‘Tis the Season to Host a Cookie Exchange

(BUSINESS WIRE)--The aroma of fresh-baked cookies brings back good memories. It reminds us of our childhood, measuring out flour, chocolate chips and Karo syrup as we baked with Grandma, or maybe of quality time spent with our own children.

“Cookie exchanges are a delicious way to share time-honored family recipes and sample an abundance of new treats”

Cookies will always be a timeless treat and a wonderful way to share memories across generations. They also make thoughtful gifts. If you haven’t considered hosting a cookie exchange, this holiday season is the perfect time to start.

“Cookie exchanges are a delicious way to share time-honored family recipes and sample an abundance of new treats,” says celebrity pastry chef Malika Ameen, owner of ByMDesserts.com, a made-to-order gourmet cookie website. “More importantly, you’ll have the chance to share the joy of the season while spending precious time with your friends and family.”

Bring one of the following treats to your next cookie exchange and you’re guaranteed to be everyone’s favorite baker! Developed exclusively for Karo by celebrity chef Malika Ameen, the cookies are traditional recipes with a modern twist. The fruit lover in your life will delight in the Oat Crisps with Cranberries and Orange while the Maple Walnut Sticky Bars with Clove Scented Shortbread are heaven for the person who can discern what is absolutely divine. Can’t live without chocolate? Chocolate Crinkles are delightful as an elegant post-dinner dessert, paired with your favorite dessert wine or after dinner drink.

Visit www.KaroCookieExchange.com to upload your own Cookie Exchange recipes and win great culinary prizes!

Lace Oat Crisps with Cranberries and Orange

These elegant cookies require only a few minutes to put together. They have the toasty and warm flavor of brown sugar and molasses and a brightness from orange and cranberries. They are a beautiful teatime dessert or just a quick and easy holiday treat to share with loved ones.

Yield: 2 Dozen

Bake Time: 12-13 min


Ingredients
10 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped or one teaspoon of vanilla extract

½ cup Karo® dark corn syrup
Zest of one orange
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
3 cups thick rolled oats
1 cup sliced almonds with skin
1 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium sized bowl, combine sugars, vanilla bean and orange zest. Gently rub together with fingers until sugar looks slightly coarse. Heat butter and corn syrup on medium heat for 1-2 minutes until butter is melted. Add sugar mixture and whisk until smooth. Add in nutmeg, oats, almonds and cranberries. Mix until well incorporated.

Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Place one tablespoon of oat mixture on baking tray, leaving 3-4 inches between each. Press each cookie gently with the palm of your hand to help it spread evenly when baking. Bake crisps for 12-13 minutes until golden brown and bubbly. Cool for 15 minutes and then remove from baking tray.

Serve or store in an airtight container up to 4 days.

Maple Walnut Sticky Bars with Clove Scented Shortbread

These shortbread bars have an irresistibly crisp cookie bottom with a subtle hint of sweet, aromatic clove. The topping is quick and requires no additional baking. The result is a buttery toffee nut topping with a deep maple flavor. These bars are the perfect accompaniment to a strong hot cup of coffee. Sweet, sticky, buttery and absolutely divine!

Yield: 2 dozen

Bake Time: 15 to 18 minutes


Ingredients

Shortbread
½ cup (4 oz.) butter, at room temperature
1 ¼ cup of all purpose flour
½ teaspoon of kosher salt
1 teaspoon of ground cloves
¼ light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 teaspoon pure maple syrup


Walnut topping
9 tablespoons butter
2 cups walnut halves
1 ½ teaspoons pure maple syrup
¼ cup plus 1 teaspoon maple sugar*
¼ heaping teaspoon of salt
3 tablespoons Karo® light corn syrup
¼ cup + 1 ½ tablespoons heavy cream or evaporated milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Line with parchment paper allowing a 2-inch overhang on two sides. Butter the lining (not overhang). Whisk together flour, salt, and ground cloves. Place ½ cup butter and ¼ cup brown sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Add flour mixture and 1 teaspoon maple syrup. Press dough evenly into bottom of prepared pan and chill 30 minutes or overnight.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until shortbread is a pale golden color and set in the middle.

For walnut topping, place butter and walnuts in a medium sized saucepan and cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly until nuts are fragrant. This will take 3-4 minutes and you will also see the butter become foamy. Add maple syrup, sugar, salt, corn syrup and cream. Boil, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 2 minutes. Spread over the shortbread crust and let completely cool. Lift shortbread out of dish using the parchment overhang. Cut into sixteen 2-inch squares. Store in an airtight container up to three days. Bars also freeze well for up to one month.

* Maple sugar is a specialty ingredient available at Whole Foods and specialty stores

Chocolate Crinkles

These are the ultimate decadent chocolate cookies. A cross between a cookie and a truffle, these crinkles are slightly crunchy on the outside and soft and gooey on the inside. These will be the most elegant cookies in your holiday repertoire and satisfy the most intense chocolate craving!

You can also take this cookie to the next level by adding sweet cardamom, which marries beautifully with chocolate.

Yield: 4 dozen

Bake Time: 8 minutes


Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cardamom (Optional)*
8 ounces unsweetened chocolate
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup light brown sugar, loosely packed
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
3 Tablespoons Canola oil
2 Tablespoons Karo® light corn syrup
1 large egg yolk
2 Large eggs
2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
2 teaspoons Instant espresso powder (two teaspoons of VIA by Starbucks can be substituted)
1 teaspoon of hot water
¼ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup confectioners sugar

Directions

In a medium bowl whisk together well the flour, baking powder, salt and optional ground cardamom, and set aside. Melt the chocolate in the microwave on low power for one minute. Stir and microwave in intervals of 15 seconds for 2-3 minutes or until chocolate is melted. Let chocolate cool.

Mix together hot water and espresso powder and stir to form a smooth paste.

In a mixer with a paddle attachment, beat together sugars, butter, oil, and corn syrup to blend. On low speed beat in eggs, egg yolk, vanilla and coffee paste. Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and continue to mix until thoroughly combined. Turn off mixer and add all of the melted chocolate. Mix on low until combined. Add all flour mixture at once and mix on low until combined. Chill dough overnight.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.

Remove rested dough from refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Scoop one tablespoon of dough and shape into a ball. Pour ¼ cup granulated sugar in a large shallow bowl and 1 cup confectioners sugar in another bowl. Roll dough in granulated sugar, and then in confectioner’s sugar. Place on prepared baking tray. Repeat with remaining dough.

Bake prepared cookies for 7-8 minutes at 325 degrees and remove from oven. Cookie centers will look wet and not set but this is what you are looking to see. Let cookies cool on the baking tray. If cookies are baked longer they will be firm in the center and much crisper. Store in an airtight container up to 3 days.

* Substitute cardamom with 2 teaspoons of cinnamon or a combination of allspice, ginger and nutmeg for “Spiced Chocolate Crinkles.”

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Clementines from Spain, Winter's Sweetest Citrus, Arrive in Atlanta

/PRNewswire/ -- Juicy. Easy to peel. Bursting with flavor. Clementines from Spain, winter's seasonal delight and popular fruit snack, have hit the grocery aisles of Atlanta, and local favorite Chef Hector Santiago is sharing the sweetness! Available during their peak season of December through February, these juicy gems play a starring role on the menu of one of Atlanta's most popular restaurants. To celebrate the Clementines from Spain season, Chef Santiago has developed signature dishes that serve up these tasty treats, adding a burst of citrus to his Spanish-influenced cuisine.

The world's best clementines originate in Spain. Known for their superior quality and their trademark sun-kissed sweet, juicy taste, Clementines from Spain are a delicious delight looked forward to and enjoyed by adults, children and chefs, each year. Spain is also the world's largest producer and exporter of this citrus fruit, exporting an average of 579 million tons to the United States each year.

Refreshingly sweet and easy to peel, Clementines from Spain make a great on-the-go snack during this busy time of year. They are nutrient-packed, offering a good source of vitamin C, folate, fiber and potassium and contain only about 50 calories each. Packaged in charming five-pound crates, they are also a welcome holiday gift for family and friends.

But they're for more than just snacking. Professional chefs and home cooks alike know that they can add a twist of citrus freshness and flavor to their holiday meals and menus by incorporating this season's star ingredient.

Local Atlanta Chef Hector Santiago, owner of Pura Vida, eagerly awaits this time of year when Clementines from Spain - one of his favorite seasonal ingredients - become available. Chef Santiago is an expert when it comes to understanding the freshest flavors and ingredients from Spain. Chef Santiago recently debuted new signature menu items at Pura Vida that capture the season's finest ingredient. "I look forward to this time of year when Clementines from Spain start arriving," says Santiago. "They are a very versatile ingredient, and their crisp citrus essence adds the perfect zesty lift. I use the juice, the zest or even the whole fruit in everything from salads and soups to main dishes and of course, desserts."

Chef Hector Santiago offers the following recipe ideas for home cooks looking to add a citrus note of flair and flavor to their dishes and holiday menus:

-- Clementines from Spain Chipotle Roasted Chicken - An easy recipe to do
at home, this entree plays on the sweet-spicy flavor combinations that
Chef Santiago loves to work with. The Clementines from Spain have the
perfect tenderness and sweet-tart balance that allows for the entire
fruit to be eaten in this dish.
-- Clementines from Spain-Pumpkin Seed Bread - This bread is based on a
classic orange bread but features Clementines from Spain and adds
pumpkin seeds. It is great as a breakfast or brunch bread or with
afternoon tea.



And, at a time when nutritional fresh produce is in demand and the number of people visiting food banks is on the rise, the Trade Commission of Spain is sharing the sweetness of the season and donating crates of Clementines from Spain to the Atlanta Community Food Bank.

For the full seasonal recipes featuring Clementines from Spain from Chef Santiago's kitchen at Pura Vida, visit www.clementinesfromspain.com. A new "Chef's Corner" section on the site features these recipes along with other Spanish-inspired culinary creations from notable chefs, along with tips and nutrition information.

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