Jonie
11-23-2003, 09:27 PM
The Pittsburgh Area Supper Club met for the 2nd time this month for a Holiday Cookie Exchange!
I had first tossed out the idea during our September Weekend @ the River @ Vicci's... & it was well received...
Email invitations were sent out to all members a good month in advance.
Eight members, including myself were able to participate.
First of all... we had absolutely incredible weather in Greensburg (suburb SE of Pittsburgh PA ) today... As Vicci quoted "we should be having a barbeque!" The balmy temperatures allowed us to do most of our gathering outside on the deck!
Each member chose ahead of time what "light" cookie to make, & brought 9 dozen to the exchange... 1 dozen for each member to take home & 1 dozen extra for sampling at the party...
If I do say so myself... the selections were awesome & made an excellent presentation! We opted to tray all the cookies at my house as opposed to each member "pre-bagging" selections & it made for a beautiful display!
Here's what we made:
Jen B. brought an Apricot Sage Sandwich cookie... from a Better Homes & Gardens Cookie book... these were delicate shortbread type cookies with fresh sage baked in & sandwiched together with apricot jam. All agreed these would be excellent tea or reception cookies.
Meridee baked a delicious almond biscotti..made with almond paste & whole almonds..This recipe came from a Biscotti cookbook. Meridee reported the dough was softer than other biscotti recipes she had made.. but the flavor was fantastic!
Jenni made "Shot Glass" Cookies.. a family favorite! You can find this recipe in the Betty Crocker Cookbooks under "Cream Wafers"..These bite size melt in your mouth delicacies are a flaky sandwich cookie; Jenni tinted the creamy filling red & green to add a festive flair!
Christine made Cooking Light's Crisp Pecan Cookies.. These crisp, powdered sugar covered cookies were also delicious! Christine said they were easy to make, & she baked them a little longer than the recipe indicated so they would be more crisp on the outside.
Patty gets the award for the most labor intensive cookie! She made the Harvest Fruit Strudels..( from Cooking Light).. These cookies are made one by one... !by wrapping a scrumptious cooked fruit filling in phyllo dough.. She suggested warming them in an oven to re-crisp the phyllo dough, but we all agreed they were great as is!
Vicci prepared the Peppered Lebkuchen (CL ' 95).. These very flavorful , lightly glazed rectangles reminded us of gingerbread. These are a great keeper, as the flavor of all the spices mellows & improves with age. Another winner!
I made good ol' Italian Pizzelles...My recipe bakes a thin, crisp cookie... The recipe is slightly modified from the one included with my pizzelle iron..My iron makes 4 smaller cookies, than the usual larger ones, so they fit better on a cookie tray!
I also made coconut meringues. These were based upon the CL Expresso Meringue recipe, whereas I omitted the instant expresso & added flaked coconut. I piped these onto baking sheets using a pastry bag fitted with a large open star tip. To make them more festive, I sprinkled them with edible rainbow glitter.
Lastly! Allison brought CL Raspberry Strippers! She said they were very easy ( & I have to agree, as I have made these before!).. & she varied the fruit filling.. we got to sample apricot, raspberry & mixed fruit. These cookies are almost cake like & have a glaze drizzled over them & make a great addition to a cookie tray.
All that cookie tasting makes one thirsty...so beverages included:
Mulled wine: I used the CL Holiday Glogg as an inspiration.. but varied it by using merlot, cran-apple juice,& water.. omitted the raisins, sugar & spices & took the easy way out by adding a packet of instant mulling spices ( from Tastefully Simple)..This I heated on low in my crockpot.
Low Fat Eggnog: ( from Better Homes & Gardens) I wasn't sure how eggnog is supposed to taste..Patty said it was a little "eggy" & needed more rum.. so that is one to either work on or ditch!
We also had coffee & assorted teas.. but the WINNING Beverage was...
MILK PUNCH!
I found this recipe in a newspaper that called it the "adult milkshake"...It essentially is whole milk ( yes, whole!) mixed with sugar, brandy & rum , then frozen..& served sort of like a slushy! It was really good & we all speculated why it couldn't be made with perhaps 1% or skim milk with maybe a little fatfree half & half..So that will be one to tinker with.
Everyone went home with lots of tasty cookies for the upcoming holidays, & cookie related treats.. a mini utensil, parchment paper for future baking,a recipe booklet including all the recipes we made + some cookie tips, & a goodie bag that had (yes, more!)cookies, a beverage mix & scented coaster (the one craft that I know how to do!)
I've always wanted to host a cookie exchange & couldn't imagine a better group of women to do it with...!
Jonie
I had first tossed out the idea during our September Weekend @ the River @ Vicci's... & it was well received...
Email invitations were sent out to all members a good month in advance.
Eight members, including myself were able to participate.
First of all... we had absolutely incredible weather in Greensburg (suburb SE of Pittsburgh PA ) today... As Vicci quoted "we should be having a barbeque!" The balmy temperatures allowed us to do most of our gathering outside on the deck!
Each member chose ahead of time what "light" cookie to make, & brought 9 dozen to the exchange... 1 dozen for each member to take home & 1 dozen extra for sampling at the party...
If I do say so myself... the selections were awesome & made an excellent presentation! We opted to tray all the cookies at my house as opposed to each member "pre-bagging" selections & it made for a beautiful display!
Here's what we made:
Jen B. brought an Apricot Sage Sandwich cookie... from a Better Homes & Gardens Cookie book... these were delicate shortbread type cookies with fresh sage baked in & sandwiched together with apricot jam. All agreed these would be excellent tea or reception cookies.
Meridee baked a delicious almond biscotti..made with almond paste & whole almonds..This recipe came from a Biscotti cookbook. Meridee reported the dough was softer than other biscotti recipes she had made.. but the flavor was fantastic!
Jenni made "Shot Glass" Cookies.. a family favorite! You can find this recipe in the Betty Crocker Cookbooks under "Cream Wafers"..These bite size melt in your mouth delicacies are a flaky sandwich cookie; Jenni tinted the creamy filling red & green to add a festive flair!
Christine made Cooking Light's Crisp Pecan Cookies.. These crisp, powdered sugar covered cookies were also delicious! Christine said they were easy to make, & she baked them a little longer than the recipe indicated so they would be more crisp on the outside.
Patty gets the award for the most labor intensive cookie! She made the Harvest Fruit Strudels..( from Cooking Light).. These cookies are made one by one... !by wrapping a scrumptious cooked fruit filling in phyllo dough.. She suggested warming them in an oven to re-crisp the phyllo dough, but we all agreed they were great as is!
Vicci prepared the Peppered Lebkuchen (CL ' 95).. These very flavorful , lightly glazed rectangles reminded us of gingerbread. These are a great keeper, as the flavor of all the spices mellows & improves with age. Another winner!
I made good ol' Italian Pizzelles...My recipe bakes a thin, crisp cookie... The recipe is slightly modified from the one included with my pizzelle iron..My iron makes 4 smaller cookies, than the usual larger ones, so they fit better on a cookie tray!
I also made coconut meringues. These were based upon the CL Expresso Meringue recipe, whereas I omitted the instant expresso & added flaked coconut. I piped these onto baking sheets using a pastry bag fitted with a large open star tip. To make them more festive, I sprinkled them with edible rainbow glitter.
Lastly! Allison brought CL Raspberry Strippers! She said they were very easy ( & I have to agree, as I have made these before!).. & she varied the fruit filling.. we got to sample apricot, raspberry & mixed fruit. These cookies are almost cake like & have a glaze drizzled over them & make a great addition to a cookie tray.
All that cookie tasting makes one thirsty...so beverages included:
Mulled wine: I used the CL Holiday Glogg as an inspiration.. but varied it by using merlot, cran-apple juice,& water.. omitted the raisins, sugar & spices & took the easy way out by adding a packet of instant mulling spices ( from Tastefully Simple)..This I heated on low in my crockpot.
Low Fat Eggnog: ( from Better Homes & Gardens) I wasn't sure how eggnog is supposed to taste..Patty said it was a little "eggy" & needed more rum.. so that is one to either work on or ditch!
We also had coffee & assorted teas.. but the WINNING Beverage was...
MILK PUNCH!
I found this recipe in a newspaper that called it the "adult milkshake"...It essentially is whole milk ( yes, whole!) mixed with sugar, brandy & rum , then frozen..& served sort of like a slushy! It was really good & we all speculated why it couldn't be made with perhaps 1% or skim milk with maybe a little fatfree half & half..So that will be one to tinker with.
Everyone went home with lots of tasty cookies for the upcoming holidays, & cookie related treats.. a mini utensil, parchment paper for future baking,a recipe booklet including all the recipes we made + some cookie tips, & a goodie bag that had (yes, more!)cookies, a beverage mix & scented coaster (the one craft that I know how to do!)
I've always wanted to host a cookie exchange & couldn't imagine a better group of women to do it with...!
Jonie