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Swapping cookies and more

By Catherine Toth Fox • December 12, 2011 • Food

A few weeks ago I got invited to be part of a cookie swap.

This is where you bring a few dozen cookies to a party and “swap” them with the others who show up with cookies, too. You share your recipe, you get a few new ones, it’s a win-win all the way around.

But this cookie swap was different.

There was no real “party.” And the “swap” part wouldn’t be done in person.

This was a virtual swap — called The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap — hosted by bloggers (and my Instagram and Twitter pals) Lindsay of Love and Olive Oil and Julie of The Little Kitchen.

Here’s how it worked: we were e-mailed the names of three other food bloggers to whom we would mail a dozen cookies. I sent my cookies — kakimochi chocolate chip sweetheart cookies — to three food bloggers: Katherine Crepeau (@katherine_june), Heather Eure (@hleure), and Monica Rodriguez (@iarethefoodsnob).

Apparently, mine were among the 22,000 cookies that were mailed around the world as part of this swap.

That’s a lot of cookies.

And as part of this “swap,” we’re sharing our recipes with you, too. (No, I’m not mailing out any more cookies!)

So here’s what I baked and shipped. Hope you enjoy them, too.

If you’re interested in participating next year, sign up here.

Kakimochi chocolate chip sweetheart cookies

Ingredients:

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup crushed kakimochi (arare, mochi crunch or Japanese rice crackers)
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Enough heart-shaped kakimochi to decorate each cookie

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-1/2-by-13-inch pan with parchment paper or lightly spray with cooking spray (such as Pam).

Pour about 4 ounces of kakimochi — or half an 8-ounce bag — into a plastic, sealable freezer bag. Using a rolling pin — or, like me, your hands and some brawn — crush the rice crackers into small pieces. Do NOT pulverize in a blender or food processor. Set aside.

In a bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar. Add the egg and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda. Combine this mixture with the wet ingredients. Then add the crushed kakimochi and about 6 ounces (or half a 12-ounce bag) of mini chocolate chips. Don’t overmix the batter. (If you do, the gluten would overdevelop and result in a denser cookie with an unpleasant texture.)

Spoon a small ball onto the prepped cookie sheets and press them down slightly. Place the heart-shaped kakimochi (or any shape, really) onto the middle of each flattened ball.

Bake about 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack, then store in refrigerator.

Ingredients

Ingredients
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This recipe called for ingredients I already had — except for the heart-shaped kakimochi.

***

#TodaysGift

Dog Kimono from Inu Inu Hawaii

Dog Kimono from Inu Inu Hawaii
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Days left: 3

Dog kimono or yukata from Inu Inu Hawaii (www.inuinuhawaii.com)

Price: $30 online or at pet boutiques such as Calvin & Susie in Kilohana Square

The gist: Bored of the usual dog outfits? Or your pooch is quite the fashion diva? Get a kimono (or yukata) from Honolulu-based Inu Inu Hawaii, which specializes in unique Asian-inspired apparel for dogs. They come in all sizes — in fact, you can custom order ones for larger breeds — and patterns. Imagine your Rottweiler in one of these!

Best for: Dog owners, of course!

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About the Author

Catherine Toth Fox

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8 Comments

  • Reply oldshoes December 12, 2011 at 2:04 am

    dont they call that “potluck”? or a variation of “dutch treat”…yum!

  • Reply Packages in the mail « Red Rover December 12, 2011 at 3:51 am

    […] The cookies themselves also surprised me. You’ll have to visit Catherine Toth’s site to learn all about them, but just let me say that they were made with a super secret Hawaiian ingredient that makes for a unique cookie-munching experience. […]

  • Reply WildeOscar December 12, 2011 at 9:29 am

    The mathematics and technology behind a cookie swap like this, or fantasy football for that matter, boggle the mind. Just as far as assigning-out the e-mail addresses, I keep thinking of algorithms, when I should just be thinking of the smell of freshly-baked cookies. Ah, the Holidays…

  • Reply RobynTee December 12, 2011 at 10:50 am

    Have you received your cookies yet?

    • Reply Catherine Toth December 12, 2011 at 11:58 am

      From you? Or from the other bloggers? I received two packages.

  • Reply Monique December 12, 2011 at 4:01 pm

    I am enjoying one as I read this! Thank you again! I cant believe these cookies came from HAWAII!
    amazing!
    -Monique

  • Reply kat December 12, 2011 at 4:42 pm

    that sounds so fun! and delicious.

  • Reply Cookie Swap Round-Up | Levavi Spatulas December 13, 2011 at 6:11 pm

    […] Catherine gave me a little background on the cookies: she said, “The crunchy stuff (kakimochi) is Japanese rice crackers. They’re flavored with soy sauce. So it’s a bit unusual. But in Hawaii it’s a popular snack. We eat them in buttered popcorn at movie theaters. Seriously.”  I hope I can find some here in Austin to try making these delights myself!  Check out Catherine’s recipe for the cookies here. […]

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About Me

About Me
Born and raised on O‘ahu, Hawaiʻi, Catherine Toth Fox has been chronicling her adventures in her blog, The Cat Dish, for more than a decade. She worked as a newspaper reporter in Hawai‘i for 10 years and continues to freelance—in between teaching journalism, hitting the surf and eating everything in sight—for national and local print and online publications. She’s currently the editor of HAWAIʻI Magazine.

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