Cookies for Kids' Cancer: All the Good Cookies

When Emma isn’t making hundreds of S’mores Balls to sell at bake sales, she’s making beautiful orange bracelets to sell alongside them. The balls are chock-full of s’mores flavors, and Emma says they’re great as a frozen treat too.

• Place the butter, condensed milk, and brown sugar in a large microwave-safe bowl. Place in microwave and heat until butter is melted. Stir to combine. Add the graham cracker crumbs and stir well to combine. Stir in the marshmallows. Scoop heaping small (2-teaspoon size) cookie scoops of dough; roll into balls and chill.

• Melt the chocolate chips. Dip the bottoms of the balls in melted chocolate, place on waxed paper, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

alfajores

These cookies are popular all over Latin America, and ours are typical of the style from Peru. A super simple piecrust (made in a food processor) is rolled, cut, baked, and then filled with purchased dulce de leche. For a seriously fast version, use refrigerated pie crust.

• Grind the coconut to crumbs in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Cover and set aside.

• Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of the food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse to combine. Add the shortening and pulse to blend with flour mixture until the mixture looks like coarse cornmeal. Cut the cold butter into 1-inch chunks, add to the flour mixture, and pulse 5 to 6 times to distribute butter, leaving it in larger pieces. Add the ice water and pulse 5 to 7 times to bring the dough together. Transfer the dough to a clean surface and shape into a ball. Divide in half, shape each piece into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.

• On a floured surface, roll the dough ⅛ inch thick. Cut circles with 1½-inch round fluted cookie cutter and place on the prepared cookie sheets. Transfer to the oven and bake until the cookies begin to brown at the edges, 8 to 10 minutes, rotating the cookie sheets on the oven racks halfway through the baking time. Cool on the cookie sheets for 3 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough on cool cookie sheets.

• Place ½ teaspoon of dulce de leche on half of the cookies; top with remaining cookies. Gently squeeze the cookie sandwiches so filling spreads to the edge. Roll the edges of the cookies in the ground coconut.

• baker’s note There’s no need to bother cleaning the food processor between grinding the coconut and making the cookie dough.

• baker’s note To make this recipe in less than 30 minutes, use a package of refrigerated pie crust in place of making the dough from scratch.

chocolate-covered peanut butter pretzels

Chocolate-covered pretzels are huge sellers at bake sales, but they can be a bit time-consuming to make. This version is for those days when you forgot to make something, that “oh darn” moment. And who doesn’t like chocolate and peanut butter together?

• Place the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl and heat in microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until completely melted. Stir the peanut butter pretzels into the melted chocolate and coat well. Using a fork, transfer coated pretzels to waxed paper and top with sprinkles, if using.

CARMEN MURRAY
Gilroy, GA

My son Ty was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma at only 16 months old. Though he was only given a 30% chance of surviving for 5 years, he’s now a happy, active, typical 5-year-old with no evidence of disease. However, we know the chance of relapse is still high, so we do what we can to continue to raise funds and awareness for childhood cancer.

I met Gretchen at the Mama’s Night Out fundraiser in Santa Cruz, California. She is truly an inspiration to me as she continues to pave the way for pediatric cancer research. She could have stopped her crusade once her beautiful Prince Liam passed away, but she didn’t. I know she does not like to consider herself an “inspiration” to others but, bottom line—she is. I will be forever grateful to her for starting Cookies for Kids’ Cancer and giving all our kids today a fighting chance to live! Ty was lucky to benefit from a clinical trial only offered at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, one of the cancer centers that Cookies supports by funding research for new clinical trials, which I believe are the saving grace for many children in treatment.

My co-workers at Santa Clara County Probation Department have been extremely supportive ever since Ty was diagnosed. They donated over 2,000 of their vacation hours so I could care for my son 24/7 throughout his grueling treatment.

These same colleagues always encouraged me to hold a Cookies for Kids’ Cancer bake sale at work. All of us banded together and did it, raising over $1,500. Lots of people just came by and donated money without buying anything. We also sold at least 75 dozen preorder cookies the week before, boosting our total to $2,541.

My co-workers keep asking if I will be doing another Cookies for Kids’ Cancer bake sale, and my response has always been, “Yes!” In honor of my hero, Ty, and all his cancer friends, we will continue to do our part and raise funds and awareness.

Gilroy, GA

KIM COOPER & LESLIE McCRANEY/COOKIE MOM’STERS
Bay Minette, AL

In real estate, the most important consideration is “location, location, location.” The same holds true for a bake sale. When we decided to host a Cookies for Kids’ Cancer event, we knew that where we set up shop for the day was key. The pavilion at our local ball park, right on the main road in town fit the bill. Not only would we be visible to local residents attending a scheduled youth baseball tournament but also to tourists heading to the Gulf Shores.

We solicited donations of baked goods from community members and local bakeries with flyers around town and through our Facebook page. We also rounded up donations of silent auction items (at least 25) and sold raffle tickets for a cash prize. Sending out several media releases resulted in two newspaper interviews and an appearance on a local morning television show. We also made it on to the community calendars of three nearby radio stations.

On the Big Day, we had “extras” beyond baked goods to lure a big crowd. Live music courtesy of a local musician. Face painting. A bounce house. A clown making balloon shapes. The Gulf Coast Tumblebus (a mobile gymnastics play area). And finally, what I feel was one of the biggest draws: a guest appearance by University of Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron, who spent about 3 hours signing autographs and posing for pictures. He also signed a football, a jersey, and a silkscreen banner that we auctioned off. (Just those three items brought in $1,000.) When it came time to draw the raffles, a local cancer warrior did the honors. To further raise awareness, we displayed posters with pictures of other local kids in the fight, as well as Liam Witt and several others across the country.

One thing that I feel increased our sales was that we used a “Square,” which is a portable credit card reader. We racked up almost $450 in sales in credit cards alone! Bake sale hosts should definitely look into this to up their total.

Bay Minette, AL

peanut butter nanaimo bars

Named for Nanaimo, British Columbia, these bars are a Canadian sweet that is hugely popular all over North America. A no-bake delight, our version has a fairly typical crust and top, but we added creamy peanut butter to the filling.

• To make the crust: Place the graham cracker crumbs, coconut, and walnuts in a medium bowl. Place the chocolate and butter in a glass bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute, stirring after 30 seconds. When chocolate is melted, add to the crumb mixture and mix well. Press crumb mixture into bottom of prepared pan. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

• To make the filling: Place the butter and peanut butter in mixer bowl and beat until creamy, about 1 minute. With the mixer on low, add the confectioners’ sugar and beat until creamy and well blended. Spread evenly on the crust and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

• To make topping: Place the chocolate and butter in a glass bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute, stirring after 30 seconds. When the chocolate is melted, carefully spread over the peanut butter layer. Refrigerate for several hours to set the chocolate.

• Using a hot, straight-edged knife, cut in 16 equal squares, then cut each square into 3 bars.

not the “bake sale” type? other ways to be a good cookie

• Host a holiday cookie exchange that gives back! Invite a couple dozen friends, have everyone bring cookies to exchange, and encourage everyone to drop a donation in the Cookies for Kids’ Cancer Donation Jar.

• Ask a business to do a “Cookies Night” with a percentage of sales going to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer—it is an easy event to promote with no baking involved, and it raises money and awareness at the same time—a win-win for all.

• School soccer or basketball tournaments or club lacrosse teams can host a fundraiser while playing the sport they love.

• Take a basket of baked goods to your office and set out a donation jar. Your co-workers will be happy to take a treat knowing they’re giving to a great cause!

• Cookies make the perfect wedding, baby shower, or birthday party favor. Bake and package them yourself and make a donation online for the honorees, or order directly from Cookies for Kids’ Cancer for gourmet cookies baked and shipped to your special event.

checkerboard slices

No one will know that to make these strikingly cool-looking cookies, all you had to do was add some flour and cocoa powder to a package of refrigerated sugar cookie dough.

• Divide the cookie dough in half. Knead 4 tablespoons of the flour into half of the dough. Knead 3 tablespoons of the flour and the cocoa powder into the other half of the dough. Knead mini chocolate chips into white dough, if using.

• Divide each piece of the dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 4-inch log. Place one white and one chocolate log next to each other, then place a white log on the chocolate log, and a chocolate log on the white, forming the checkerboard pattern. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days. Repeat with the remaining 4 logs.

• Slice each log of chilled dough in ¼-inch thick slices and place about 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets.

• Transfer to the oven and bake until the cookies begin to brown at the edges, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the cookie sheets on the oven racks halfway through the baking time. Cool on the cookie sheets for 3 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough on cool cookie sheets.

• Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

lovie’s seven-layer bars

Our last book had a five-layer bar, so we figured we needed to up the ante. Lovie, a dear friend of Fraya’s, always made these, so Fraya never had to. Once she did, she realized how ridiculously easy it is to get seven yums in treats to sell at a bake sale. That’s why they’re here in our make-it-fast chapter.

• Spread the melted butter in the bottom of the lined baking pan. Sprinkle the graham cracker crumbs over the butter. Top the crumbs with coconut. Sprinkle the chocolate and butterscotch chips on top of the coconut. Pour the condensed milk over the entire pan and top with nuts.

• Transfer to the oven and bake 40 to 50 minutes. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Remove from the pan and cut in 48 pieces.