The First Annual Christmas Cookie Exchange Party

Hello!! and welcome to the Great Christmas Cookie Exchange! Seriously – what is Christmas without Christmas cookies? Have you ever gone a year without ONE.SINGLE.CHRISTMAS.COOKIE? I know that I sure haven’t! Over the past two weeks I have been joined by ten other amazing bloggers who have shared their favorite Christmas cookie recipes and now it is time to for you to share YOUR recipe!

‘The Great Christmas Cookie Exchange’ Rules:

• This link party is for Christmas cookie exchange recipes only (cookies, truffles, macroons, etc.)
• Link up as many Christmas cookie exchange recipes as you would like but please link directly to the recipe NOT just to your blog.
• Please spread the love and visit at least two of the other links and leave a comment or pin their recipe!
• Please link back to the party somewhere in your post or grab the button below.

<a href="http://www.poofycheeks.com/2012/11/the-first-annual-christmas-cookie.html"><img src="http://poofycheeks.webs.com/blog%20design/cookie_exchange/cookie_exchange200.png" width="150" height="150" /></a>

Now what are you waiting for? Link up your cookies already!

Guava Cookie Recipe by Pretty Cute Party

Hi everyone!
My name is Wendy and I offer free party printables at Pretty Cute Party. When Kelsey approached me to guest post at Poofy Cheeks I was beyond excited. I met Kelsey at a blogging conference and I thoroughly enjoy her creativity and awesome posts. She's a sweetheart!

So, when she asked for a cookie recipe, I immediately thought about a guava cookie.
I live in Puerto Rico and we use guava paste for everything, from pastries and desserts, to sauces for pork and ribs.  I. Love. Guava.  Guava is my middle name. Got it? You can find guava paste in the hispanic\latin section of your supermarket. Goya is a very popular brand.

We have a version of a shortbread cookie that is very popular here, so I incorporated guava paste into the dough, and it turned out fabulous.

Guava Cookies

Makes about 35 cookies.

(Printable Version Here)

These cookies are very easy to make and are so delicious.  They are ideal for gift giving too!

For this post, I placed some cookies in a mason jar.  I cut a 2.25 inch circle of scrapbooking paper to decorate the lid, and attached a tag I designed with some baker's twine.  I love how it looks and I think this would be perfect as a Christmas present for my kids' teachers!

 

Of course, you can always bake them to enjoy at home, with a nice glass of milk...don't you think?

 

If you like the tags I designed for the mason jars, you can download them here.
I truly hope you enjoy these cookies, and many thanks to Kelsey for letting me share this with her fabulous readers!

My name is Wendy and I blog at PrettyCuteParty, offering free printables so that anyone can have a cute celebration for their kids and families without having to spend a fortune. I live in Puerto Rico with my husband and two kids.  Currently I am enjoying tropical, 80 plus degree weather during the holidays...yeah, life is good!

Grandma’s Old Fashioned Sugar Cookie by Classy Clutter

Hello, hello! I'm Mallory and I blog with my best friend, Savannah at Classy Clutter. We are so thrilled that Kelsey asked us to participate in her Cookie Exchange series!  Are you guys all enjoying all the amazing cookie recipes!? I am!!

 

 

 

Today we're super excited to share this simple, delicious cookie recipe with you! I got this recipe from my Great Grandmother, who is 91 years old and still bakes them often with her 100+ grandkids! Crazy right?

 

Grandma’s Old Fashioned Sugar Cookie

(Printable Version Here)

 

 

That's it! They're SO easy and they are scrumptious!

 

Keep in mind that baked goods, especially cookies, are an awesome Christmas gift! Use alphabet cookie cutters (found at Joann's) and box them up for a cute, easy, yummy gift! How cute would they be with a mason jar full of Christmasy frosting?! My neighbors will be getting these this year for sure!

 

I sure hope you'll give these a try. They are so delicious with your favorite frosting or dipped in milk! YUM! Please pop over to our blog, Classy Clutter and say hi! Thanks so much Kelsey for having me today! I can't wait to see pictures of your sweet babe when she comes! XOXO

 

   

Cinnamon Chip Cookies by Whatever Dee Dee Wants

Hi! My name is Dianna but most everyone calls me Dee-Dee. I blog over at Whatever Dee Dee Wants She's Gonna Get It and I Heart Salt Lake.

Today I am sharing one of my favorite cookie recipes with you, Cinnamon Chip Cookies.

 

Cinnamon Chip Cookies

(Printable Version)

 

 

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies by Midwestern Girl

 

Hi everyone! Maggie here, from Midwestern Girl! My blog touches on just about everything...diy, decorating, cooking, baking and family life. I am currently a member of the Heidi Swapp (scrapbooking designer extraordinaire) Media Team, so my blog also features a lot of paper crafting/scrapbooking. I'd love if you'd come on over and check it out!

 

I'm so excited to be participating in Kelsey's Cookie Exchange! Seriously...isn't this the best idea for a Holiday series?!?!

 

The recipe I'm sharing today is for...

 

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies

 

 

(Printable Version)

 

I have to tell you...when I was deciding what cookie recipe I wanted to make I knew I wanted a few things...I wanted to make something that would probably not be too popular...I wanted to make something that would be perfect for the holidays...and I wanted to make something I had never tried before. I searched and searched for a fairly easy recipe and came across this one on a number of sites. I changed up my ingredients a smidge (I added fewer white chocolate chips and more cranberries...as well as some cinnamon)...and went to work. And truthfully, I wasn't holding out much hope. I'm not a huge white chocolate fan...and I don't like raisins in my oatmeal cookies...BUT, was I ever surprised!!!

 

These are truthfully some of the very best cookies I have ever made! Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside and soooo full of delicious flavor. They come together incredibly quickly and this recipe makes about 4 dozen cookies! Woo hoo!!!

I hope you love these as much as I do...

Thank you again, Kelsey! I've really loved being a part of this awesome series!

And don't forget to stop on by Midwestern Girl to say hello!

Espresso Shortbread Cookie by Dukes & Duchesses

I'm Randi from Dukes and Duchesses.  I love, love, love Christmas and I'm so happy to be guest posting here for Kelsey's Cookie Exchange!  What a great way to prepare for the holidays.  I'm pinning all kinds of ideas!

 

This is another recipe you'll want to pin: Espresso Shortbread.  It's one of my favorites.  Pair it with a cup of coffee after a heavy holiday meal and you have a winner!  It's not sweet {it's actually a bit salty} and it has a nice rich flavor.  My mouth waters just thinking about it.

 

 

It's really simple to make.  It's a matter of mixing a few ingredients ...

 

 

... pressing them into a pie pan ...

 

 

... scoring, poking, and baking.  Sounds simple, right?

 

 

And you end up with this rich, buttery goodness.  Sometimes I dip them in a little melted chocolate just to fancy them up but they're delicious plain as well.

 

 

Ready to make a batch?

 

 

Espresso Shortbread

(Printable Version Here)

 

Randi is the writer and creator of Dukes and Duchesses, a craft/DIY blog.  She has one husband, five kids, and one fluffy dog.  Follow the adventure on the blog or through facebook and twitter.

 

Poofy Cheeks Giveaway and Holiday #HoHoHo Giveaway Hop!

This year I decided to participate in the Holiday HoHoHo Giveaway Hop hosted by The Review Wire! With Christmas being only a few shorts weeks away, we decided that a Hop to help you get ready was in order! This event will run from November 23 through December 7, so that gives you enough time to hop on down the list and enter all the awesome giveaways! Each blogger is giving away prizes valued at $25 or more. The Review Wire is hosting the GRAND PRIZE: An Autographed Copy of Jeff Kinney's newest book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel, signed by Jeff himself (RV $125). Thanks for playing along and Merry Christmas!

For my giveaway I am of course giving away items from Poofy Cheeks! The winner of my giveaway will receive:

• 10 ‘From Santa’ Tags
• 10 Tree Tags
• 15 Snowflake Tags
• 10 ‘Joy’ Tags
• 1 hand painted ‘Frosty’ Shelf Sitter
• 6 Elastic Hair Ties (colors may vary)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Pretzel Pecan Turtles by Neathering Our Fest

Hiya Poofy Cheeks friends! :) I'm Skye - you might know me as Rindercella though. I run an online virtual assistant business and do a little light blogging over at neathering our fest. I'm excited to be part of Kelsey's Great Christmas Cookie Exchange this year but I'm MORE excited to get to meet her sweet baby girl! These are seriously the simplest little cookies - ever!! They make such a great little gift to wrap up and give to coworkers, your babysitter or your mailman. And they take about 10 minutes to make. Easy peasy!

Pretzel Pecan Turtles – (Printable Version)

 

Preheat your oven to its lowest setting. Mine goes down to 170 but anywhere between 170 and 200 is good. Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. This is important because it helps the cookies come off the baking sheet easily in a few minutes. (Literally - just a few minutes is all it takes!) Put a single layer of pretzels on the cookie sheet, spaced about a 1/2 inch or so apart. On each pretzel, put one unwrapped Rolo candy. Put these in your oven for about 5-7 minutes, until the Rolos start to melt and tip over a bit. While the Rolos and pretzels are in the oven, count out your pecan halves and make sure you have the right amount ready for as soon as the pretzels come out of the oven. You will need one pecan halve per Rolo/pretzel combination. Once the Rolos are melted enough, pull them out of the oven and immediately press the pecans down into the Rolos - smushing it together with the pretzel.

 

If, like me, you can't wait to eat these, just stick them in the freezer for a couple of minutes to set the chocolate! These are really such a great little treat - sweet, salty, crunchy, and chewy! I dare you to have just one!