Cookie, Cookie, Cookie starts with "C"

     Last night was the Cookie Exchange at Janet's house and I missed it :( Had to work... and that would have been fine! Except there's always that oooone last group of people who want to have dinner 10 minutes before closing time. Don't get me wrong - they were nice people and good tippers. I am more irritated with Murphy's Law and how it affects my social life.

     Moving on. I picked up my box of 12 different cookies from Janet and Mak at 9:05 p.m. (having missed the cookie party guests by about 5 minutes! Urgh!) and I would like to share with you my favourites...
     Clockwise from the right (and starting with the block o' fudge), we have a Melissa's fudge, Jenna's Peanut Butter Clusters, Heather's Hello Dollys, Jam Thumbprints, Danielle's Cookie Dough Truffles, Amazing Almond Bars, Janet's Marble Mocha Fudge, Emma's Butterfinger Cookies, Raisin Drop Cookies, Mars Bar Squares, and Kelly's Chocolate Macaroons.
     So, I have tried a bite of all of these, but you will notice there are only 11 samples in the photo. That is because the 12th cookie was my own Chocolate Peppermint Sandwiches (seen in the photo below with my handsome man!) and lucky number 13 was sooooo good that I ate them all already! I believe it's Jennifer who makes the Snowball Shortbreads. Anyway, I remembered them from last year and ate all six of them as soon as I got home last night.

Snowball Shortbreads
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 cup flour
3/4 cup butter
Mix dry ingredients. Add butter. Mix. Chill. Roll into 1 tsp balls and bake at 300 F until bottoms are golden. Roll in icing sugar while warm.

     They are soooo simple and so yummy! Definitely my fave Holiday cookie.
     In second place are Jenna's Peanut Butter Clusters. Now, Jenna is a VERY talented photographer, a loving mom, and a successful business woman. I would ask her to marry me if I were a man. Hell, I'd ask her to marry me if I wasn't married already. However, she's no Martha Stewart and I don't believe she will be offended by that statement. So, I was really surprised when I cautiously took a tiny bite of these little brown globules and proceeded to pop the rest of the crunchy, chewy, chocolatey morsel into my mouth!
     I knew Janet helped her "sista", Jenna, with the Clusters and I knew they were no-bake and quick. Poor Janet was cookie cuckoo by party time and Jenna is particularly busy this week, as well. So, there's no excuses for any of you not to try making these.

Peanut Butter Clusters
2 cups peanut butter chips
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups roasted peanuts
1 cup crushed potato chips (?)
Melt chips in amicrowave-safe bowl. Stir until smooth. Add peanuts and chips. Drop by tablespoonfuls on waxed paper. Refrigerate until firm.

     I'm sure you could play around with this recipe, too. I might substitute dried cranberries or pretzel pieces for the peanuts and potato chips. Potato chips? Really? I would not have guessed that.
     My Chocolate Peppermint Sandwiches are part of the Chatelaine collection of Christmas Cookies for 2010 and you can find the recipe at http://food.chatelaine.com/Recipes/View/Chocolate-peppermint-sandwiches. I have included a picture of Rodney pretending to eat one with a very happy face. Don't let the smile fool you... He is still angry that I have not made any oatmeal chocolate chip cookies this season :P