Every year I watch in great anticipation for the email inviting me to join in the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap. The swap is hosted by Julie from The Little Kitchen and Lindsay from Love and Olive Oil. This is the fifth year of the swap, and was, once again, sponsored by Oxo and by Dixie Crystals and Land O Lakes.
Each participant donates $4 to Cookies for Kids Cancer. This year there are 476 participants, and with the sponsors match, more than $7,000 was raised.
The bloggers send a dozen cookies to three other bloggers. I received cookies from Catherine in Hawaii who blogs at The Cat Dish, Jamie in Nebraska who blogs at The Kitchenarium and Purdy in New York who blogs at Butter, Basil and Breadcrumbs. I sent cookies to Michele in Minnesota who blogs at Bacon Fatte, Starr in Illinois who blogs at Chicago Foodie Girl and Serene in Texas who blogs at House of Yumm.
Besides making the donations, the sponsors always send nice gifts and this year was no exception. Oxo sent this great stacking beaker liquid measuring set, Dixie Crystals sent a very useful silicone baking sheet and a coupon for free sugar and Land O Lakes sent coupons for free products.
Jamie sent Pebber Nodder (Danish Christmas Cookies) from her grandmother. I loved the spice combo in these and that they were tiny so I could eat lots.
When I opened the box from Purdy, this is what I saw and I wasn't even down to the cookies. How did she know that I love snowmen? I am so going to enjoy using these.
When I got down to the cookies there were not just one, but three kinds of delicious cookies. Oh, how we enjoyed all of these.
The recipe I chose to make and send is a very old recipes from my childhood. It may be the original Butterfinger cookie recipe as it was put out by the Curtis Candy Company who was the original maker of Butterfinger candy. This cookie has always been a favorite of mine. To fancy the cookies up for the swap, I frosted the bottoms of the cookies with frosting I adapted from the Black and White Cookies from a Cook’s Country TV show.
The Butterfinger Fun Bars are available at my local Dollar Tree for $1.00. I recently found, however, that I can buy a 3-pound bag of already crushed Butterfingers at my local Cash and Carry so I am in Butterfinger dessert making heaven.
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 c. crushed Butterfinger candy (about six fun-size bars)
In large mixer bowl, beat sugar and butter until creamy. Beat in egg until light and fluffy. Blend in flour, baking soda and salt. Stir in chopped Butterfinger. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonsful (I use a cookie scoop that holds 1 1/2 teaspoons) onto parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees 11 to 13 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. Let stand on cookie sheet 2 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Makes about 30 cookies.
Frosting
adapted from Cook’s Country
5 c. (20 oz.) confectioner’s sugar, sifted
7 T. milk (the original recipe called for whole milk, I used 1 percent)
2 T. light corn syrup
1 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t. salt
1/3 c. Dutch-processed cocoa, sifted
Whisk ingredients together until well blended and smooth. Frost backs of cookies with an offset spatula, place back on wire rack and let sit at room temperature until frosting is firm at least 1 hour. To store cookies, put single layers between sheets of waxed paper. Can be stored at room temperature up to 2 days. I had some frosting left over and spread it between squares of graham crackers.
I want to thank Julie and Lindsay for all the effort and hard work that they put into the swap every year. If you missed the swap this year but want to be notified when it comes around in 2016, you may sign up here. Be sure to check out The Little Kitchen and Love and Olive Oil this weekend to find links to all the cookie recipes made for the swap.
Thanks so much for the fantastic delivery!
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