I was SO excited to participate in the 3rd Annual Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap this year!  The second I read about it on Facebook I knew I wanted to get in on the action!  The premise was simple – sign up, make a donation to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer and await your matches!  I would get the names and info for three other food bloggers, each of whom I would send one dozen cookies to.  There would also be three people sending ME a dozen cookies each.  No one would know who they were matched with until the cookies started to arrive.  Ummm, cookies in the mail?!  YES PLEASE!!

Every day after work as I pulled into the driveway I would check the doorstep for a box from the post office.  Would I have any cookies today??!  Who would they be from?  What flavor would they be?  While the anticipation itself was fun, eating all the cookies was the best part!  They were all absolutely delicious!

I received cookies from Becca at Two Places at Once, Karyn at Pint Sized Baker and Kristy at Sweet Treats & More.  Make sure you check out their blogs for their cookie swap recipes!

Since my Pumpkin Toffee Cheesecake cookies were such a hit, I decided to use the same base recipe but this time I added dried cranberries and white chocolate chips.  I was mailing the cookies out before Thanksgiving, and I thought the cranberry and pumpkin were perfect flavors for Turkey Day!

My cookies were sent to (and hopefully enjoyed by!) Meghan at Stir & Scribble, Betsy from Betsylife and Megan at Nutrition Awareness.

Cran-Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies
(adapted from Funfetti Cheesecake Cookies by Kitchen Meets Girl)

Ingredients

1 box Pillsbury Perfectly Pumpkin cake mix
1 small box instant cheesecake pudding mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup white chocolate chips for garnish (optional)

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2.  Combine cake mix, pudding mix, oil and eggs in a medium bowl until a dough forms.  Mix in dried cranberries.
3.  I just grabbed blobs of dough and rolled them into balls, but you can use a cookie scoop if you prefer.  Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets.  Press a few white chocolate chips into the tops of each cookie if you desire.
4.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until cookies begin to brown slightly.  Remove from oven, cool for 2 minutes and then move to a wire rack.

Makes about 24 cookies.

I had an AWESOME time participating in the cookie swap and I can’t wait to do it again next year!  Over $13,000 was raised for Cookies for Kids’ Cancer and I got to discover wonderful new bloggers and stuff myself with enjoy some fabulous cookies.  Win, win, win!  Many thanks to Lindsay from Love & Olive Oil and Julie from The Little Kitchen for all their hard work at putting the swap together!  Be on the lookout for an amazing round-up of ALL the cookie swap recipes.  I am sure there will be plenty of cookies you will want to add to your holiday baking lists!