TGFBCS 2011 & a Giveaway!

That would be 'The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap' if you aren't one of the 625 bloggers participating! The swap was hosted by Lindsay of Love and Olive oil and Julie of The Little Kitchen, who will be posting the 600+ cookie recipes on Thursday! 

Although we posted earlier about our cookie, now that the swap is over, we wanted to share more about our experience.  The cookie we sent was the Ginger & White cookie which is delicious and so pretty. We had so much fun baking, packaging them, and sending them to:

Raenell of Raevyn's Nest

Aaron of The Hungry Hutch

and Liz of A Legacy of Recipes

We received cookies from different people than we sent them to. The cookies we have received so far are wonderful, and we wish we would've gotten to repay the favor! We will just have to sign up again next year! We have already received two packages with different and yummy cookies and look forward to getting a third soon!

The first one received was from Laura at Sprint 2 the Table.  Her Salted Chocolate Cashew cookies were just like we like them, with enough salt to taste and great textures throughout.  The cookie was soft and chewy and the toffee and cashews added a little crunch and a lot of yum.  Her blog is great too.  She writes about food and fitness. Her adventures in life, travel, and sport remind me of the person I wanted to be BEFORE my boys- ummm . . .  underground supper clubs, adventure racing and Roller Derby!  Maybe there's still hope for me- I think I'm pretty tough:) She also posts some workouts and inspiration about starting to exercise so go check it out!

Our second package came from Elizabeth from Big Body. Her Rosemary Shortbread cookies with candied Walnuts were wonderful!  When I opened the package, they smelled like Christmas! They are what I would call a 'shower cookie', or one that mainly women would appreciate.  For example, my DH suggested making some kind of cookie with Reese's PB cups in them and while I'm all for some good down-home cookies, a swap is generally for something extra special, right?? Anyways, this cookie would be a huge hit at a bridal or baby shower where the ladies would really appreciate the flavors and detail that went into the cookie.  The cookie was crunchy, buttery and aromatic, while the candied pecans added the perfect sweet/salty touch to balance it out.  They were beautiful too.  Sorry I didn't take a picture but Laura has a good one.

The TGFBCS was a lot of fun and really inspired us to get going on this blog.  We can't wait to do it again next year!

Ginger & White Cookies

Print recipe

¾ cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1 egg

4 tablespoons  molasses

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Sugar for coating

1 package white almond bark

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar together then add egg and molasses and mix well. In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (flour through cinnamon).  Combine all ingredients in the large bowl and mix to combine. Shape a tablespoon of dough into a ball. Roll in sugar. Bake for 12 minutes. Allow cookies to cool.

Melt almond bark according to package instructions.  Dip cookies half-way into the melted bark, then place on parchment or wax paper and allow to harden.  

  

Makes about 36 cookies.

Now, for the giveaway!  

We are making more cookies and would love to send some to you! I like chocomint AND ginger cookies but you can't ship them together unless you want minty ginger cookies.  

To enter-

Follow us and/or subscribe and then comment below whether you prefer a choco-mint or a ginger cookie by Friday 11:59 pm.  We will choose one from each type and send you a sweet gift:)

Good Luck!

Kim & Lauren