Berry Cream Cookie Snaps

My sister hosted a Christmas Cookie Swap Party, where we all make and bring 2 dozen cookies, try other cookies, and take home new cookies and recipes. I loved getting to try all the cookies, it was fantastic. These cookies are what I brought, and they taste amazing (not because of me...it's a great recipe). It took me a few pans to get them right, but luckily you only cook 4 at a time (don't worry, it doesn't take long). 

Ingredients

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons seedless strawberry jam (I used raspberry)
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped
• 1 to 3 drops red food coloring, optional
• 
  BATTER:
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 teaspoon Spice Islands® pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh strawberries (I used raspberries that I bought frozen)
• Additional sugar

Something round, like a wooden clothespin

Directions

1. For filling, in a small bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and jam until blended. Fold in whipped cream and food coloring if desired. Chill.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the sugar, flour, egg whites, vanilla and salt until smooth. Whisk in butter until blended.
3. The recipe says to line baking sheets with parchment paper, and I did, but the cookies wouldn't come off the parchment at all (hence the 4 ruined pans of cookies). I just sprayed the cookie pans with Pam and that worked much better. 
4. Preparing four cookies at a time, drop batter by 1-1/2 teaspoonfuls 4 in. apart onto prepared pan. Bake at 400° for 5-8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
5. Immediately remove one cookie at a time from pan and form into a tube around a greased clean round wooden clothespin. Press lightly to seal; hold until set, about 20 seconds.
6. Remove cookie from clothespin; place on waxed paper to cool. 
7. Continue with remaining cookies. If cookies become too cool to shape, return to oven for 1 minute to soften. Repeat with remaining batter.
8. Just before serving, pipe or spoon filling into cookie shells. 
9. Dip end of cookie into strawberries and additional sugar. Refrigerate leftovers. 
   Yield: about 2 dozen.
   
   
   I don't know why this is doing all caps, it won't let me not do all caps...so you get a yelling recipe...but it's that good. :)

Bangers and Fried (by Nate)

This is a traditional british dish called bangers and mash. It is often served in bars an falls under the "pub food" category. It's usually done with mashed potatoes but hash browns seemed to go better with the sausages. So my version is called bangers and fried.

regular bratwursts

horseradish sauce

deli mustard

onions

bell peppers

potatoes

tomatoes

Dice the potatoes and fry them on medium heat in either butter or vegetable oil. Fry them until the outsides are crispy, golden brown. This can take around 15 to 20 minutes. Put the sausages on the grill or in the oven with medium heat (around 325-350). It’s important to keep the temp low enough that the sausages won’t burst or leak. The juice is the flavor. Cook them about 10 minutes on both sides. Sauté the onions, tomatoes, peppers in the same pan as the potatoes. Put the vegetables on top of the sausages and the fried potatoes on the side. Then for the secret sauce. Mix equal parts horseradish sauce and deli mustard. This dilutes the sharp edges of both flavors and enhances the sausages.

Lemon Crackle

This is a really yummy dessert that is unlike anything you've ever had. It's a lemon pie, and a fruit crisp all at the same time. It sounds weird, but if you like lemon, you'll love this. The combination of tastes and textures is really fun!What you need:
Crust:
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup flaked coconut
1/3 cup finely crushed saltines (about 10 crackers)
Filling:
1 cup sugar
2 TBS cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup water
6 TBS lemon juice
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 egg yolks, beaten
whipped topping (Optional, we never used any of this and it was still great)

What you do:
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and brown sugar. Combine flour and soda; add to creamed mixture with coconut and cracker crumbs. Toss with a fork until crumbly. Press half into greased 11in x 7in x 2in baking dish.
In a sauce pan, combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in water and lemon juice until smooth. Add butter and egg yolks. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Cook and stir for two minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; pour over crust. Top with remaining crumb mixture. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool. Cut into squares, and serve with whipped topping if desired.
Store in the refrigerator.
Makes 12-16 servings.

Hot Cocoa Stirring Spoons

I saw these on Pinterest and knew I had to make them. They are so easy and fun!! 

Ingredients:

• Spoons
• Candy Coating (like Almond Bark which you can find in the baking aisle, or melting chips which you can find in the cake decorating aisle by the crafts--if your walmart is organized the same as ours)
• Decorations (sprinkles, candy canes, sugar pearls, mini M&M's, caramel bits, peanut butter chips, white chocolate chips, etc.)

Pretty much you just melt the chocolate according to package directions (you don't need to melt the whole pack at once, just a small portion) and then scoop it into the spoon (using another spoon) and decorate before it cools. Easy, fast, and fun!