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Calling All Cookie Recipes!  #CookieExchange

Cookie season is almost upon us and I can’t wait to smell that delicious buttery cookie aroma wafting through my kitchen!  It just doesn't get much better than time spent in a cozy kitchen making your family’s favorite cookie recipe!  There’s one cookie that is a must have for our family - My Grandma Appolonia’s Travel Cookies.  They are a soft, butter cookie with lots of pure vanilla and a layer of homemade icing.  They’re not fussy or fancy - but to us, they’re cookie perfection!  My girls love to help make them, especially piping on the icing.  When we take these cookies to our family holiday dinner, I have to hide them in a locked car or they’ll disappear before we even get to dessert!  I’m not kidding.

I’ll share my Gram’s recipe below and I’ll hope you’ll join in the fun and share some cookie photos and recipes too - we’ll have a fun “virtual” cookie recipe exchange!  See below for details! #CookieExchange

Cookies Galore!

We started a cookie exchange tradition in our neighborhood years ago and now my family looks forward to my coming home with a big bag filled with the specialty cookies of all my neighborhood girlfriends.  

This is how our cookie exchange works:

• The host of the event invites everyone to their home for a drink and appetizers.
• Everyone brings a half dozen of their special cookie all wrapped up for each guest attending.
• The wrapped cookies are arranged all over a big table or counter, so each person can go around with a shopping bag and collect one package of each type of cookie.
• Then we all go out to dinner and have a merry time together!
• When you get home, you have a huge variety of cookies ready to enjoy over the holidays!  

We’ve been having this event for years and everyone looks forward to enjoying each family's specialty cookie - it’s truly a sharing of traditions!

I always make my Grandma Appolonia’s Travel Cookies, my friend Cathy always makes Pizzelles, Annie bring’s her Russian Tea Cakes, Courtney brings meringues, Kristan brings cinnamon snaps, Gail brings peanut butter blossoms, Wendy makes chocolate coated pretzel rods....are you getting hungry yet?!  ...and the list goes on!  It’s really a beautiful thing - I make a humongous batch of one type of cookie and come home with enough varieties to fill a holiday cookie buffet!    

I’m excited this year to make that one humongous batch of cookie batter in our Today’s Special Value, KitchenAid® Pro 600 Deluxe 6-Quart Bowl-Lift with Glass Bowl Stand Mixer (Insert Link here)  It’s going to be my best friend in the kitchen for all my holiday cooking and baking!

2016 KitchenAid “Virtual” Holiday Cookie Exchange!

Now, I’d love to have all of you over to my home for a actual holiday cookie exchange, but I probably don’t have enough seats and we’d have to rent trailers to take home all those cookies!  LOL!  So let’s have a “virtual” Holiday Cookie Exchange!  Marie Levesque and I will both share our family favorite holiday cookie recipe and you share yours!  We’ll get some great new cookie recipes and ideas!  

Please share your photo and/or recipe in a comment on this post or on my Facebook page, “Tina Verrelli - KitchenAid on QVC” and include the hashtag #CookieExchange

Here’s My #CookieExchange Recipe:

Grandma Appolonia's Travel Cookies Recipe:

Tina Verrelli - epicuricloud.com

Makes 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour 

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1 cup unsalted butter, softened (plus extra for greasing pan and glass) 

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (plus extra for flattening cookies) 

2 eggs 

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

In medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt. 

In large bowl, cream together butter and sugar.  Beat in eggs and vanilla. 

Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough and roll into balls.   

Place the balls 2-inches apart on greased baking sheets. (I use the shiny half-sheet pans) 

Butter the bottom of a flat-bottomed drinking glass.  Spread some sugar on a small plate.   

Dip the buttered glass in the sugar and use to press down on the cookie balls.   

Hold the glass level and press until the cookie is a little thicker than a 1/4-inch.

Repeat until all the balls are flattened.

Bake the cookies for 7-12 minutes or until just golden around the edges.  Time may vary depending on oven.

Let cool on baking sheet 1 minute before removing to cooling rack.

Icing:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened 

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 

6 cups confectioner's sugar 

1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon milk 

In large bowl, beat together butter, vanilla, 3 cups of confectioner's sugar and 1/4 cup milk.

Gradually add more sugar and milk until you reach desired consistency.

Here’s Marie Levesque’s Recipe:

Zuccarini is one of our family’s favorite cookies! Especially around the holidays!

We first learned about Zuccarini when we hosted a Christmas party for my daughter, Stephanie’s, Brownie Troop many years ago.

One of the moms brought Zuccarini to the party.  They were shaped liked braids and pretzels and were oh so festive with a variety of sprinkles and toppings.  But most of all, they were Delicious!!!

Zuccarini is very light, delicate Italian cookie with a hint of Anise in the icing.

We so enjoyed these cookies that they have become our #1 Traditional Holiday Cookie!  If we don’t make any other cookie, we always make Zuccarini and they always take us back to the memories of the party so many years ago!

Zuccarini Italian Cookies

• 6 Tbsp Crisco
• 3 Large Eggs
• 3-1/2 Cups Flour
• 1/4 Cup Milk
• 1 Cup Sugar
• 1 Tsp Vanilla
• 1 Tbsp Baking Powder
• 1 Pinch Salt

Anise Icing:

• 1 Cup confectioners’ sugar
• Enough milk to make a glaze
• Anise extract to taste.

Directions:

• Cream Crisco, sugar, eggs and vanilla.
• Stir together flour, baking powder and salt.
• Add flour mixture to egg mixture, alternating with milk to form smooth dough.
• Chill dough for several hours.
• Grease cookie sheet or use parchment paper.
• With floured fingers shape dough:  knots, braids, pretzel design, etc
• Bake 350 – 8 – 10 mins. 

After baking and the cookies have cooled, brush them with the anise icing and decorate with sprinkles, crushed nuts, etc.

I can’t wait to see your #CookieExchange Photos & Recipes!

I hope you’ll tune in today for our extra special Today’s Special Value!  We’ll be mixing up cookies, spiralizing veggies and sharing lots of great tips all throughout the day and night!

Stay in touch on our Facebook page: “Tina Verrelli - KitchenAid on QVC”

Take Care -

Tina - KitchenAid Team ( :

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