Minx

I thought it would be a neat idea to start a "cookie exchange" of sorts here! While Christmas is still a little bit away I always like to start to try out new X-Mas recipes in advance. I thought we could share a few of our own family favorites and traditional Christmas cookie recipes to give us all a few new ideas for the upcoming season!

Here are a few "staple" cookie recipes that always are on my table at Christmas.

Jewish Shortbread

*This is a great twist on the traditional rolled and cut shortbread.

1/2 lb soft butter
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup finely ground pecans (or walnuts)
1 tsp vanilla
1 2/3 cups flour (use a little more if necessary)
pinch of salt
***
1/2 cup white sugar
4 tsp cinnamon

Mix first six ingredients together in large bowl and beat well.
Shape into small crescents and place one inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake at 325 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes.
Stir together sugar & cinnamon. While cookies are still warm, sprinkle mixture over the top. For a different look, sprinkle icing sugar on instead of sugar & cinnamon mixture.


Candy Cane Twists

*These look really great packaged up as gifts for friends & family.

2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter
5 - 7 tbsp ice water
1/2 tsp vanilla
raspberry jam

Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl.
Cut in butter.
Sprinkle 1 tbsp water and the vanilla over the mixture.
Gently toss with a fork. Repeat with remaining water, one tbsp at a time, until moist. Form the dough into a ball. Cover and chill 30 minutes.
Divide the dough into quarters. On a floured surface roll two of the quarters into 12" x 4" rectangles.
Spread one with jam and use one to carefully cover the jam covered one. Trim the edges.
Cut into twenty-four 4" x 1/2" strips. Repeat with remaining dough.
Twist each strip and shape into a candy-cane shape.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 - 12 minutes.

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Rubyee

You can't make Jewish Shortbread for Christmas! It's sacrilidious.

Seriously, just joking. Hope no one takes offense to that.

My favorite Xmas cookies are sugar cookies with colored sugar on them, Chocolate Crinkles, Snickerdoodles, and Gingerbread Men. I am going to try your recipies, and get mine from my mom and post them soon.

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JadziaDax

I think you meant sacrilegious.

Rubyee

That is exactly what I meant! I never said I was a good speller.

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You don't know from fun.

Average-Joe

Yum….Christmas treats… I will get back ta ya with some recipes.

Minx, Great idea to start experimenting before the big show.

sleepingbeauty

White chocolate with broken candy canes- put em together in a double boiler then pour and let cool...yum...

rockzilla

Or sacrilicious

Average-Joe

sacrilidious
sacrilegious
sacrilicious

It’s the morphing word game…

Scars-r-delicious

Minx

Chocolate Christmas Bark

1 pkg (300 g) semi-sweet chocolate squares, cut into small pieces
1 pkg (170 g) white chocolate squares, cut into small pieces
1 cup whole toasted almonds

Partially melt each type of chocolate separately over hot water. Remove from heat and stir until melted and smooth.
Divide the almonds and stir into each bowl of chocolate.
Drop spoonfuls of chocolate, alternating white and dark, on a wax paper-lined baking sheet.
Using the end of a knife, draw the dark and white chocolate tgether to form a marbled effect.
Refrigerate until firm.
Break up into large chunks.

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Minx

Crantini Jelly *A great gift idea!

2 cups cranberry juice
3 1/2 cups sugar
1 pouch Certo liquid pectin
1/4 cup each vodka and vermouth

Measure cranberry juice into a large saucepan.
Add sugar and mix well. Place pan over high heat. Bring to a full roiling boil and boil hard for one minute, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat.
Immediately stir in pectin, vodka and vermouth.
Quickly pour into warm, sterilized jars filing them up to 1/4 inch from the rim.
Seal while hot.

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Average-Joe

Great recipes Minx, my teeth hurt already.

Will keep for two weeks or while supplies last. Great for snacking.

Chocolate Covered Orange Peels


Dozen navel oranges or any thick rind. Grapefruit will due.
3 # sugar
1 # semi sweet chocolate

Discarding fruit, cut rinds into thick strips.
Put rinds in stockpot covered with water.
Bring to boil, simmer 1/2 hour.
Drain.
Repeat this three more times.
The idea is to extract most of the bitterness.
On the fifth add sugar to the water and simmer for 1-hour allowing rinds to absorb sugar.
Drain.
Place each rind sepreat, on a rack, sprinkle with sugar, allowing at least 24 hours to dry.
In double boiler, melt chocolate
Using tongs, dip each candy half way into chocolate, then place on wax paper.
After cooling, there done.

Note: very important to use a thick rind, anything else will break down turning into mush. If this happens, make marmalade at least your time won’t be a complete loss.

chavos

spritz cookies

you need a cookie press to make the best ones...but they can be handformed.

Mix 1/2 cup butter with 3/4 cup sugar. Add one egg, 2 tsp almond extract, 2 tsp. baking powder, pinch of salt. Add 2 1/2 cups flour.

Bake at 350 for 5-8 minutes...until golden brown.

Minx

Thanks for the input! I hope we will get more as we get closer to the holidays!

Here's one more, they have a funny name for Christmas cookies but are great to do up as they look like tiny snowballs!

Mexican Wedding Cakes

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup butter, softened
3, 1-ounce squares unsweetened baking chocolate, melted
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 cup chopped nuts
1/2 tsp salt
icing sugar

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In large mixing bowl combine brown sugar and butter. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until light and fluffy.
Add melted chocolate and vanilla. Continue beating, scraping bowl often, until well mixed. Reduce speed to low.
Add all remaining ingredients except icing sugar. Continue beating until well mixed.
Shape rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets and bake for 8 - 10 minutes or until set. Cool 5 minutes.
Carefully remove from cookie sheets. Cool another 5 minutes. Roll in icing sugar while still warm and then again when cool.

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Minx

Cheesecake Brownie Bars

1 pkg fudge brownie mix
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 8-ounce pkg cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp cornstarch
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare brownie mix as package directs; stir in walnuts. Spread into well-greased 13" x 9" baking pan.
Beat cheese, butter and cornstarch until fluffy. Gradually beat in condensed milk then egg and vanilla until smooth.
Pour evenly over brownie batter. Bake 45 minutes or until top is lightly browned.
Cool. Chill thoroughly and garnish as desired. Cut into squares.

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Minx

It just isn't Christmas without some of these....

Chocolate Rum Balls

3 1/4 cups crushed vanilla wafers
3/4 cup icing sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 cups chopped nuts
3 tbsp light corn syrup
1/2 cup rum

Combine crushed vanilla wafers, 3/4 cup icing sugar, cocoa and nuts. Blend in corn syrup and rum. Shape into 1-inch balls; roll in additional icing sugar. Store in an airtight container several days to develop flavor. Roll again in icing sugar before serving.

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Average-Joe

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm......Rummmm

Tiz-da-season

edmos1

yum peppermint bark at you local candy stores, it is delcious

maleficent

Seemed like a good time to rejuvinate this thread... Mmmmm christmas cookies...

Lemon Bars
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup powdered sugar
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
dash salt
7 tablespoons lemon juice

Cream together butter, 1 1/2 cup flour, and powdered sugar.
Pat in a 13x9x2 inch baking pan.
Bake 18 - 20 minutes at 325 F (I have always done these in a glass baking dish, if you cook in aluminum, then the oven should be a little hotter) until lightly browned
Beat together the rest of the ingredients and pour over crust.
Bake an additional 25 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar when cooled (slice with sharp hot knife (immerse knife in hot water and wipe dry)

Shortbread
Note: I have also done this as a glass jar cookie, gift item -- but you wanna make the cookies yourself, it's so worth it.

1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon water
1 pound butter softened
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Add sugar to bowl & sprinkle with water.
Cream butter into sugar with a wooden spoon (this was my irish granny's recipe, I use my electric mixer, but she always did it by hand)
Add flour and salt and knead dough with your hands until dough pulls away from side of bowl as well as your hands.
Press dough into a ungreased 9 x 13-inch glass baking pan.
Spread it flat right into the corners.
Prick with fork about at 1 inch intervals.
Sprinkle all with 1/4 cup white sugar.
Bake at 275F for one hour or until pale golden.
Cut while hot into diamond shapes. (2003 trick, Pizza cutter worked great)
Let cool

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maleficent

These I happen to know are Santas Personal favorites...

Snickerdoodles
1 cup butter flavored Crisco (in the stick) (you could use butter, but eh - the crisco makes for a much less fragile cookie)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
2 1/2 -3 cups sifted flour (depends on the weather)

3 tbs sugar
3 tsp cinnamon

Sift flour, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar together and set aside. Mix Crisco and sugar in a mixing bowl, add eggs and vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture. Refridgerate dough in plastic wrap for about an hour. Form dough into in balls size of marbles.

Roll the balls in mixture of 3 tbs sugar and 3 tsp cinnamon.

Bake on greased and floured cookie (or use parchment) sheet 10 minutes at 400°F.

If you decide to make a bigger cookie, they take a little longer to cook.

For cheating chef types, you can use the slice and bake cookie dough from the dairy case and form into balls and roll the sugar mixture and bake.

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snowy

bump...

Let's see what everyone has to contribute this year, hmm?

My mother has been making these for years--they can also be known as Mexican Wedding Cakes (though the recipe is significantly different from the one Minx posted above), and yes, they do look like snowballs.

Russian Tea Cakes:

INGREDIENTS:

* 1 cup butter
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 cup chopped walnuts
* 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar for decoration

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, cream butter and vanilla until smooth. Combine the 6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar and flour; stir into the butter mixture until just blended. Mix in the chopped walnuts. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, and place them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. When cool, roll in remaining confectioners' sugar. I also like to roll mine in the sugar a second time. Mm. More sugar is good.

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snowy

My Mother's Famous Toffee Bars:

(these can be made with or without nuts, for those who are allergic)

Ingredients:
--2 cups flour
--1 cup brown sugar
--1 cup softened butter
--1 egg
--2 tsp vanilla
1 jumbo chocolate bar
1/2-3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Mix ingredients together in order. The resulting mixture will be like a dough. Press out into a medium cookie sheet with sides until dough fills pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean in the center. Immediately after removing from oven, break chocolate into pieces and place on cookie. Let the chocolate melt momentarily before beginning to spread with a butter knife. Put on as much chocolate as desired. Sprinkle nuts over the chocolate. Let the toffee bars cool before cutting, then enjoy.

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If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

ophelia783

The "Jewish Shortbread" is actually called Rugelach

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maleficent

This is the cookies urban legends are made of -- Actually in response to the urban legend - this is the cookie that nieman marcus now sells....

The Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookie

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
3 plain sugar
1 egg
2 tbs vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups flour (actually a little less depending on the moisture in the air)
2 tsp instant espresso powder, Crushed (put in a sandwich bag and run a wine bottle over it a few times)
8 ounces dark chocolate chips (recipe calls for semi-sweet - If I am going to eat chocolate, it's gotta be dark)

1. Cream the butter with the sugars until fluffy.
2. Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract.
3. Combine the dry ingredients and beat into the butter mixture.
Stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Drop by large spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes, or 10-12 minutes for a crispier cookie.

Makes 12-15 large cookies


Oatmeal Scotchies
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups oats, uncooked (Quick or Old Fashioned)
1- 12oz pkg. (2 cups) Butterscotch chips (this recipe also works great with peanut butter chips too, or even chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.
In large bowl, combine butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract; beat until creamy.
Gradually add flour mixture.
Stir in oats and butterscotch.
Drop by level measuring tabelspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake at 375 for 7-8 minutes for chewier cookies or 9-10 minutes for crisper cookies.

Makes about four dozen 3-inch cookies.

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IanSturgill

Jello Cookies
INGREDIENTS:

* 3/4 cup shortening
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 1 (3 ounce) package fruit flavored gelatin mix
* 2 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Mix thoroughly shortening, sugar, gelatin, eggs and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients.
3. Roll dough into 3/4 inch balls. Place 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten each with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes.
I use my grandmas old recipe, and a cookie press, and use extra dry jello on top instead of sugar.

epprebek

mm, tasty cookie recipes!
when my family gets together for holidays, it's basically cooking, eating, and playing games, so we have many traditional christmas cookies : )
must tell a quick story... once when making peanut brittle, we discovered that our cookie pans were full, so one of my sisters had the idea that we could grease the tabletop and just pour the brittle out on the counter to cool... two or so hours later, envision everyone trying their hand at hacking at the peanut brittle with butter knives trying to pry it off! t'was an adventure, we had peanut brittle shards at least : )
Here's a recipe for Sandbakelser (Sandtarts)
so delicious...
Shell:
1 cup butter, 1 cup sugar, 1 egg, 1 tsp almond flavoring, 3 cups flour
Cream butter, sugar, egg, and flavoring together. Beat in flour. Press into sandbakel molds, or little muffin pans work also. If using the molds, place them on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned, then remove from molds or muffin pan immediately and cool.
Filling:
1/2 cup butter, 1/3 cup light corn syrup, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup pecans
Put all the filling ingredients in a pot and boil for 1 minute
Then fill the shells with the pecan mixture and let cool

Hope you enjoy these!