The Great Online Cookie Exchange Extravaganza....

The Great Online Cookie Exchange Extravaganza, hosted by JZ, is today!

I have three different recipes I'm sharing today because I couldn't decide which one of the three I narrowed it down to I should go with. So, I'm posting Mint Chocolate Chip cookies, Frosted Gingerbread cookies and Peanut Butter M&M cookies. :) Enjoy!

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 sticks of butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1.5 tsp. peppermint extract
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup mint baking chips (If you can't find any, Andes mints chopped up work too)
• Green food color gel or food color liquid
  

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugars on high speed. Beat in egg. Stir in vanilla and peppermint extracts.

Mix together dry ingredients and add to butter mixture slowly. Stir until just combined.

Add in food coloring gel/liquid until you get the desired shade of green you want. I like using the gel because you get a more vibrant color and it doesn't effect the taste or texture but food coloring liquid works fine, too. Stir until well combined.

Fold in chocolate chips and mint chips.

Drop by rounded teaspoons onto a cookie sheet. (I actually use a small ice cream scoop.) Bake 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove immediately and cool on wire rack.

You can also make these easier by using a package of Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix instead of dealing with the flour, baking powder, etc. Just make the mix according to direction, add the mint extract, baking chips and boom. A little bit of a quicker and easier version.

Gingerbread Cookies

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2/3 cup unsulfured molasses
• 1 large egg

Icing:

• 1 pound confectioners' sugar
• 3 large egg whites
• 1 drop lemon juice or vinegar

Directions

For the dough, add the dry ingredients (except sugar) to a mixing bowl and stir well to combine. Beat the butter and sugar, adding one egg at a time. Continue beating until the mixture is smooth. Beat in half the flour mixture, then stop and scrape the bowl and beater(s). Beat in the molasses, scrape again, and beat in the remaining flour mixture, just until combined.

Divide the dough into several pieces and press each piece into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Chill the dough for at least one hour or until firm.

Set the racks in the middle upper thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

Roll the dough, one piece at a time, on a floured surface, just to make the dough flat and even, but not much thinner. Cut with floured cutters and arrange on the pans an inch or two apart. Repeat with the remaining dough. Reroll the scraps immediately; or press together, chill and reroll later. Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes, until firm when pressed with a fingertip.

Cool the cookies on the pans.

Meanwhile for the icing, combine confectioners' sugar and egg whites in a mixing bowl and beat until combined. Add the lemon juice or vinegar and continue beating until fluffy. Use a paper cone or the snipped end of a plastic bag to pipe icing on the cookies.

Peanut Butter M&M Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup shortening (or butter for a flatter cookie)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 Tablespoons milk
• 1/2 large bag of M&M’s or 3/4 bag of mini M&M's
  

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl; set aside.

Ceam together the shortening (or butter), sugars and peanut butter. Stir in the egg, vanilla and milk. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Using a wooden spoon, carefully stir in the M&M’s.

Drop by tablespoons onto baking sheet and lightly press down with a fork to barely flatten cookies. Bake for 10 minutes.

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Make sure you go see the rest of the Cookie Extravaganza participants!

Aisha
Alice
Ally
Another Suburban Mom
Ashly Star
Beau
Beth
Conina
Elysia
greengirl
Hedone
Jack & Jill
His wyld rose
Infidelity Chronicles
Jz
Kirsti
Krissy
lil
Linda Long
Little Monkey
Lola!
Mijena
mouse
Naughty Kitty
nilla
ponderouspet
ronnie
Rose
Ryan
Sara
selkie (her recipe here, her blog here)
Sephani Page
Serenity
shadesofblue
striving for peace
sin
Tempting Sweets
The Missus
undercovermetamorphosis
Viemoira


Only 9 days left to make a paypal donation to my Toys for Tots fundraiser. I'm sure y'all are sick of seeing me talk about it but oh well. :) December 16th is the last day I'm taking donations via paypal unless you email with a reason why you need an extra day or two which has happened several times before. It only takes a few dollars to help out a really great cause and I do all the toy shopping so you can donate toys without having to go shop for anything yourself. So come on, $5 or $10 isn't that much and it's for a great cause. Please help out if you can. Thanks to everyone who has donated and all who have helped spread the word thus far. It's greatly appreciated. :D

Happy Wednesday!