WELCOME TO BOOKIN' WITH BINGO'S "BRUNCH WITH BINGO DAY" I AM EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THIS SUNDAY'S "BRUNCH WITH BINGO DAY" FOOD BOOK CHOICE IS.....GIVEAWAY ENDED VERY MERRY COOKIE PARTYHow To Plan and Host A Christmas Cookie ExchangeBY BARBARA GRUNESAND VIRGINIA VAN VYNCKTPHOTOGRAPHS BY FRANCE RUFFENACH 
ABOUT THE COOKBOOK:
Today's busy bakers want to make a gorgeous variety of delicious Christmas cookies without spending days upon flour-smudged days mixing, rolling, and baking. Cookies shine at holiday time, and there's nothing more festive than a communal cookie party. This is your guide to the Christmas cookie exchange, where everyone shows up with a few batches of homemade cookies to swap. It's all the variety without the fuss! Recipes covering the classics (brownies, spice cookies, nut balls, slice-and-bake and more) along with cookie ornaments, recipes designed for stamps, molds, cutters and presses are included. Tips on everything you need to know for a successful exchange – from invitations to presentation and packaging. Red-and-white striped edges make this adorable book look like a Christmas present, with 120 recipes to choose from, plus tips for decorating, planning, and throwing the party.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS and PHOTOGRAPHER:
Barbara Grunes has written more than 45 cookbooks, including The Best Bake Sale Ever Cookbook. She lives in the Chicago area.
Virginia Van Vynckt is a writer, editor, and Web designer. She lives in the Chicago area.
France Ruffenach is a San Francisco-based photographer.
RECIPES:
STAINED-GLASS ORNAMENT COOKIES
Yield: Makes 30 cookies
Use fruit-flavored Life Savers, sour balls, or similar hard candies for the "stained glass." It is fun to make your own design for the ornaments. For example, if you want to make a holly leaf or a dove, draw the shape on a piece of cardboard—about 3 inches in diameter is a good size—and cut it out. Edge the gingerbread strips around the design on the cookie sheet. Continue until all the gingerbread has been used.
To crush the candies, use a food processor or place the candies between 2 pieces of waxed paper and crush with a rolling pin.
INGREDIENTS: - 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
- 3/4 cup unsulfured molasses
- 1/3 cup water
- 6 ounces translucent hard candies in colors of choice, crushed
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy. Add the sugar and molasses and beat for 2 minutes. Beat in the water. On low speed, beat in the flour mixture until a soft dough forms.
3. Gather the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with aluminum foil.
5. Divide the dough into thirds. Divide each third into 10 equal pieces. Using your palms, roll each piece on a lightly floured work surface into a rope 1/4 to 1/2 inch in diameter. Gently trace the design of your choice onto the prepared cookie sheets (a wooden spoon handle or chopstick works well for tracing on foil). Outline each design with a rope of dough, pressing the ends together to seal securely.
6. Sprinkle the inside of each design with the crushed candies, dividing the candies evenly among the outlined designs and creating an even layer.
7. Bake in the center of the oven or until the edges of the cookies are golden and the candy has melted, 6 to 9 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheets on wire racks until the candy hardens, about 5 minutes. Gently peel the foil away from the cookies and transfer to the racks to cool completely.
Cookie Exchange Tip: To make this cookie into a tree ornament, attach a loop made from the dough to the top of each cookie before baking. After the cookie is baked, thread a piece of ribbon through the loop and tie the ribbon in a bow. To make these ornaments at a party, prepare the cardboard patterns in advance.
TOFFEE SQUARES
Yield: Makes 48 squares
To heighten the toffee flavor, substitute toffee baking bits for half of the chopped almonds.
INGREDIENTS:
Crust - 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
Topping - 7 to 8 ounces milk chocolate, broken into pieces, or 1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped almonds, toasted
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment.
2. Prepare the crust. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg yolk, vanilla, and salt. On low speed, gradually beat in the flour just until mixed. The dough will be stiff. Pat the dough evenly over the bottom of the baking pan.
3. Bake in the center of the oven until pale gold on top, about 20 minutes.
4. Remove the pan from the oven and scatter the chocolate pieces evenly over the crust. Return the pan to the oven for 1 minute. Remove the pan again and, using a knife, spread the chocolate evenly over the crust. Sprinkle evenly with the almonds.
5. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Using a sharp knife, cut into small squares, then carefully remove from the pan with a small offset spatula or an icing spatula.
Cookie Exchange Tip: This is another of those always-popular cookie-exchange selections: Toffee-laced squares appeal to just about everyone. Dress them up a little by weaving lengths of gold metallic ribbon through the stacked cookies.
GIVEAWAY
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COOKIE RECIPE COOKBOOK!
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GIVEAWAY ENDS AT
6 PM, EST, DECEMBER 4!
GOOD LUCK!
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