Let the cookie posts begin

By all means, start your mixers: it's time to make Christmas cookies. The past few years I've spread out my cookie-making, starting well before Christmas and freezing cookies as I make them. This takes off a lot of stress come mid-December, when you've agreed to bring something to numerous holiday gatherings and have no time to make anything. You can also make plates with a variety of cookies, instead of just one or two kinds. To start, here's a recipe for a bar cookie that I made up in order to use leftover Solo filling. It's probably one of the least healthy things I've ever made. But hey, it's a cookie. A very easy, very sweet cookie:

Raspberry-almond white chocolate-chip bars

1 sugar cookie mix
1 package (about 1 cup) graham crackers, crushed
1 egg
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/3 cup Solo raspberry pastry filling
1/3 cup Solo almond pastry filling
about 1/2 bag white chocolate chips
crushed pretzel sticks

Combine cookie mix with butter, egg and crushed graham crackers. Spread into bottom of 9X13 glass dish and bake for about 12 minutes at 375 degrees. Remove from oven and spread both pastry filling flavors (or double of one flavor) over the cookie. Bake for another 5 minutes. Remove from oven again and cover with chocolate chips and crushed pretzels (use a fork to press down the pretzels a bit to make them stick to the cookie). Bake for a final 15 minutes. Let cool before cutting into bars.


(Recipe by H. Farrell)