Spontaneous Moment #50: Cookie Swap

It's that time of year again. My friend, Alex, was throwing a cookie swap party at her place and I was seriously lacking in time. Thankfully, I have a few tricks of my sleeve. In my back pocket, I keep two simple cookie recipes: crinkle cookies and bacon chocolate chip cookies. You're in luck! I'm in the mood to share my secrets. If you're going to be like me and make both, use the same bowl for both cookies. While the first set of cookies are baking, prepare the second set of cookies.

I started with the crinkle cookies:

CRINKLE COOKIES

Ingredients:

• 1 packet Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter
• 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.  Combine cake mix, eggs, butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in a bowl. Stir until their are no longer any chunks.

Mixing this all together is the hardest part of the recipe

Pour powdered sugar into a small bowl. Drop a tablespoon sized cookie dough into the powdered sugar. I like to use my hand to slowly roll the cookie around in the powdered sugar, but you can also use a spoon.

The bowl of powdered sugar ready for cookie dough

Roll your teaspoon sized cookie dough in the powdered sugar

Drop onto a greased cookie sheet. You can also use parchment paper or a baking silpat.

Bake for 12 minutes for chewy cookies. You'll notice a lot of the powdered sugar baked off in the oven. Let the cookies cool for two minutes and then sprinkle some more powdered sugar on top of the cookies. Transfer the cookies over to cooling racks. Once you let them cool completely, enjoy them with a big glass of milk.

If you're making both cookies... before the crinkle cookies are in the oven, start preparing the bacon chocolate chip cookies by making the bacon. Once you take out the bacon, pop the crinkle cookies in and prep the chocolate chip mix.

Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Mix
• 1/2 (1 stick) softened butter (leave out for 45-60 minutes for it to soften)
• 1 egg
• thick cut bacon
• 1/4 cup Brown Sugar

Directions:

Keep the oven at 350. Line the bacon on a parchment paper covered baking sheet.  Sprinkle brown sugar on top of each slice of bacon. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until crispy.

Line up the bacon.

Pat down the cooked bacon with paper towels. Crumble up the bacon into little bits.

Pour cookie mix into a bowl. Sprinkle in the bacon bits and mix together. Then add in the butter and egg. Mix until there are no chunks and soft dough forms.

Yes, no need to change the temperature of the oven. Keep it at 350. Drop teaspoon sized cookie dough onto the same cookie sheets you used for the other cookies. Bake 8-10 minutes or until the edges are light golden brown. Let them stand for one minute before removing and placing onto the cooling rack.

I promise these cookies won't disappoint. They were the first ones gone at the party. I'm sure I'll make them again for work.