I have done a HUGE Christmas party for years that centers around a cookie exchange. My word of warning--it is so fun that no one will ever stop insisting you give it! My kids feel it is the centerpiece of the Christmas season, and I start getting questions about when it will be starting before Thanksgiving. We invite well over 100 people (families). We ask people to bring "a plate" of cookies to share. I make a lot of extra cookies--my top pleaser with the kids are Rice Krispie bars wrapped with fruit rollup to look like little presents. I also make coconut macaroons out of Silver Palate (dead easy) and dip them in chocolate so they look fancy. I have a number of other easy recipes as well. I make two huge pots of soup--a Moroccan soup and pumpkin-peanut soup (wouldn't work for you, obviously), buy a ham and rolls, and provide a few other food items. I also have drinks plus mulled wine and hot cider. My top lessons learned: --soup is hugely popular. --have paper plates and foil available and people take home cookies on that, or on the plate they brought --people are often really intimidated by baking. If they express any reservations, I tell them not to bring anything. I always have plenty. --I end up with all of the cookies that nobody wants. I gave myself permission a few years ago to just throw out anything I didn't think we would eat. Otherwise, it got depressing with the rock hard gingerbread, my sweet neighbor's tasteless cookies with candied fruit, and the occasional bag of Chips Ahoy. --I don't ask for an RSVP because I don't get them anyway--and if I don't ask, I don't need to sweat it. There are always plenty of cookies if we run out of other stuff.

Oh wow...there is alot missing from the Death cookies, isn't there! I never noticed before and I've made this recipe countless times. I use the 12 oz bag of chocolate chips. I go big on everything! ;) Pat here is the Lemon Pistachio Cookie recipe from Mary. LEMON PISTACHIO COOKIES (Mary) 2 Cups flour 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. salt 3/4 Cup butter or margarine, softened 3/4 Cup plus 3 Tbs. sugar, divided 1 Large egg 1 Tbs. lemon zest, grated 1 Tbs. lemon juice 1/3 Cup pistachio nuts, finely chopped In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. Cream butter and 3/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, mixing until just combined. Add lemon zest and juice. Blend in dry ingredients, mix to thoroughly combine. Wrap dough in plastic and chill for 1 hour. Combine pistachio nuts and remaining sugar in a small bowl. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll balls in pistachio-sugar mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Press cookies down with a small glass to flatten slightly. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until golden. Transfer to racks to cool. NOTES: I add the zest from a entire lemon. And I add about 2 T. fresh lemon juice. I worked and worked on a lemon cookie recipe and it took me about a year before it dawned on me to add cream cheese which made the cookies just perfect. I have to admit they are the best lemon cookies I've ever eaten but of course they are to my taste and puckery lemon. Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies (My recipe) 1 c. butter 1-3 oz package of Cream Cheese 1 c. sugar 1 egg 1 TBL fresh lemon juice (you can add a bit more juice I DO!) Grated lemon Peel (I grate the entire lemon) 2 1/2 c. flour 1 tsp baking powder Lemon Glaze Juice of 1 lemon Grated Lemon Peel (I grate the entire lemon) Powdered sugar Cookies: Cream butter and cream cheese. Add sugar, egg, lemon juice and rind. Add flour and baking soda and blend into cream cheese mixture. Chill dough. Use cookie press, drop and crisscross with fork or press flat or you can roll out and use a cookie cutter. Cool cookies before glazing. Glaze: Mix lemon juice and rind and add powdered sugar until you have a nice glazing consistency. You can grate more rind and sprinkle on top too. Michelle

I made a cookie recipe book for my neice a year or two ago. These are all tried and true recipes. Where possible I tried to give the sources of the recipes too. Chocolate Walnut Biscotti Cookie type: bar This is a favorite Italian cookie. They are perfect for dunking in coffee. This recipe came from Five Brothers A Year of Tuscan Cooking book, 1997. The recipe makes 3 dozen cookies. Ingredients 2 cups chopped walnuts 3 oz semisweet chocolate 1/3 cup unsalted butter 2 cups flour 2 teas baking powder 3 eggs 1 cup sugar 2 teas finely grated orange zest Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place walnuts on a cookie sheet; toast about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Melt chocolate and butter together, stir until smooth. Let mixture cool. In a bowl, sift flour and baking powder. In a large bowl, beat eggs lightly. Gradually add sugar, beat until light and fluffy. Add orange zest. Stir in cooled chocolate mixture. Stir in flour mixture until well blended. Add nuts. Stir to mix well. Divide dough in half. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 1 hour. On a greased cookie sheet, form into two flattened logs, each about 14 inches x 2 ½ inches. Place 4 inches apart on the cookie sheet. Bake 30 minutes or until logs are firm when pressed in the center, Remove from oven. On a cutting board, cut logs crosswise on the diagonal into ½ inch slices. Return to oven, arranging biscotti cut side down on cookie sheets. Bake 10 minutes or until crisp. (Recipe for) Christmas Cookies His recipe was taken from Gooseberry Patch Old Fashioned Country Cookies. It was submitted by Charlotte Worlitz. Light oven, get bowl, spoons and ingredients; grease pan; crack nuts; remove 10 blocks, seven toy autos and one wad of chewing gum from the kitchen table. Measure 2 cups flour; remove Johnnys hands from flour, wash flour off him, measure 1 more cup of flour to replace flour on floor. Put flour, baking powder and salt in sifter. Answer doorbell. Return to kitchen. Remove Johnnys hands from bowl. Wash Johnny. Answer phone; return. Remove ¼ inch salt from greased pans. Grease more pans. Look for Johnny. Answer phone. Return to kitchen and find Johnny. Remove his hands from bowl. Wash shortening, etc. off him. Take up greased pans and find nut shells in it. Head for Johnny who flees, knocking bowl off table. Wash kitchen floor. Wash table. Wash kitchens walls. Wash dishes. Wash Johnny. Call bakery. Chrusciki (Angel Wings) Cookie type: formed Chrusciki is the Ukrainian word for these cookies. I think every ethnicity has some variation of these fried cookies. These were the one cookie my mother would let my father make. Ingredients 2 eggs 7 egg yolks 1/3 cup heavy cream 1 jigger whiskey (rum can also be used) 1 teas vanilla 3 tbsp sugar 4 cups flour ¼ teas baking powder oil for frying confectioners sugar Directions Beat yolks and whole eggs in a bowl until thick. Add sugar, cream liquor and vanilla. Beat well. Add all dry ingredients except confectioners sugar. Mix until well blended. Knead dough unit it stiffens. Roll dough out thin. Cut into 1 x 4 inch strips. Cut a gash through the center of the strip and twist one end through. Fry in deep oil (375 degrees) until light brown. Dust with confectioners sugar. Hints, tips, tricks and how to cheat Hapanowicz Meat Market in New York Mills, NY sells a very good rendition of these cookies that you can pass off as home made. Confetti Caramel Bars Cookie type: bar These were a favorite of Julias! The recipe came from Betty Crocker Cookies Brownies & Bars, 1995. The recipe states it makes 3 dozen bars. Ingredients 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened 1 ½ teas vanilla 1 egg 2 cups flour ½ cup light corn syrup 2 tbsp butter or margarine ½ package (1 cup) butterscotch chips 1 ½ to 2 cups assorted candies and nuts (such as colored chocolate chips, candy corn, candy-coated candies, mini M&Ms, etc.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix brown sugar, 1 cup butter, the vanilla and egg in a large bowl. Stir in flour. Spread evenly in the bottom of an ungreased rectangular pan, 13x9x2 inches. Bake 20 to 22 minutes. Cool 20 minutes. Heat corn syrup, 2 tablespoons butter and butterscotch chips in a heavy 1 quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until chips are melted; remove from heat. Cool 10 minutes. Spread butterscotch mixture over the baked layer. Sprinkle with candy and nuts; gently press into butterscotch mixture. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours until butterscotch mixture is firm. Cut into 2x1 ½ inch bars. Hints, tips, tricks and how to cheat I dont recommend microwaving the butterscotch chips. They dont melt thoroughly.

Julie, lol! They are a little putzi, for sure, but I have a system for that kind of stuff and really enjoy the process. You can buy all kinds of cookie stencils at a craft store's bakery section but I purchase my 'accoutrements' on line. But, yes, it is very easy once you practice a few times on parchment. You can also ice the whole top with royal icing, let it harden, then use a stencil and a dab of edible luster on a brush. Elegant! The most important element is the cookie itself.