Cookie Exchange

I got home Friday evening and baked 8 dozen Oatmeal Scotchies (per Swistle's glowing recommendations on her blog). I took them to the neighbor's cookie exchange yesterday. I have never seen so many cookies in once place. They had spinach dip, vegetables, and meat trays but the crowing glory was the entire kitchen table covered in buttery, sugary, chocolately, pepperminty, peanut buttery goodness. I thought I would share some of the recipes I picked up in order of those I liked best. Oh, and the scotchies were a big hit. My pregnant neighbor couldn't get enough of them. My husband also loved them and he doesn't care for sweets.

Carmel Cookie Bars

1/2 cup butter

1 egg

1 box (16.6 oz) chocolate chip cookie mix

2 cups crisp rice cereal

1/4 cup butter softened

1 pkg (14 oz) carmels

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 11x7 inch baking dish. Beat 1/2 cup butter and the egg in medium bowl. Add cookie mix; beat until well blended. Gently stir in cereal. Remove 1 1/2 cups of the dough, set aside for later use. Press remaining dough onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake 15 minutes or until light brown.

Place remaining 1/4 cup butter, the carmels and heavy cream in sauepan. Cook over low heat 10 minutes or until carmels are completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla. Pour over crust. Drop reserve 1 1/2 cups dough by tablespoons evenly over carmel mixture. Do not spread the dough.

Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 2 hours in pan on wire rack. Cut into 32 bars to serve.

Sopapilla Cheesecake

2 - 8 oz pkgs cream cheese

2 pkg refrigerated crescent rolls

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 c butter, melted

1/2 cup cinnamon sugar

Using a 9x13 baking pan, unroll one pkg of crescent rolls and line the bottom of the pan. Flatten mix together cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth and spread over crescent rolls. Unroll the other can of crescent rolls and place on top and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Andes Peppermint Crunch Icebox Cookies

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter softened

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar firmly packed

2 large eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

3 1/3 cups all purpose flour

2 1/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 cups (10 oz) Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips

1/2 cup red decorator sugar

Combine butter and sugars in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until well creamed. Add eggs and vanilla, beating well Combine flour , baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture, beating at medium speed. Stir in Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Crunch. Cover and chill dough 1/2 hour.

Remove dough from refrigerator and divide dough evenly in two parts. Roll into 2 (12 inch) logs. Wrap in wax paper and freeze until firm.

Place red decorator sugar in a shallow plate. Unwrap frozen dough and roll in the sugar. Cover outside of roll evenly with sugar and then slice and 1/4 inch slices. Place slices on easy release foil lined cookie sheets. Bake cookies at 350 degrees 350 degrees for 11 to 13 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Let cookies set for 2 minutes on cookie sheet and then remove to wire rack and cool completely.