The Recipe Box Swap
Please visit I have to say to see all sorts of recipes and visit some blogs to get some Christmas recipe ideas. This month's theme is Holiday Favorites.

Yesterday I made Cookies, Cookies, & More Cookies...... We have only two weeks till we leave to spend some time with family & friends and so I am baking early to try and get all the different kinds of cookies done that I want to take with us and give as gifts. So here are a couple of my favorite cookie recipes. Enjoy:)


Peanut Butter Crinkle Kisses


1 cup of margarine
1 cup of peanut butter(creamy or crunchy)
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

1 bag of Hersheys Kisses or Chocolate Stars

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Unwrap chocolate kisses-(don't eat them all) and set aside until later-you will need them as soon as the cookies come out of the oven!

Mix the first 6 ingredients until fluffy. Then mix the next 4 ingredients together and combine with the first 6 ingredients. Shape into 1" balls and roll in granulated sugar. I also mix in some red & green sugars to add some Christmas cheer. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet and bake 9-10 minutes. Take out of oven and immediately press Hershey kiss into center of cookies. Need to let the cookies cool well and let the chocolate kiss set up before putting them away. This recipe makes a little over 6 dozen, so there will be plenty to go around.

Caramel-Filled Chocolate Cookies

• 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup chopped pecans, divided
• 6 (2-ounce) packages chocolate-caramel cookie bars, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 (2-ounce) vanilla bark coating squares

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugars, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla, beating until blended after each addition.

Combine flour, cocoa, and soda; add to butter mixture, beating at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in 1/2 cup pecans. Shape 1 tablespoon dough around each candy piece, covering completely, to form balls.

Combine remaining 1/2 cup pecans and 1 tablespoon sugar. Gently press the top of each ball into pecan mixture. Place balls, pecan sides up, 2 inches apart on baking sheets.

Bake at 375° for 7 to 10 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 2 minutes. Remove from baking sheets; cool completely on wire racks.

Melt coating squares in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Drizzle over cookies.

*These chocolate cookies are my absolute favorite. If you don't want to go to as much work this cookie dough is also wonderful if you want to add just some white chocolate or peanut butter chips to the batter. Also you can just roll the balls in some red & green sugars and bake them. There are lots of variations that can be done with this batter. I have also cut up little bites of Snicker bars and wrapped the dough around them. Those are also yummy.