We have no shortage of dogs around here, so this recipe couldbe a handy one to keep around :o) It was shared by Diane, over at Frugal Maven's Daily Rave at HSB. Enjoy -- and go visit Frugal Maven and say hello!

DOG BISCUITS

2 1/2 CUPS WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR (CAN USE ALL PURPOSE JUST ADD 2 TBS EXTRA)

1 TSP SALT

1/2 CUP DRY MILK

6 TBS OIL

1/2 CUP WATER

1 EGG

1 TSP SUGAR

1/3 TSP GARLIC POWDER

1/2 CUP PEANUT BUTTER

MIX ALL INGREDIENTS TOGETHER. ROLL OUT AND JUST CUT INTO BITE SIZE PIECES, OR YOU CAN USE COOKIE CUTTERS. BAKE ON A GREASED COOKIE SHEET @ 325, TURNING, STIRRING UNTIL HARD. TURN OVEN OFF, BUT LEAVE THE TREATS IN THE OVEN AS THEY COOL. ONCE COOL, YOU CAN STORE OR GIVE AS GIFTS.

Final VCE: M&M Cookies

The Homespun Heart blog

Ok, with this yummy M&M Cookie sharing, we have 20 recipes shared for the Virtual Cookie Exchange for December.

Not that several of the great bloggers and websites I shared don't have a LOT more cookies, bars, and treats shared...you will only go without cookies this holiday if you want to. There is definitely NO LACK of recipes shared around :o)

I had a lot of fun finding and sharing new friends and blogs, fun recipes and craft ideas. I am always watching for great new recipes for our menu here, so maybe we'll do this again...with other dishes :o) Maybe we should have a Crockpot Exchange...a Ground Beef Exchange...who knows?

Enjoy the recipe and get over to The Homespun Heart and do some visiting!

:::Here is the recipe for the cookies I was making the other day, courtesy of Amy! It seems there is a group of people who like their M&M's mixed in and a group who like their M&M's on top - do it whichever way you like!

1 c. butter, softened
1 c. shortening
2 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 c. sugar
4 eggs
4 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. baking soda
4 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. salt

Cream together butter, shortening and sugars. Beat in vanilla and eggs. Stir in remaining dry ingredients. If you are mixing in the M&M's, go ahead and pour in a whole bag now.
Drop on ungreased cookie sheet, if you are doing M&M's on top - do it now!

Bake at 375 for 9 minutes. Makes 7-8 dozen. Enjoy!

Catching up on The Virtual Cookie Exchange...all 19 recipes linked!

Ok...just to get caught up without my getting cramped fingers trying to move all those recipes around, here is a full listing of all 19 Virtual Cookie Exchange sharings I've posted here, the family blog, the HSB blog and so forth....

The Start of The Virtual Cookie Exchange...with recipes linked
VCE: Chocolate Truffles
VCE: Amish Sugar Cut-Outs
VCE: Peanut Butter Bon Bons
VCE: Chocolate Chip Shortbread
Gingerbread and More!
Special 4-in-1 Cookies
Oatmeal Gingerbread Cookies
Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies
Easy Fudge...and a Craft
An Alternate Fudge from Carnation with variations
Peanut Butter Kisses
Another Great and Easy Fudge
Chocolate Toffee Cookies
Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
Brownie Bites & Shortbreads
Chocolate Roll Outs>br/> Sourdough Fruit Cake
Quick & Easy Cheese Danish

VCE: Chocolate Toffee Cookies

Chocolate Toffee Cookies...yum!

• 1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

Cookie Layer:

• ½ cup unsalted butter
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• ⅛ teaspoon salt

Toffee:

• ½ cup unsalted butter
• ½ cup brown sugar

Chocolate:

• ½ cup chocolate chips

Cooking Instructions

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Toast pecan pieces on jelly roll pan 12 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant.

In large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium until smooth. Add sugar. Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg yolk until combined.

Add flour and salt. Beat until combined, scraping down side of bowl occasionally.

Between two sheets of waxed paper or plastic wrap with a rolling pin roll the dough to a 12-inch-by-9-inch rectangle. Transfer dough to a cookie sheet

Bake 20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove cookie sheet to cooling rack and let cool completely.

In a medium pot bring brown sugar and butter to a boil. Boil, stirring occasionally 5 minutes. Immediately spread over cooled cookie.

Sprinkle chocolate chips over toffee. Put back in oven 5 minutes or until chocolate is melted. Spread melted chocolate chips over the toffee and immediately sprinkle nuts.

Put in freezer for at least 30 minutes. Break candy into desired size pieces.

Substitution(s)

• Any toasted nut can be sprinkled on top of the chocolate layer.

Storage Tips

It can be stored, well wrapped, in the freezer for 6 months.

Preparation Time:

20 minutes

Cooking Time:

5 mintues

Ready In:

1 hour 20 minutes

Chilling Time: At least 30 mintues
Baking Time: 25 minutes

The Homeschool Song

Ok...I saw this on a blog, Organized Everyday...I had to post this. It's just too funny. Too close to real life for the large families I know. It's just cute.

I'm weird.

You already knew that, so don't go making bones about it at this stage.

VCE: Peanut Butter Kisses

Peanut Butter Kisses, with chocolate stars or Hershey Kisses:

• ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ⅓ cup peanut butter
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1½ cups flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup sugar
• 24 Hershey’s® Kisses

Cooking Instructions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. In large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium until smooth. Add peanut butter. Beat until combined. Add brown sugar. Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg yolk until combined. Add vanilla. Beat until combined.
2. Add flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined.
3. Using 1 level tablespoon dough for each cookie, form each into a ball. Toss in sugar to coat. Transfer to cookie sheet and flatten slightly. Continue with remaining dough. Make an indent in the center of each cookie with the base of a kiss.
4. Bake 13 minutes, or until lightly browned.
5. Remove from oven and place a kiss on each one. Cool on cookie sheet 5 minutes. Remove to cooling rack to cool completely.

Substitution(s)

Dark brown sugar can be used in place of light brown sugar.

Make-Ahead

Cookies can be made through step 2 and stored in the refrigerator up to one week or in the freezer up to 6 months.

Tips & Tricks

For a more festive look, use sanding sugar (the large sugar crystals) to coat each cookie instead of granulated sugar.

Preparation Time:

30 minutes

Servings:

About 18 cookies

Baking Time: 13 minutes per batch

VCE: Easy Fudge...and a cute craft

VCE: Easy Fudge

A great recipe and a fun craft, from The North Pole...

Fantasic Fudge

You will need:

• 3 cups chocolate chips
• 1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

• 1) Grease an 8 by 8 inch pan.
• 2) Combine chocolate chips, milk, and butter in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium- low heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate chips are melted. Remove pan from heat. To microwave, place chocolate chips, milk, and butter in a microwave safe dish. Microwave on high for 2 minutes and stir. If chocolate is not completely melted, microwave on high for 20 seconds more and stir. Repeat until chips are melted.
• 3) Stir in vanilla and walnuts.
• 4) Pour chocolate mixture into pan and smooth with a spoon.
• 5) Refrigerate for about 1 hour or until set. Cut into small squares.

Makes 49 to 64 pieces.

And a fun craft -- origami ornaments ;o)

Origami Ornaments

Ornaments inspired by Origami, the traditional Japanese paper-folding craft, are colorful, inexpensive, and easy to make. You only need a few materials - a box of slightly shiny, lightweight origami paper, string, white glue, and scraps of colored tag board or paper.

To make the Santa, we used an 8 inch square of paper and folded it as shown in the drawing below. Complete the Santa by adding a beard, trim, and hanger. You can secure the arms with glue, if necessary.

For the tree, use a 5 inch square and fold as for the Santa; stop when you have the triangle in the fourth step. Take two horizontal tucks to give a tiered effect. Glue on a tag board star, a hanger, and tiny ornaments made of contrasting origami paper.

To make the reindeer, start with a 6 inch square of paper and follow the folding instructions. Cut antlers from tag board and glue on.

Make the bell by folding a 7 inch square according to the drawing. Finish the bell by separating the points at the top and fold them down each side of the bell; secure with glue. Invert the figure and glue a clapper into the opening and a handle on top.

Fig 1

Cheerful origami ornaments are cleverly folded, then decorated with your individual touches.

VCE: Oatmeal Gingerbread Cookies

A great fun recipe from the About.com Homeschooling pages!

Oatmeal Gingerbread Cookies

Ingredients
• 1 cup (2 sticks) margarine or butter, softened
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1 egg
• 3-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 cups Quaker® Oats (Quick or Old Fashioned, uncooked)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
• Ready-to-spread frosting
• Assorted candies

Preparation

Beat margarine and sugar until creamy. Add molasses and egg; beat well. Add combined flour, oats, spices, baking soda and salt; mix well. Cover; chill about 2 hours.

Heat oven to 350°F. On floured surface, roll dough out about 1/4 inch thick for a chewy cookie or 1/8 inch thick for a crisp cookie. Cut with 5-inch gingerbread man or woman cookie cutter. Transfer to ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely.

Frost and decorate cookies with candies. Store loosely covered at room temperature.

VCE: Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies

These are from MennoniteGirlsCanCook blog (http://mennonitegirlscancook.blogspot.com)

There are many delicious recipes shared over ther -- go visit!

These cookies are soft and chewy with a hint of lemon and a bit of crunch from the coarse sugar which they are rolled in. I also like the 'crackly effect' on top. They are a nice addition on a cookie plate at Christmas or you can bag them up for gift giving.

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice or lemon extract
finely grated peel of 1 lemon
2 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
coarse or regular sugar for rolling cookies

1) Beat butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy
2) Add egg, vanilla, lemon juice and grated lemon peel and mix well
3) Stir together dry ingredients in a small bowl and add gradually to the creamed mixture until well blended
4) Form rounded tsp of dough into balls and roll in coarse or regular sugar...I used coarse..it looks more sparkly
5) Bake in a preheated oven at 350º for 8 to 10 min, just until lightly browned on the bottom..that is if you want them soft and chewy.

I baked some a bit longer until they were lightly browned on top but then it resulted in a crispier cookie..still good but I wanted chewy!

6) Once out of the oven allow them to cool slightly on the pan before removing them to a cooling rack.
Yields: 3 to 4 doz depending on size