellows.

i also love these...

"Frozen Cranberry Maragrita's"

Ingredients
1 (10-oz.) can frozen mojito mix
3/4 cup tequila
1/4 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce
2 tablespoons orange liqueur
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Ice
Preparation
1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a blender. Fill blender with ice to 5-cup level, and process until smooth. Serve immediately.
Note: For testing purposes only, we used Triple Sec for orange liqueur.

COOKIE ORNAMENTS

I love to make differant kinds of cookie ornaments every year.

If you have a kitchen tree, these are a fabulous addition.

These are so easy.

Use cookie cutters you allready have on hand.

Or hit your local dollar store.

Decorate with sweet pictures, and cute pieces of leftover wrapping paper.

Hang with beautiful ribbons, and enjoy!

These next ones are so fragrant and simply beautiful.

(non edible)

Ingredients
3/4 cup applesauce
1 bottle (4.12 ounces) McCormick® Cinnamon, Ground
Cookie cutters
Drinking straw
Colorful ribbon
Preparation
1Preheat oven to 200°F.
2Mix applesauce and cinnamon with hands in small bowl until a smooth ball of dough is formed. Using about 1/4 of the dough at a time, roll dough to 1/4-inch to 1/3-inch thickness between two sheets of plastic wrap. Peel off top sheet of plastic wrap; cut dough into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Make a hole in top of ornament with drinking straw. Place ornaments on baking sheet.
3Bake for 2 1/2 hours. Cool ornaments on wire rack. (Or, to dry ornaments at room temperature, carefully place them on wire rack. Let stand 1 to 2 days or until thoroughly dry, turning occasionally.)
4Insert ribbon through holes and tie to hang. May be decorated with opaque paint markers found in arts and crafts stores, if desired.

Heres a list of all our

COOKIE FRIENDS

1. Heidi Woodruff

2. Lori Goree

3. Malissa Melrose

4. Ali Gripp

5. Joanna lewis

6. Cheryl Stoneham

7. Vivianne Neroni

8. Molly

9. Jeannine P

10. Christine

11. Michelle Geller

12. Linda

13. Julie

14. April

15. Sasha Libby

16. Barb Burkard

17. Karen Young

18. Lindsey & Twyla

19. Jenny Foster

20. Nerissa

21. Mendy

22.Tamy Ottomeyer

23. Jerri-lea

24. Sarah Huckman

25. Debbie

26. Julie Weller

27. Sallie

28. Dianne

29.Valerie

30. Jessica

31. Monica Anderson

32. Heidi Gordan

33. Cindy Gilstrap

34. Shawn

35. Melissa

36. Heather Rowley

37. Suzanne Duda

38. Andrea Tarling

39. SUZY

40. Heidi Wallingford

41. Jeanne

42. Heather Ales

43. Yin Zhen

44. Maria

45. Mica