I wanted to make something for the teachers at J's school, but my mother-in-law's Kolatch seemed like too much work last night. That recipe is coming, I promise. Instead, I pulled out my Betty Crocker's New Christmas Cookbook that I have had for a few decades and hunted for some quick and easy bars. Bingo! A Holiday Cookie Mix that can be turned into at least five different kinds of cookies including Toffee Bars and Cherry Coconut Bars, the two I chose to make.

The Holiday Cookie Mix can be made up to 10 weeks ahead and refrigerated until you are ready to bake. The recipe below makes 15-16 cups of mix and each recipe uses about 4 cups of mix to make a 13 x 9 pan of cookies. If you add ½ cup of butter to 4 cups mix and press it into a pan you can top it with just about anything.

I didn't get too creative because I was trying to whip out two batches at once so I could take them in this morning so I just went with two recipes from the book.

The first one I made was a simple Toffee Bar with melted chocolate and chopped nuts. The other was a Cherry Coconut custard which I will post tomorrow. It took me less than an hour for both batches, and I predict they won't even last that long once they get in to the Teachers' Lounge.

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Until next time, happy eating.
Audrey