 |
| Cookies!! |
 |
| photo by Cara |
To get the party started, I made Pumpkin Blondies (on the left) and Pumpkin Oaties w/Rosemary Pecans & Cranberries (on the right). It took a couple of tries to get my blondies to have my desired texture, but I think these came out pretty well. Both recipes to come soon ;)
 |
| photo by Cara |
Next up we have Cara's Chocolate Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies (on the right) and Cinnamon Coffee Pecan Cookies (on the left). Both vegan and free of refined sugars, these are a great option for any GF friends you might have!
 |
| photo by Cara |
Bridget brought along her mom's Butterscotch Brownies, aka blondies from Betty Crocker ;) They had exactly the texture I was going for with my pumpkin version, so I'd say
 |
| photo by Cara |
Elizabeth made some Nutella Oatmeal Cream Pies. I used to love those little packaged oatmeal cream pies when I was a kid, but these blew my memory of those out of the water!
 |
| photo by Cara |
Christmas came early when Joanne arrived at my door to hang out for the afternoon :) She brought along some Rainbow Cookies that are so much better than any I've ever had on an Italian cookie plate!
 |
| photo by Cara |
Spiced Caramel Pecan Bars were Kerstin's contribution to the swap. The name says it all here, and loving all things caramel I was definitely a fan!
 |
| photo by Bridget |
Although Lauren couldn't stay for the swap, she dropped off some Better than Crack Brownies to contribute. We all missed you Lauren! And while we debated whether or not the name was accurate (none of us have ever tried crack), we figured they were delicious enough to let the name stand :)
Lizzy kicked up the traditional chocolate chip cookie by creating two variations- one with Andes Mints (on the left) and Hot Chocolate Cookies (on the right). No need to choose, take one of each ;)
 |
| photo by Cara |
Melissa made Chocolate Mint Cookies, highlighting a combo that we all apparently love as it showed up in three different cookies!
 |
| Photo by Cara |
Rounding out the swap were Ranjani's Caramel Pecan Cranberry Bars. Sweet and just a little bit tart, I bet these would be pretty popular on a cookie plate.
 | ||||
| Back Row: Myself, Joanne, Kerstin, Ranjani, Elizabeth; Front Row: Bridget, Lizzy, Cara |
But wait! There's more!
This year, I teamed up with Allison at King Arthur Flour to bring a little holiday cheer to the Best Cookie! I'm already a huge fan of King Arthur's top-quality flours, but did you know that they have a Baking Hotline where you can reach experts to help with your baking??? I should've called them about my pumpkin blondies ;) Connect with KAF on Facebook, too!
 |
| photos from KAF |
While I think everyone at the swap this year was a winner, leaving with boxes full of cookies, the Best Cookie will win Peppermint Crunch, a set of Luster Sugars and Fiori di Sicilia to play with. Thanks Allison!
To help decide the Best Cookie at our swap, cast your vote by Saturday Dec 17th, noon EST.
28 comments:
Thanks for hosting, it was a fun day!
I want those rainbow cookies!!
wow what a spread. i should have come. all you girls are so pretty; what a great group. i love that kristen is tall just like me.
did joanne make those rainbow cookies? nice job joanne!
I finally brought some cookies into lab today after eating way too many of them myself...they were all delicious!
I'm sorry to have missed this but I was in Connecticut. It looks like I missed quite the spread!
So happy I found you from another food blog this looks amazing, you've got yourself a new follower! xo Jessica @ Cajunlicious
Thanks for hosting Shannon! Btw, I really loved your pumpkin blondies :)
Looks like a great cookie swap! The pumpkin blondes sounded best even though the tricolored ones look "cool"
Lin smith Golbiw
Thanks for hosting and posting Shannon! (I will try to post my cookie recipe soon!!) My boyfriend and I have been enjoying all of my leftovers this week!
Amazing spread. Sorry I missed it... again. One of these years!
What an incredible bunch of treats!! I was so bummed to miss it. Next year!
looks like so much fun! I love that you host this tradition...maybe next year I will be around!
I'm sad I missed it. You girls went all out this year - with multiple cookies per participant :)
It was a tough choice but I voted for Ranjani's cookies. I <3 pecans!!
Thanks for hosting - it was so much fun (and so delicious!)! Great round up :)
And, I can't wait for your bruschetta recipe!
I'm sad I no longer live in Boston to participate. I really enjoyed the swap with you girls two years ago. It was incredibly fun and the cookies were of course amazing.
Ummmm...how on earth can you pick just ONE to vote for, they ALL sound great!! Nice job ladies!
I think this needs to be a monthly occurrence :)
This sounds like a lot of fun! It's the perfect way to catch up with friends and eat lots of cookies.
(a) I agree with Elizabeth. We don't even have to stop at cookies. We can pick a theme every month and it will give me an excuse to come up. Constantly.
(b) I had SO much fun and it was totally worth the eight hours on a bus to hang with you all. I'll be back. Imminently.
i make better than crack brownies all the time! i love them. yummy!!!
I'm so jealous! I wish I were in the Boston area! They all look so good and it looks like a blast!
beautiful cookies and beautiful bloggers! makes me wish I lived closer :)
oh dear, I'm about to start licking the screen. Can I come over???
Sorry I couldn't make it! Looks like everyone had such a lovely time!
Oh my gosh, Shannon! What a spread! Looks like everyone brought their A game! Sorry to have missed it!
oh man, i can only choose one? this is hard! i am literally drooling over them all!
All of the cookies look lovely! I bet this was a fun time. Joanne made rainbow cookies! I can't believe that crazy girl.
Sounds like a super fun cookie swap!
Post a Comment