Gordon’s Award Winning Christmas Cookies

Gordon’s Award Winning Christmas Cookie

Merry Christmas and Welcome!

Here is my prize, just for making a great cookie! Not a bad deal getting an XBOX ONE. 🙂

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The Winning Cookie!

My office had a Christmas cookie contest and at first, I didn’t want to participate, but a co-worker convinced me to join. I thought then, I would have to make my favorite cookie… Oatmeal, but would need to make it my own, so I got to thinking…… What goes well with oatmeal? … Apples, I thought is a good choice. Then I thought maybe I could put some apple slices in it. With a little more thought I decided on a thumbprint cookie and maybe I could make some apple pie filling. Thinking more, I felt that would be too much work. Then I remembered Apple Butter which I love. Then I thought it needed more… what to do? I thought what goes well with apples? … caramel! Caramel apples are always a big hit. Then I thought caramel would be too chewy and I remembered we use caramel and marshmallows in our rice crispy treats to give them a nice gooey texture. I then thought, it still needs something to take it over the top… what goes well with oatmeal, apple butter, caramel and marshmallows? … then it came to me… Applewood Smoked Bacon… DONE! Basically, you all just learned how I think up recipes. Try it, but give yourself time to come up with the ideas… these things take time. I was one of 26 entries in the contest and was the first one tasted by 5 judges! I thought a very difficult spot to be in. When announced that I had won, I was very flattered. I also found out that all 5 judges had my cookie as their first choice… even more flattering!

So, if you want to try and award-winning cookie, follow the directions below…

maybe you will win a contest as well. 🙂

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I doubled the recipe, which is why you see so many eggs!

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 cup packed Splenda brown sugar (or any brown sugar brand you prefer.)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

3 cups quick cooking oats

Toppings:

1 pkg (Thick Cut) Applewood Smoked Bacon

1 jar of Apple Butter, you won’t need the whole jar.

1-2 Tbsp Butter

12 Caramels

4 Cups Mini Marshmallows

Green Sugar

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Nice Thick Cut Applewood Smoked Bacon

In a large pan, cook your bacon.

Place it on a plate with paper towels to soak up the excess fat.

(Gordon was up past midnight making these cookies. I did the photography up until I just couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore, so I went to bed and left him the camera. You can see the point where I left in the photos below.) Julie 🙂

In a medium bowl, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar.

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Beat in eggs one at a time, then in goes the vanilla and mix a touch more.

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Gordon measuring, concentrating, creating, cooking…..

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Vintage Mixer, oh the many recipes this mixer has seen……

Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon with a whisk together in a separate bowl as shown…..

Whisking the Dry Ingredients Together

Add the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture a little at a time, continuously mixing as you go.

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The Batter is Becoming Delicious

Mix in Oats

(A few of the oats may have attached themselves to the beaters but he did not beat the oats into the mixture.

He stirred them together.) Julie

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Adding the Mixture to a Bowl to Chill

Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour in the refrigerator. If you aren’t doubling the recipe, then you can chill the cookie dough in the mixing bowl. I needed it back to make another batch.

Preheat the oven to 375 ‘F. and grease the cookie sheet.

Out of the Fridge and Ready to Bake

Roll the dough into walnut sized balls, and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets.

Flatten each cookie with a spoon and then place your thumb in the center creating a small impression in the cookie.

Spoon out some Apple Butter into each cookie.

Break apart your bacon and place about 5-6 small pieces just into the apple butter thumbprints.

Like so…….

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Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in preheated oven.

Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

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CARAMELS

While the cookies are cooking, melt your butter in a medium sized non-stick pot on a low to medium heat, and add your caramels to melt. Stirring constantly. Also add in your marshmallows so that you then have a very gooey mixture.

(We use this same mixture in our Rice Krispy Treats.)

Stir to combine with a spatula that has been sprayed with cooking oil so the sticky caramel/marshmallow mixture won’t stick as bad.

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The cookies are done cooking and they look great!

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My favorite, Julie, is the green sugar accent.

Move the cookies together. Sorry not shown, but now using your rubber spatula, remove a nice portion of your caramel marshmallow mixture from the pot and as it drips down, move it back and forth over the cookies, drizzling it. This will need to be done while the mixture is hot and the mixture is good and stringy. You will likely have to do this procedure a few times to get the desired look. Lastly, sprinkle the cookies with some green sugar and you are done!

ENJOY!