Operation Baking Gals, Round 4

I know, it's Tuesday and I'm supposed to be posting my Tuesday's with Dorie recipe today. However, Laurie, our fearless TWD leader, has given us the option of posting late this week, since this week's recipe is a Thanksgiving pie. So, I'm posting my Operation Baking Gals November contribution today instead.

It was a very patriotic and emotional month. It started with Election Day and all of the drama and anxiety that brings. Then, Veteran's Day, where I got to see my oldest son "post the colors" (i.e. bring in the flags) with the other Cub Scouts during the elementary school Veteran's Day program. (The Veteran's Day program was very touching and well done and once again proved how easily I cry now that I've had children.) Then, I received a letter of thanks from last month's Operation Baking Gals soldier, David. Coincidentally, I received his letter within days of mailing off November's care package to another soldier, Joshua.

Captain David Spirz, stationed in Iraq, wrote such a nice letter. He said my package was the first he recieved, and that he got 11 more boxes of cookies in about 10 days! He sent several pictures of himself and the goodies as well. I really enjoyed reading his letter and sharing the pictures with my two boys. I hope it helped them understand that there are many, many faces behind the word "soldier". David also mentioned that the temperature had finally cooled down to 85-90 degrees... from a consistent 115-120 degrees! Yikes!

I made three different recipes to send to this month's soldier, Joshua.

First, were White Chip Caramel Bars, a brown sugar-based bar cookie studded with white chocolate chips and nuts. The recipe can be found ---> HERE. These bars are delish and will appeal to those with a major sweet tooth. They are supposed to be drizzled with melted white chocolate, but I knew that wouldn't work with the high temperatures in the Middle East, so I left it off.


Second, was half of the Lenox Almond Biscotti I had frozen as an unbaked log several Tuesday's with Dorie ago. I mixed mini chocolate chips into this half, but I didn't like them as well as the original version.


Finally, the Ultimate Chewy and Soft Chocolate Chunk Cookies I made for Cookie Carnival.


I hope these treats brightened the lives of the soldiers, even if just for a little while. They'll never know how much I appreciate the sacrifice they've made for this country and countries around the world. Thank you!!

Thanks to Susan at She's Becoming DoughMessTic for starting Operation Baking Gals, and also thank you to Bridget at The Way the Cookie Crumbles for hosting our soldier this month.