Moving On

Another successful Cookie Bake has come and gone. There was a good variety, as always, and some new recipes which turned out to be oh-so-yummy. We girls baked for a good few hours while the guys watched football, played pool, and other such entertaining activities. We all ate dinner together before cookie-swapping. Here is a list of some of the cookies that are now piled in our freezer (well, some are still on the counter...just in case they want to be eaten...):

Mexican Wedding Cookies (click to go to recipe)
Toffee Cookies (a variation of the classic chocolate chip cookie)
Soft Italian Cookies (I made these, you know, the ones with the 10X/water icing on top? I made two batches, when one would probably have been enough. We ended up with "about 900" of them, according to my friend.)
Peanut Butter Blossoms (click to go to recipe)

...and my new favorite dessert recipe (and it seems that it's D's new favorite recipe, too, because we keep monitoring how much the other is eating and comparing it to how much is left in the container):

Caramel Cranberry Bars

1 package (12 ounces) fresh or frozen cranberries, thawed
1 package (8 ounces) chopped dates
3/4 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup sugar, divided
2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup caramel ice cream topping

*In a small bowl, combine the cranberries, dates, pecans and 2 tablespoons sugar; set aside.
*In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda and remaining sugar. Stir in butter; set aside 1 cup for topping. Press remaining crumb mixture into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes.
*Meanwhile, place the remaining flour in a small bowl. Stir in caramel topping until smooth; set aside. Sprinkle cranberry mixture over crust; drizzle with caramel mixture. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.
*Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 2 dozen.


Don't they look beautiful? My friend got the recipe from the most recent Simple & Delicious issue. Lucky for me, and thanks to Mom, I have that issue so I already have the recipe. The cranberries really make it. Oh, and we each got to choose a plate after all our "hard" work. I loved this red one.

I'm hoping there will be cookies left over to bring to CT with us. I saw D eat four tonight, so if he keeps that up there may not be.