Hostess Gifts

What’s inside these upcycled scrapbook paper/washi tape/twine wrapped potato chip cans? Cookies! We received some lovely invitations for the Memorial Day holiday weekend, so I made treats for hostess gifts. Here is a recipe my sons LOVED when they were little that’s no-fail and easy to transport. Enjoy, and I wish you a happy time of remembrance with your family and friends. ♥

RANGER CRISPIES

1/2 cup + 1/3 cup butter

1 cup each sugar and brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon each baking powder, soda, salt, and vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

3 cups crisp rice cereal

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter and sugars. Beat in eggs. Add dry ingredients and stir until well blended. Stir in cereal. Drop by rounded teaspoon onto prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 8-12 minutes. Let stand one minute before removing from pan. Makes five dozen.

Cookie Cutter Hostess Gift

Do you need a hostess gift idea? Does your hostess love to bake?

1. Stitch a simple drawstring bag.

2. Embroider the word “Cookies” on one side.

3. Fill it with fun or seasonal cookie cutters.

Don’t be surprised if you hear some oohs and aahs! ♥

Seven-Layer Cookie Bars

Believe it or not, I’d baked so many goodies before our family reunion weekend that one treat remained in the freezer after everyone was gone! So, I decided to take them to a baseball game tailgate party we attended Saturday afternoon with a bunch of our fun friends. To make them more finger-food friendly, I cut and rewrapped the bars individually in pinked parchment, tied them with baker’s twine, put them in a bowl, and returned them to the freezer until time to leave (since Kansas is HOT this time of year!). Then I added a little sign . . . and it worked! ♥

Seven-Layer Cookie Bars

Melt 1 stick of butter in a 9 x 13 inch pan. Then add the following layers:

• 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs
• 1 small package of sweetened, flaked coconut
• 1 small package of chocolate chips
• 1 small package of butterscotch chips
• 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup of chopped nuts

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Cool and cut into bars.

Chocolate Glacier Cookies

I’ve been baking and freezing cookies so I can keep the cookie jar filled for our family get-together this week.  (Dave LOVES being my taste tester! )

I tried a new recipe I cut out of a magazine (click the picture for a larger view), and it’s definitely a keeper!  Luckily, I found the online version, too.  You can click here for a printable copy with U.S. or metric measurements.  (The teeny-tiny “Print” command is below the recipe to the right of the share buttons.)  And you really WILL want a copy, because they are AMAZING!

P.S. I inherited my cookie jar from a beloved aunt. This lovely little lady is full of wonderful memories! ♥

Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies

These easy, yummy cookies were a huge hit at our family Christmas celebration. Luckily, I was able to grab a snapshot before they all disappeared! Here’s the recipe:

In a large pan, stir together:

• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 T cocoa
• 2 cups sugar
• ½ cup milk or half-and-half

Bring to a boil and continue boiling for one minute. Remove from heat and stir in:

• ½ cup peanut butter
• 1 cup coconut
• 2 cups quick oatmeal

Drop by spoonsful onto waxed paper. Cookies will set up as they cool. P.S. I recommend making a double batch . . . they won’t last long! ♥

Cookies, Love, and Prayers

I started writing this post a couple of days ago to show you my new Christmas decoration. When I began having children of my own, my mother gave me the cookie cutters we used to make Christmas cookies when I was a little girl. Oh, the hours of fun I’ve had with them! This December I wanted a little something extra in the kitchen, so I strung them on ribbons, tied them together at the top, and hung them in my window.

Today, I think of my cookie cutters in a completely different way. I weep with joy that I got to grow up baking Christmas cookies with my mom and that my sons got to grow up baking Christmas cookies with me. And I weep with sadness for those children and parents who won’t have that opportunity this Christmas.

To Kris and Mike, who lost their 14-year-old daughter Bekah to cancer this week . . . to the parents of the children who were killed at their elementary school yesterday . . . to all parents everywhere who mourn the loss of a child . . . may you find comfort in the love and prayers of all of us. ♥