The December Baked Goods Exchange!

My Secret Baker was Beth Lloyd. Not only did she give me the most amazing cookies but she delivered them in person!!!!

The cookies included : Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies, Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti and Snowpeople Cookies ( Cream Cheese Cookies). All of them are amazing but my personal Favorite are the snowpeople cookies!

Recipes will be posted on Beth's Blog http://lloydsdinnerandamovie.blogspot.com/.

Thanks Again Beth!!!!!

Caramel-Filled Chocolate Cookies

These are the cookies I baked for the December Exchange.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter, softened
17 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup baking cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups chopped pecans, divided
1 (13 ounce) package Rolo candies
4 (1 ounce) squares white chocolate, melted (I forgot this)

DIRECTIONS
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, 1 cup sugar and brown sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa and baking soda; gradually add to the creamed mixture, beating just until combined. Stir in 1/2 cup pecans.
Shape a tablespoonful of dough around each candy, forming a ball. In a small bowl, combine the remaining sugar and pecans; dip each cookie halfway. Place nut side up 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 7-10 minutes or until tops are slightly cracked. Cool for 3 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. Drizzle with melted white chocolate.

( I left off the nuts as my person couldn't eat certain types)

Mini Meatballs ala Kristi!

I had been searching for different recipes to make when a friend, Kristi suggested this. It was a hit! Everyone loved them and they couldn't have been easier! (I forgot to take a picture but I am making them again and will take one then!)

Mini Meatballs ala Kristi!

Ingredients:

(14 oz) bottle of ketchup
1 cup water

1 cup sugar
1 can whole cranberry sauce
1 (16 oz) can sauerkraut, drained
1 bag frozen meatballs

Directions:

Mix ketchup, water, sugar, cranberried and kraut in saucepan and simmer for 20 minutes. Put meatballs in crockpot and cover with sauce. Cook on Low for 5 hours (roughly just check to make esure meatballs are cooked through)

Beth's Baked Brie

I love Baked brie! I had never thought of making it beofre. I saw this recipe on http://bethnnates-sweetlife.blogspot.com/ and loved it! It was so easy and looks impressive!! You can change the fillings to suit your tastes- I used exactly what she did and it was amazing!!!

Beth's Baked Brie

Ingredients:
1 Sheet Puff Pastry, thawed
1 wedge of brie cheese
a few dried apricots
some dried cranberries
some slivered almonds

Directions:
Put the brie in the freezer for 15 minutes before beginning. Slice the brie in half (like a hamburger bun, horizontally). Lay the dried fruit and the nuts in a layer on the bottom half of the cheese, and place the top half back on top of the filling. Wrap the stuffed up brie in the sheet of puff pastry and pinch to make sure it is sealed. Some folk brush it with butter- I did not. Then wrap the whole mama in saran wrap tightly and place it in a freezer bag. Freeze for a minimum of 1 hour, I froze it for about 4 hours. Take brie out of the freezer and place it on a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes or until puff pastry is golden brown. Serve with crackers.