The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap

Dozens and dozens (and dozens!) of cookies have been baked in the Rhubarb and Honey kitchen lately. Why so many cookies you ask? Well, it is cookie exchange season … and I’m happy to be able to finally share my first cookie exchange cookie recipe with you.

A few weeks ago, the Interwebs were buzzing about The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap, a cookie exchange being organized by Lindsay of Love and Olive Oil and Julie of The Little Kitchen.

The premise of this cookie exchange? Sign up to receive the addresses of three other food bloggers. Bake three dozen cookies and mail them out to your assigned food bloggers … then wait for three dozen cookies from other food bloggers to appear on your doorstep! It sounded like so much fun, I signed up immediately.

I decided to try out a new cookie recipe for The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap, and I’m so glad I did. Not to toot my own horn, but the Cranberry Orange Pecan Cookies I made were delish! Light, crispy, and bursting with orange and cranberry flavor, these cookies will be making an appearance on our Christmas dessert table this year.

Looks good, huh? Well, here’s the recipe!

Cranberry Orange Pecan Cookies

Adapted from Land O’ Lakes

Ingredients:

Orange Sugar:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest

Cookie:

• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 3 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest in a small bowl to make the orange sugar; stir until well mixed and set aside.

2. Combine 1 cup sugar, butter, and egg in a large bowl; beat at medium speed until creamy. Reduce speed to low, then add flour, baking powder, and baking soda and beat until well mixed. Add the remaining ingredients (cranberries, pecans, and 1 tablespoon orange zest). Continue beating just until mixed (do not overmix).

3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and then roll in orange sugar. Place cookie balls 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten cookie balls into 1 1/2-inch circles using the bottom of glass. If dough sticks to glass a bit, dip the bottom of the glass into the orange sugar then use to flatten the cookies.

4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool cookies on cookie sheet for 1 minute, then move to a cooling rack to complete cooling.

Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Once my cookies were thoroughly cooled, I packed them up as lovingly as I could and sent them off to my assigned food bloggers. So who did I send my cookies to? The recipients of my Cranberry Orange Pecan Cookies were:

Emily of A Gilt Nutmeg
Brooke of Baking with Basil
Jessica of My Kitchen Adventures

I really hope all three ladies liked these cookies as much as I did!

So, what delicious cookies did I receive from The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap?

Well, Nicki from Nick-Stirs made yummy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, Joanna from Go Ahead and Snicker made her wonderful Aunt Patti’s Almond Cookies, and Stephanie from Life Tastes Like Food made delicious and beautiful Gingersnap Cookies with Chai Icing and Candied Ginger. Thank you all so much for all of these fabulous cookies!

Interested in receiving notifications regarding next year’s Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap? Sign up here and join the fun!