Christmas Cookie Swap 2014 - White Chocolate and Cranberry cookies

My packages for the Great Food Blogger Christmas Cookie Swap 2014 are freshly in the post as I begin to compose this blog!  What a super feeling of accomplishment! This might be my third year doing the Cookie Swap, but it seems like I was more excited about it than ever before! Possibly discovering a delicious cookie recipe a few weeks ago helped.  Normally it is down to the deadline before I know what I am doing!

I got my three partners in swapping and was delighted to be able to help out with yet another person from Ireland when they didn't have enough participants in that country. The extra postage is not sufficient to dampen the fun of helping someone be involved, and to also support the lovely activity which raises money worldwide for Cookies for Kids Cancer.

However, I am not certain she or one of my other matches received their cookies!  I know the name of the Irish blogger was incorrect because I looked at her blog and was able to correct that, but if the name was wrong, what about the rest of the address?  If this is the first year doing the cookie swap, maybe the two I have not heard from don't realise they were supposed to let me know they got them.  I have emailed them to ask, but had no response either.  I did hear from Rebecca from Really Pretty Useful and she enjoyed the cookies I sent her!

I am still waiting on one more box of cookies, not sure what has gone wrong this year....but I have thoroughly enjoyed my Chocolate and Candy Cane cookies from Ally at Digital Diva and the amazing Orange Chocolate Chip and Walnut cookies from Angela from the awkwardblog.com.


When I made the recipe I sent originally it was for our trip to London to see our son. I have never made a chocolate cookie dough though and had no idea how much I personally would love these cookies!  I think they are the best ever.....however, they are so chocolaty they need a health warning. Well, at least for our niece who is staying with us, sort of as a gap year.  She is allergic to high percentage chocolate and these will hurt her.  So why did I make them twice? Sorry, Morgan!

Before reading the recipe, I have a request!  This blog has been going on for over 2 years and I really enjoy doing it, but I am very frustrated because I get no comments at all!  I would love to hear from you, any thoughts, comments or questions would be wonderful to receive.  With readers all over the world, it would mean a lot to me to hear from you!  I have also re-started my Pat's Kitchen Facebook page, so if that is the best way for any of you, please "like" that!   Here is the link to "Pat's Kitchen".


Taken and adapted from a package of Nestle Premier White Chocolate Chips I bought in the States.

White Chocolate Chip Cookies   

(or An assortment of ingredients, including any type of chocolate chip or dried fruit Cookies!)

I have done my best to convert the US measurements to metric and I hope they work as well for you as they have for me!   With the exception of figuring out the butter, there is an excellent online butter conversion website, it is listed in my Pages, but easily found just by typing in the name.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cup / 383g plain flour

2/3 cup / 70g cocoa

1 tsp baking soda  (bicarbonate of soda)

1/4 salt

1 cup (2 sticks) / 227g butter or margarine, softened

3/4 cup / 201g granulated sugar

2/3 cup / 167 packed brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 cups white chocolate chips*,  however I used 1 cup white chocolate chips and one cup dried cranberries for a more festive look!

*The first time I tried this recipe, I used one cup white and 1 cup very dark chocolate chips.  The cookies could have hurt more than just my niece with the massive amount of chocolate they contained, but they were amazing!  This time, I decided to be a bit more festive and added a 170g package of dried cranberries. This ended up being exactly one cup!  I intended to add one package of white chocolate chips, but the package was 100g and did not fill a whole cup.....what to do?  Open another small package or finish off the already opened dark chocolate chips just sitting there and begging me to eat them in one gulp?  Best to get them out of temptation's way, so there is a hint of dark chocolate chips in this cookie swap.



Oven temp -  350F  180C

Combine dry ingredients in small bowl.

Cream butter and the two sugars together, then add vanilla and beat until very creamy.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time.  

Add the flour in a little at a time. This will get more difficult to mix and using an electric mixer helps!

Add the chocolate morsels and dried cranberries, or whatever you have decided to use.

Using awell rounded teaspoon, drop cookie batter onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 9 - 11 minutes.

Makes about 5 dozen cookies

"Christmas cookies and happy hearts, this is how the holiday starts."  

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