Tis the season of giving! I noticed a few co-workers were giving out little goodie bags of cookies this year and I thought, “Okay, I’m game. I’ll do little cookie goodie bags, too!”

I decided to try a new recipe and also made an old favorite to include in my little goodie bags.

[The little goodie bags had Lemon Ricotta Cookies and Chocolate Caramel Crackers in the bags.]

My alterations for this year’s Chocolate Caramel Crackers were that I used 2 sticks of butter to make the topping flow a little easier. Stacey and I also did experiments earlier this month and made Bacon Chocolate Caramel Crackers. I didn’t really photograph the experiment like I should have though. What we decided is that we liked the bacon sprinkled on at the end, before you sprinkle the chocolate pieces on to melt. That way the bacon doesn’t fall off and then the bacon becomes a surprise. Also, it’s best to chop it finely so you mostly get the smoky/saltiness within the candy. Will have to properly document that later! Also, I did a batch of the caramel using sweetened condensed milk (1/2 cup) and this made for a chewier candy, which I kind of liked.

The other thing in the bag above is Giada De Laurentiis’ Lemon Ricotta Cookies. Recipe here.

These cookies are soft on the inside. I cooked them a tad longer to achieve a little brown/crispness on the bottom which added to the texture of the cookies. No one would guess there’s cheese in these cookies if you didn’t tell them, and I dug that. The ricotta makes these cookies light and fluffy with a lemony flavor.

I almost didn’t put the lemon glaze on, but they made the cookies really pretty and then I was able to add a little sprinkle of color to make the cookies more festive looking.

I definitely want to make these cookies again for a non-holiday occasion.

See that rocking looking stand above? caninecologne of Pink Candles at Ridgemont High made that for me! How cool is that?! I had to try it out the other day as a prop for displaying my baking. Thanks, CC!