Gift giving is one of the greatest parts of the Christmas season, and giving of oneself is among the greatest of gifts.
Those truisms lie at the heart of the popularity of Christmas cookie swaps during this holiday season.
Certainly also contributing are the almost universal appeal of cookies, their variety and their ease in decorating to reflect the holiday season.
Recognizing the phenomenon, two weeks ago The Murfreesboro Post launched a Christmas Cookie Recipe Swap, inviting the whole community to participate.
Here are some of the results:
This is a cookie our family likes and I have been asked for the recipe many times.
CANDY CANE COOKIES
Mix together thoroughly:
1⁄2 cup shortening
1⁄2 cup butter
1 1⁄2 cups powdered sugar
To that add
1 egg
2 1⁄2 tsp. Peppermint extract
Sift together and add to above mixture :
3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
Add 1⁄2 tsp. Red food coloring mixed spotty through dough.
Make a ball about the size of a walnut,place on an ungreased cookie sheet, flatten to about 1⁄4 of an inch top with some crushed candy canes. You don’t have to leave a lot of space between each cookie because these do not spread out like some cookies do.
Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 9 minutes or until lightly golden brown
Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
Gretchen
gjordan62@comcast.net

M&M COOKIES
1 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1⁄2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
2 1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 1⁄2 cup M & M plain candies 3⁄4 lb. bag
2 tsp. vanilla
Cream shortening, sugar, eggs and vanilla thoroughly.
Sift together flour, soda and salt. Add dry ingredients gradually to creamed mixture.
Mix well. Stir in 1⁄2 cup of M&Ms. Reserve remaining candy for decorating.
Drop by teaspoonfuls on ungreased baking sheet.
Decorate tops of cookies with M&Ms.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
Judy Pitts

CHEWY GINGER COOKIES
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/1/2 teaspoons ground
cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1 1⁄2 cups shortening
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1⁄2 cup molasses (mild, not the blackstrap kind)
1⁄4 cup granulated sugar for rolling
In a medium bowl mix the flour, ginger, soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Blend with wire whisk. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat shortening to soften. Gradually add the 2 cups sugar and beat until fluffy.
Add eggs and molasses and mix well.
Add half the flour mixture and mix until combined.
Stir in remaining flour by hand. (Wooden spoon works best.)
Shape dough into approximately 1-inch balls and roll each in sugar. Place on cookie sheet about 1 1⁄2 inches apart. (Using parchment paper to line the cookie sheet makes the cookies slide off easily when baked. Do not grease cookie sheet.)
Bake about 8 minutes, or until cookies are lightly browned and puffed. If you overbake them, the cookies will not be chewy.
Let cool a couple of minutes on sheet before removing to racks to cool. The cookies will shrink and crack a little as they cool.
This makes a lot of cookies—about 8 dozen—but the exact amount depends on the size you make them.
(Betcha can’t eat just one!)
Donna Sparks

Everyone always loves these bar cookies when I bake them. My mom always made them around the holidays. And they are really easy to make.
ROMANCE COOKIES
Cookie Layer:
1 Cup Butter (soft)
2 Cups Flour
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
Cream butter until soft. Blend in flour, sugar and salt. Spread even layer in a rectangular baking pan and bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees. (I prefer a glass baking dish that is 7 1/2 “ X 11 1/2”, but a 9” X 12” pan works fine, too.)
Topping Layer:
2 Eggs
1 1/2 Cups Brown
Sugar (packed)
2 Tablespoons Flour
3/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 Cup Coconut
1 Cup Chopped Nuts (Walnuts or Pecans)
Beat first five ingredients until light and fluffy. Add coconut and nuts last. Spread mixture over baked cookie layer and bake 20 minutes more. Remove from oven and cool. After cookies are completely cooled, cut into bars or squares and top with powdered sugar before removing from pan. These cookies are very rich and make great bite sized treats!
Shari Howerton

SANTA’S GONN’A FLIP PECAN COOKIE
1 pound butter, softened
1 cup confectioners sugar, sifted
4 cup sifted cake flour (not self-rising)
2 cup chopped pecans
1 Tbsp. Vanilla
Enough confectioners sugar to roll cookies in.
Cream butter and sugar; stir in flour, nuts and vanilla. Mix well, shape in one-inch balls. Bake 15-20 minutes at 325 degrees. Roll in confectioners sugar while still warm. Yield about 10 dozen cookies. These cookies freeze well. Layer wax paper between each layer of cookies and store in airtight container.
Kathy Beckworth
Gresham Lane
TEXAS COOKIES
1 1/3 cup plain flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1⁄4 lb. oleo, room temperature
1 can vanilla sour cream frosting
almond extract
Mix flour, sugar and oleo together till it forms a soft dough.
Roll into one inch balls.
Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
Press down on each ball with your thumb to make an indentation.
Bake at 250 degrees for twenty minutes
Mix can of vanilla sour cream frosting with one cap of almond extract.
Tint to desired color and frost each indentation.
Eddie Beckworth
Gresham Lane,

REESE’S COOKIES
3⁄4 cup butter of margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
1⁄2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup Reese’s peanut butter chips
1 cup Hershey’s chocolate chips
In a large bowl, cream , sugar, brown sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy.
Add eggs, beat well.
Combine flour and baking soda, blend into creamed mixture.
Stir in peanut butter chips and chocolate chips.
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned.
Cool slightly before removing from cookie sheet.
Makes about 5 dozen.
Charles R. Broadway
Gresham Lane

RAJUN CAJUN CASHEW COOKIES
This is a very old recipe
1⁄2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1⁄2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups sifted flour (plain)
3⁄4 tsp. baking powder
3⁄4 tsp. soda
1⁄4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup sour cream
1 3⁄4 cup salted cashews

Mix above ingredients and drop by teaspoonful on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.
Frosting: Lightly brown 1⁄2 cup butter
3 T. coffee cream
1 t. vanilla

Stir in 2 cups confectioners’ sugar.
Spread on top of cooled cookies
Tommy Potts
206 Gresham Lane

Karen from Goodness Gracious shared this recipe:
Chocolate Mint-Filled
Cookies
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup butter softened
1/4 cup corn syrup
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
sugar
2 6 to 7 1/4 ounce boxes chocolate covered thin mints (about 24 1 1/4” round mints)
In a heavy small saucepan over low heat, heat semisweet chocolate pieces until melted and smooth stirring well.
In a large bowl with mixer at low speed, beat melted chocolate, flour, butter, corn syrup, baking soda, salt, egg, and 1/2 cup sugar until blended. Increase speed to medium, beat until well mixed, scrapping bowl frequently. Wrap dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate until easy to handle about 2 hours.
Preheat over to 350. Measure 1/3 cup sugar into a small bowl. Shape dough into 96 balls, roll balls into sugar to coat. On ungreased cookie sheet place balls about 2 inches apart.
Bake cookies 12 to 15 minutes until set. Immediately while still hot place a chocolate covered mint on half the cookies. Quickly top with remaining cookie sugar side up. Press cookies together slightly so mint patty spreads to the cookie edge. Remove cookies to wire rack to cool. Makes 4 dozen. 105 calories per cookie.

Almond Macaroons
One ounce Almond Paste
8 ounces sugar
2 egg whites
Cut up almond paste in small pieces in a bowl. Add the sugar and egg whites. Mix until smooth.
Be sure no lumps remain.
Use a pastry bag with star tube. Drop out on parchment paper lined cookie pan about the size of a half dollar.
Bake in slow oven, 325 degrees for about 30 minutes. Allow to cool.
J.W.E. Moore, submitted
by Dixie Dittfurth

Honey’s Favorite
Ginger Cookies
3 cup flour
2t. soda
2t. cinnamon
1t. clover
2T. ginger
3⁄4 cup butter
3⁄4 cup Crisco
2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1⁄2 c. Molasses (sorghum)
Sift flour, soda, cinnamon, cloves and ginger.
Cream butter and Crisco, add to sugar and beat until fluffy.
Add the unbeaten eggs, one at a time. Mix in molasses. Then add flour mixture. Beat well.
Drop by the teaspoon on cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees 12 to 15 minutes.
Submitted by Dixie Dittfurth