My Cookie Swap Recipe: Orange Drop Cookies

Today is the big link up of allllllll 625 bloggers recipes for The Great Food Blogger Cookies Swap 2011. The guidelines for the swap were pretty simple. Make 3 dozen homemade cookies, use a recipe you haven't posted on your blog before, and send em to three unsuspecting food bloggers.

I decided to use my all time favorite cookie recipe for the swap. This recipe is a family favorite- it came from my mom's childhood nanny, Grammy Grace, and I try to make these cookies every year at Christmas. These are Orange Drop Cookies...soft, citrusy pillows that are amazing with or without the orange glaze. I know this because I'm impatient, and typically eat a cookie or two four before they are iced.

My cookies went to Vanessa of  French Foodie Mom, Monica of Sweet Bites Blog, and Jenny of Jen eat, then speak. I'm hoping they arrived in good condition, and quickly..The post office around here definitely isn't the fastest on the planet! One of the best parts of this project was being introduced to 6 bloggers you may not have heard of...I checked out the blogs of each blogger I sent cookies to, as well as the bloggers I received cookies from. I'll definitely be back for more!

Sneaky little elf...tryin to hijack my cookies!

Orange Drop Cookies 
Makes 5 dozen cookies


1 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 whole orange
4 cups flour (I used whole wheat, just as yummy as all purpose)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Finely grate orange rind, then remove remaining orange peel. Place orange slices in blender or food processor and grind until fine. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in eggs, orange and rind. Sift dry ingredients together, and add to butter mixture, alternating with milk. Using medium scoop, drop on prepared cookie sheets 1 inch apart. Bake 9-10 minutes, or until bottoms of cookies start to brown. Remove from oven and cool completely on wire racks before adding glaze.

Orange Glaze:

6 tbsp melted butter

6 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice

2 tbsp grated orange rind

Powdered sugar to thicken

Combine butter and orange juice and mix well. Add enough powdered sugar to thicken to desired consistency. Stir in orange rind, and spread on cookies.

Enjoy!!

The Great Blogger Cookie Swap 2011

When I found out about The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap 2011, I *knew* I had to participate. I love cookies...who doesn't love cookies! I love making cookies, especially during the holidays, and getting 3 mystery packages of cookies in the mail sounded like a no brainer!

When registration closed, there were 625 bloggers signed up to participate. That's 1875 dozen cookies flyin' through the mail over the past few weeks. How cool is that!! 

Monday is the official link up of the cookie exchange, with recipes and all. For now, I can share the cookies I  received in the mail! Talk about fun! 3 packages, addressed to me, full of cookies! 

My first box of cookies arrived Wednesday- and I couldn't wait to see what was inside! Amanda from Sweet Fix sent me "London Fog" cookies...Earl Grey Tea Butter Cookies with White Chocolate Filling. These were thin, crispy cookies with a hint of earl grey tea filled with white chocolate, and they were to die for. I may or may not have eaten half of this tin of cookies myself!

London Fog cookies...photo from Beth at Just So Parenting

Thursday's mail brought a beautifully decorated box from The Lushers...filled with oatmeal, cranberry and white chocolate cookies. Yum, yum, yum. Yum. No other words necessary. Yum. 

How pretty is that box? Photo from Beth at Just So Parenting

The Lushers' Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies. Photo from Beth at  Just So Parenting

My final box of cookies arrived today , and I while I was sad it was the last box, I was not disappointed in the least as to what was inside! Beth from Just So Parenting sent me these slightly highly addictive Chewy Lemon Lavender Snowdrop Cookies. Soft, sweet, chewy, tangy....the list of adjectives goes on and on. Once I have my hands on this recipe, I'll definitely be making these!

Chewy Lemon Lavender Snowdrop Cookies from Beth at Just So Parenting
(this is my photo....I actually got the camera out before the cookies disappeared!!)

Thanks to these three ladies for some amazing cookies, and thanks to Lindsay of Love and Olive Oil and Julie of The Little Kitchen for organizing this event. I'm sure it was a huge success! 

My recipe will be up Monday...can't wait to share my all time favorite cookies with you!

Remembering my Dad

My family and I celebrated my dad's life yesterday- a life that ended very unexpectedly 10 years ago. We decided to celebrate together this year, as the cooker boy has had a lot of questions about Pop Pop Jim.We had lunch at the beach, and Ben sent Pop Pop Jim some balloons.  I baked this cake, which was always my dads favorite...He called it "Schocolate cake with schocolate icing" as a kid...the Schocolate stuck even as he grew up, and it became a family joke. I wasn't into baking much when my dad was around, but I'm sure he's drooling over this cake from up above.

Ben and Mom releasing the balloons and Ben's note to Pop Pop Jim

I spent some time scanning old pictures and posting them on Facebook, as most of our family and friends are still in Ohio, and I wanted everyone to be included in the celebration. Several people posted great memories of my dad on my wall, and they were definitely fun to read. He was an incredibly funny guy, and that's what I miss the most.

Family Pictures

The recipes. I used the "Too Much Chocolate Cake" and Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Frosting recipes for this cake. Talk about chocolate overload...exactly what my dad would have enjoyed!

Too Much Chocolate Cake from  AllRecipes.com

1 devils food cake mix
1 pkg instant chocolate pudding
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup warm water
4 eggs
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare (2) 9 inch cake pans with baking spray and set aside. In large bowl, combine dry ingredients and stir to break up lumps. Add oil, sour cream, milk and eggs and whisk until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour batter into pans and bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted into center of cake. Cool in pans on wire racks until completely cool.

Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Frosting from Hersheys.com

1 stick butter
2/3 cup Hershey's Cocoa powder
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Melt butter in saucepan and stir in cocoa power. Whisk until smooth and transfer into large mixing bowl. Alternate adding powdered sugar and milk, beating until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla extract and beat until just combined.

Enjoy, and let me know what you think!