A Cookie Dilemna

This past weekend Emmy's preschool had a bake sale.  On Tuesday, notes came home with a request for donations of baked goods by Friday. 

Not a problem.

My husband made a batch of banana nut bread Thursday night and Friday morning I churned out a couple dozen vanilla cupcakes with buttercream icing and sprinkles for both the baked sale and a holiday party we were attending on Saturday. 

It was easy deciding what to make. 

But for the life of me I can't come up with what kind of cookies to make for a cookie swap.  On the invite it said regular old chocolate chip cookies would not do.  Do my favorite homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookies count?

People are bringing Linzer cookies, mexican wedding cookies, chocolate chip biscotti, and the list goes on...
I am clueless and overwhelmed by the options out there.

I had no problem buying Christmas gifts this year, choosing which decorations to put up (we are going light on decorations this year since a one year old can wreak havoc pretty quickly), and even who was hosting Christmas this year (not me for the first time in a long time).

But I am stumped on this whole cookie thing.   

I don't want to spend a lot of time making these cookies since I need to make 8 dozen.  I don't want to deal with anything that requires an electric mixer with special attachments (like paddles) or a food processor.  The less steps the better.

I'm a purist.  I love sugar cookies and chocolate chip cookies.  Snickerdoodles and peanut butter cookies.  I hate any cookie with fruit or nuts like pecans or walnuts.  I want to make something that I like to eat to because how will I know if it is edible good otherwise. 

My mom is coming down Wednesday and bringing Michigan rock cookies and some other kind she made.  She was so excited since she used my grandmother's recipes.  She forgot that those are her favorite cookies.  Certainly not mine.  The girls don't eat them either and Bob will be tempted but he has been showing how strong his will power is since he started dieting.  He won't be eating them either.  I didn't have the heart to tell my mom that though when she called.  We go through this every holiday.  Nor do I eat pies yet every holiday my family tries to force me to try a piece of lemon meringue or strawberry-rhubarb or pumpkin pie.  I do not like pie, says I.  They never listen.
Do you see my dilemna? 

Choosing a cookie recipe that is suitable (ahem, fancy smancy enough to stand up to the other cookies) and that I like is looking like it is going to be a difficult task.

Any suggestions?

My Favorite Holiday Cookie Recipe

ACU's, Stiletto Shoes, and Pretty Pink Tutus is hosting a Cookie Recipe Swap as part of her Merry Mommies Christmas Carnival. She has a yummy recipe for sugar cookies that can be used to make three different types of cookies. I have a recipe in my little recipe box that I ripped out of a Family Circle magazine when I was in high school (back in the 1990s). My mother had subscribed to the magazine and I would often flip through it at breakfast, not because I cared about recipes, how to effectively clean windows, or how to redecorate a room, but just because I have always read at the table at breakfast. I am a true bibliophile. I will read anything and everything (even if it is just the back of the cereal box).

For the last several elections, Family Circle has asked the spouses of the presidential nominees to share their favorite cookie recipes. The readers of the magazine would then choose the winner of the bake-off. The winner's husband has for the last several elections, made it into the White House (until last year when Cindy McCain won but it was Michelle Obama's husband who won the election). One morning I stumbled across the recipe submitted by Hillary Clinton and Barbara Bush. Hillary Clinton's chocolate chip cookie recipe was made using rolled oats. It sounded yummy so I ripped out the recipe and made them one weekend. They were the best cookies I ever had. They were even better than my grandmother's recipe, which is saying something. They were chewy yet slightly crisp on the outside and chocolatey with a buttery finish. My mouth is watering just thinking about them. That recipe, ripped from a magazine and glued to an index card traveled with me to college, my first apartment, and to the home I now share with my husband. It's a little yellow around the edges and stained with debris from my cooking forays but I pull it out for holidays and when I get a craving that only these cookies can satisfy.

These cookies are a delightful comfort food but also a perfect holiday cookie because they are loved by almost everyone. They always get devoured when I put them out for gatherings.

This recipe is NOT my own and has been published numerous times in magazines and online.

Hillary Clinton's Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (unsifted)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup vegetable shortening (Crisco)
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (or 1 12 oz. bag)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheets. Combine flour, salt and baking soda. Beat together shortening, sugars and vanilla in a bowl until creamy. Add eggs, beating until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in flour mixture and rolled oats. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop a teaspoonsful of batter on to cookie sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden. Cool cookies on sheets on wire rack for 2 minutes. Remove cookies to wire rack to cool completely.

Micky Mouse Cookie Cutter Giveaway

I am so excited. I got to review a mini Mickey Mouse cookie cutter from Cheapcookiecutters.com. I love making cookies with my daughter. She even has her own little apron to wear. This cookie cutter is perfect for little hands (it is 2 inches) and the Mickey Mouse shape made my daughter squeal with delight when she saw it because she loves Mickey Mouse. It seems very durable and heavier than most cookie cutters. This would make a wonderful stocking stuffer for a child or a Disney fan.

Cheap Cookie Cutters is owned by Chris Mueller and Karrie Pettit. Their company is relatively new but they certainly aim high. Their goal is to have the largest online selection of cookie cutters in the world by the end of 2010. They have a huge selection including vintage and rare cookie cutters.

Some of my favorite cookie cutters: The Cat in the Hat, the vintage Sesame Street Cookie Cutter Set, the alphabet, The Wizard of Oz, Penn State mascot (my alma mater) , and the dinosaurs.

Some of their more unusual cookie cutters include: the Greek alphabet, United States, superhero, structures (such as the Statue of Liberty), musical instruments, tools, and college mascots. They also have cookie cutters for every occasion and theme.

They can also make custom cookie cutters to your specifications. I never knew that option was out there. These will typically cost about $15-25 for the first one and then $3-$4 for each additional one. Imagine having a cookie cutter that only your family has.

The cookie cutters range in price from about $2.99 and up. This may seem a little pricey for a star or stocking cookie cutter that you can find in any grocery or craft store. The positives about this site include finding all the cookie cutters you are looking for in one place saving you time and money. I would definitely check out this site and see what they have to offer. Use the code 10off at checkout and get 10% off your order!

I will be giving away one mini Mickey Mouse cookie cutter ($3.99 value) stocking stuffer to one lucky person! To be entered to win you can do any (or all) of the following:

• Visit Cheap Cookie Cutters and leave a comment here telling me your favorite cookie cutter (Please also leave your email address if you do not follow through google connect so I can contact you if you win)
  
• Become a The Practical Mom Guide follower (don't forget to leave a comment telling me so)
  
• Blog about this site and giveaway and leave me a comment with a link to your post
• Tweet about this giveaway with a link back to this site and leave me a comment with a link to your tweet
  
• Add The Practical Mom Guide to your blogroll
  

If you do more than one of the above, please leave a separate comment for each. The contest will run until November 30th. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. I will randomly pick a winner and then post the winner here at The Practical Mom Guide and I will attempt to contact the individual. The winner will have 48 hours to contact me to claim their prize (which will be shipped directly from Cheap Cookie Cutters). Good luck!

A special thank you to Cheap Cookie Cutters and The Product Review Place for giving me the chance to review this product.

Updated 11/30-Congratulations to Clueless Mamma, who is the winner of the mini Mickey Mouse Cookie Cutter!