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Cookies Galore: Chicago Recipe Exchanges are Heating Up

By Caitlin Klein in Food on Dec 7, 2010 5:00PM

Do you have a favorite holiday cookie? ‘Tis the season for holiday cookie exchanges, where friends get together to swap recipes in preparation for the year’s busiest baking season. Participants take away their favorite cookie recipes to add to their repertoires at home. We set out to find the best homemade cookies in Chicago.

We recently visited the cookie exchange of the Chicago Cooking Chicks, a club for people who share a love of cooking and chic city entertaining. Largely attended by women in their 20s and 30s, the exchange brought together about 35 different cookie recipes for the ladies to sample and discuss. Amidst tasting cookies, drinking booze milk, and enjoying the general merriment, we wondered what kinds of cookies or holiday desserts you are treasuring at home.

So what’s cookin’, good lookin’? What are your holiday favorites? For 2010, here’s ours:

Chicagoist’s Coconut-Chocolate Holiday Cookies
Makes about 3 dozen cookies

1 ¼ cup oatmeal
2 cups flour
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons cocoa
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup chocolate chips
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup oil
2 eggs
½ cup cold coffee
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 375. Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in oil, eggs, coffee, and vanilla, and stir until the consistency of the batter is sticky. If the mixture becomes too wet, add more flour tablespoon by tablespoon.

Drop spoonfuls of batter onto greased cookie sheets and bake 12-15 minutes, or until the tops of cookies are golden brown.

Tell us what you're making for this holiday season!