Ky. Bourbon Ball and "Snickers" cookie bar recipes for your cookie exchange

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- It's the most wonderful time of the year for bakers. The weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas is prime time for cookie exchanges, when friends gather to trade cookies they've made to give variety to their sweet tooth. Cloverfields Farm & Kitchen's Janine Washle is sharing her "Snickers Bar Cookie" recipe with her coveted bourbon ball recipe.

Cakes and cookies have been part of festive occasions long before Christmas as we know it. Bakers of the Middle Ages prepared sweet baked items to symbolically mark special events like religious rituals. Recipes and spices like cinnamon, almonds, and a variety of dried fruits were introduced in Europe and quickly were made a part of European baked specialties. In fact, many of the Christmas cookies we have today can trace their ancestry back to these medieval recipes. For example, German lebkuchen, a type of gingerbread, was the first cookie associated with Christmas. Sugar cookies descended from English baking traditions. And,the children's staple, animal crackers, were originally made to be Christmas ornaments!

Christmas cookies became all the rage during the 1500's. Cookie cutters, spritz makers, rolling pins, and other cookie related items made it easy for families to join in the fun of making cookies. Cookbooks were written especially for cookie making. One of the most famous is the Betty Crocker's Cooky Book from 1963. It is easy to find reprints of this wonderful vintage cookie book. And no, it isn't a misprint, cookie used to be spelled cooky! So with all the attention on these bite size treats, it is easy to see how the cookie exchange evolved from there.

The most famous cookie swap is the Wellesley Cookie Exchange. This group of women up north have been exchanging cookies since 1971. This exchange even inspired a cookie baking book, 'The Wellesley Cookie Exchange Cookbook'. While our cookie exchanges between family and friends may not inspire a cookbook, it certainly can encourage us to bake our best treats for the occasion.

Setting up a cookie exchange is as simple or complicated as you want it to be. At it's most basic, every one brings a tray of cookies. The number of cookies is a pre-determined minimum of at least a dozen in most cases. If a person brings a dozen, she can take away a dozen. Sometimes there is a cookie contest to determine the prettiest cookies, tastiest cookies, crowd favorite, really whatever you want to judge upon. Sometimes, the container or tray can be gussied up and a prize given for the prettiest display. You can have a drinks pairing for the cookies. A cookie tasting beforehand is another nice twist. As you can see, a cookie swap can be as imaginative as you are.

Kentucky Bourbon Balls

Makes: 3 dozen or more

NOTE: This looks like a long recipe only because I have given detailed step by step instructions.

Ingredients:

1 stick (1/2 cup) good quality unsalted butter, room temperature

1 pound powdered sugar, sifted

2-3 TB Kentucky bourbon

chocolate dipping ganache, recipe below

Preparation:

In the bowl of your mixer, cream the butter and confectioners' sugar minus a 1/2 cup of sugar until smooth. Add the bourbon; mix again to incorporate.

Now, test the mixture. Press into the mixture with a finger. If any mixture clings to your finger, add more confectioners sugar a little at a time. Press again. It should feel soft like warm play dough, but not stick to your finger. Once it feels like that, it is the right consistency. If the mixture feels hard, unyielding, grainy to the touch, it is too dry. Add a little more butter to help smooth it out and get to the correct consistency. Resist the urge to add more bourbon. You need to smooth it out and soften it which the fat in the butter will help with.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop the mixture with a small cookie scoop, a melon ball tool, or a plain old teaspoon. Once you have filled the baking sheet with scoops of mixture, go back and roll into balls spacing about 1/2” apart. Refrigerate until bourbon balls are hards to the touch, about 45 minutes to an hour.

While mixture is cooling, prepare the dipping ganache following the recipe below.

To dip bourbon balls: Using a cocktail pick, insert in the center of a chilled bourbon ball, dip down into warm ganache making a slight swirling motion when removing. Run the bottom of the ball over a spatula or the rim of the bowl to remove excess ganache. Give it a second over the bowl to drip then run the bottom of the ball over the end of a spatula, or the rim of the bowl to remove excess ganache. Transfer ball to prepared baking sheet. Use a second cocktail pick to help remove the first pick. Top the little dimple with a pecan halve, or a sprinkle of chopped pecans.

Once all balls have been dipped, place tray in refrigerator to set up, may take 2 to 6 hours depending on how cold your refrigerator is. Once firm, transfer each ball into a small paper liner. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator. Serve at room temperature though.

NOTE: If balls start dropping off cocktail pick, they have become too warm. Re-chill and start again.

Chocolate Dipping Ganache

Ingredients:

3/4 cup good quality heavy cream, or whipping cream (Be careful! Read the back of the carton. I have discovered after several ruined recipes some companies are adding water and/or skim milk to heavy cream which seizes and ruins the chocolate. Ingredient should be heavy cream nothing else)

1/2 pound dark chocolate chips

1/2 pound milk or semi sweet chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla or bourbon

Garnish: pecan halves, finely chopped pecans

Preparation:

Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it starts to boil. Pour the cream into the bowl with chocolate. With a wire whisk, slowly stir the cream and chocolates together until the chocolate is completely melted. Whisk in vanilla. The mixture should be the consistency of warm pudding.

NOTE: Ganache is the french word for chocolate and cream mixed together.

It is always best to make more dipping mixture than needed. That way you have enough to completely dip into without fear of touching the bottom of the bowl and ruining the shape of the bourbon ball.

If you have any ganache left over, let it cool and firm up. You can then roll it into balls and make a basic chocolate truffle.

Old Fashioned Dipping Mixture:

Ingredients:

2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

2 TB shortening

Preparation:

Melt together chips and shortening in a double boiler. Dip bourbon balls into warm mixture. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Allow to set before transferring to paper liners. Discard any left over mixture.

Snickers Bar Cookies

Makes: One 9" x 13" baking pan; makes about 30+ rectangular bars

Cookie Bottom:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Nougat Layer:

4 TB unsalted butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup evaporated milk

1-1/2 cups marshmallow creme

1 tsp vanilla

Caramel Layer:

2 cups granulated sugar

8 TB (1 stick) unsalted butter

1/3 cup heavy cream or whole milk

2 cups shelled peanuts, roughly chopped

Chocolate Layer:

1-1/2 cups milk chocolate or semi sweet chocolate chips

2/3 cup heavy cream

Preparation:

Cookie Bottom: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the entire pan with a large piece of foil. Lightly spray with a non stick baking spray. Beat together butter, extract, and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to bowl, and mix until combined. Press mixture into the bottom of prepared pan. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until a pale golden brown. Remove from oven.

Nougat: While cookie bottom is baking prepare the nougat: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar, and evaporated milk, and moisten; bring to a boil. Turn heat to low; col 5 minutes stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Remove pan from heat. Stir in marshmallow creme, peanut butter, and vanilla. Pour over baked cookie bottom. Refrigerate while preparing the caramel layer.

Caramel: Pour sugar into a skillet set over medium high heat. Cook until a deep golden brown. Stir in butter and heavy cream. It will bubble up. Stir until smooth. Stir in peanuts. Pour over nougat layer. Refrigerate while preparing the chocolate layer.

Chocolate Layer: Heat chips and cream together just until chips are melted and mixture is smooth. Cool 10-15 minutes before pouring over top of caramel. Allow to set at least 2 hours in the refrigerator before cutting. They cut more neatly if cool.

To cut: Make sure cookie is cool. I keep in refrigerator until ready to cut. Dip a long sharp knife into hot water, wipe blade, cut. Dip, and wipe between each cut. This technique ensures precise, clean cuts. If you don't care about smearing the layers, cut without dipping and wiping. Put each sliced bar onto a cupcake liner for ease of transport, and picking up to eat.

NOTE: If your room temperature is cool, keep at room temperature. If not, store in refrigerator.

These cookies were renamed by friends as BETTER THAN SNICKERS Bar Cookies.

FREE RECIPES BY EMAIL!

Cloverfields Farm and Kitchen also has a special Summer Fruit Recipe Booklet available by email. To ask for a complimentary copy, just email Janine Washle at cloverfields.farm.ky@gmail.com

Janine Washle's CloverFields Farm & Kitchen

Hardin Springs Area

Big Clifty, KY 42712

Connect with Janine and Cloverfields Farm & Kitchen on the website, Facebook, Youtube and Pinterest.

About Janine Washle:

CloverFields Farm & Kitchen is primarily an on-line destination. They are not open to drop-in visitors as it is a private residence.

"Authentically from Farm to Table"

CloverFields Kitchen researches and reinterpretes many traditional recipes using local produce, much from their own gardens, and adding a global perspective.

"Exploring Global Tastes through Local Foods"

Janine is working on her first cookbook, but she also has a long resume developing recipes for several companies. She has also won several contests and cook-offs with her original recipes.