CHRISTMAS
COOKIES
Who is this crazy woman and what is she doing with all those
cookies? It's McJude and these are just some of the cookies
Peggy and I baked for Christmas 2002. We are good to go
again this year and our reputation may attract a few more participants.
The cookie recipes from 2004 are finally up. You can find them HERE
The baking of Christmas cookies should not be done alone. I have
always declined to be a part of cookie exchanges, where you in the
privacy of our own home baked 12 dozen cookies and exchanged with
friends. As my god-friend Ares would say, "Where's the fun in
that?" You need your friends there with you. My friend
Peggy
and I have made cookies together many, many times; and Kim has
finally learned to stay away until we are done - but he does a mean job
on cleanup. Others who have shared in this excitement include
Janet, Rebecca (who rolled cookies with her son Jack between her and
the table), Jackie, Joanne, Lisa, Hope and Chuck (a very brave
man.) Just make sure you have lots of tupperware, tins and boxes
ready when it is time to share the cookies.
As far as I am concerned, Christmas cookies must be small. The
smaller the better. Even if it takes more time and more
ingredients, it is so nice to have a wide variety of cookies and
have the small enough so people can sample a number of them.
CHRISTMAS COOKIES
These cookies have no other name and are like no others. They
came from one of
the grandmothers in my family, whether from Grandma McPherson, Grandma
Rosenstangle, or Grandma Schumaker. This means they might be English, Hungarian or German. I am not sure. I know that all of my relatives
made them at Christmas.
The recipe is huge and if you follow my SMALL requirement you might
spend the
entire month of December making them. Also because they contain
baking
ammonia they fill the kitchen with a strange aroma while baking (much
more than
Julebrods) but the cutting and decorating of these cookies is a vivid
memory from my
childhood.
1 cup shortening (plain white Crisco)
1 pt. milk (might use a little less until all the
flour is added.)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
5-6 cups flour
1 scant teaspoon Baking Ammonia
1 teaspoon oil of lemon
1 teaspoon oil of anise
Mix ingredients except oils. (Try not to add more flour.)
Divide in half. Add oil of
lemon to half the dough, and oil of anise to the other.
Chill. Roll dough adding flour
as necessary. Bake 350o 5-7 minutes. Do not overbake.
Cool and decorate with
frosting and sprinkles.
ALMOND COOKIES
Becky Linhardt
These are similar to the traditional "Chinese Almond cookie" with a
strong flavor.
They are an attractive addition to a cookie platter.
1 cup sugar
1 cup shortening (Becky says margarine I have used
butter.)
2 eggs
4 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teas baking powder
3/4 cup blanched slivered almonds
48 whole almonds (blanched) for decoration
1 beaten egg
Cream sugar and shortening until light and fluffy. Beat in the 2
eggs and almond
extract. Sift together the dry ingredients. Add l cup flour
mixture and all the slivered
almonds and combine thoroughly. Add the rest of the flour,
1/2 cup at a time (you
may have to knead in the last bit.) Knead dough until it is firm and
pliable. Roll out to
1/4- 1/2" on floured board. Cut cookies with a 2-inch cutter.
(I'd make a little smaller
for Christmas and then you would need more whole almonds.)
Transfer to a lightly
oiled cookie sheet. Brush cookies with beaten egg. Place a
whole-blanched
almond in the center of each cookie. Bake at 350o for 15-20
minutes or until brown.
Cool on wire racks. Makes about 48 cookies.
AMERETTO COOKIES
I found this cookie on a clipping in
my mother's recipe box. I think it sounds
interesting but have never tried it.
1/2 cup I Can't Believe it's Not Butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt.
With electric mixer beat ICBINB with sugar until blended. Add egg
and extracts.
Add flour and salt. Beat 2 minutes. Add flour and salt,
beat until combined (mixture
will be crumbly). Turn onto lightly-floured surface and shape
into flattened ball. Wrap
and refrigerate at least one hour.
Preheat oven to 350o. Using floured rolling pin, roll 1/2 of the
dough on well-floured
surface until slightly less than 1/4" think. Cut into shapes and
arrange about 1 inch
apart on ungreased baking sheets. Repeat with remaining
dough. Bake 12
minutes or until edges are lightly golden. Let stand 1 minute and
remove to wire
rack to cool.
If desired to glaze cookies, blend 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, `1 1/2
tablespoons
water and 1 drop red food coloring. Brush tops of cookies with
mixture and then let
dry before storing in airtight container. Variation: substitute 2
teaspoons orange
extract and brush with a yellow glaze.
BROWN SUGAR COOKIES
I make these cookies every year. They are easy and tasty.
They would look good
on a plate next to Becky's Almond cookies.
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 cup butter
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg yolk
Pecan or walnut halves.
Cream butter and brown sugar. Blend in egg yolks. Add the
flour in fourths. Shape
dough into balls about 1/2 inch thick. Place about 2 inches apart
on sheet. Using
back of fork, flatten cookies with marks. Set nut half on cookie.
Bake 375o for 8 to
10 minutes. Cool 2 minutes before removing.
BROWNIES
Mary Fantasier
My mother's sister. She lives in New Jersey and I have only seen
her a few times in
my life. I remember that she was a gentle person and a wonderful
baker. These
she is the source of both these "cocoa brownies and the famous "Aunt
Mary's Roll
Ups."
Cream
1/2 cup soft butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
Sift together and stir in
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cocoa
Mix in
1/2 cup nuts
Spread in well greased 8" square pan. Bake until top has a dull
crust (the inside will not look done.) Cool slightly and then cut into
squares.
CANDY CANE COOKIES
Becky Linhardt
MIX TOGETHER
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter (which to her mom meant margarine)
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla
SIFT TOGETHER AND STIR IN
2 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon salt
DIVIDE DOUGH IN HALF AND ADD TO ONE HALF
1/2 teaspoon red food coloring
TO FORM A CANDY CANE COOKIE, use your hands to roll a 4" long strip of
each
color. Pinch one length of each color together and twist into a
candy cane form.
Place cookies on a cookie sheet (my notes do not show that if sheet
should be
greased or not.) BAKE at 375o for 9 minutes.
PREPARE TOPPING
1/2 cup crushed candy canes
1/2 cup granulated sugar
REMOVE cookies from cookie sheet and DUST with Peppermint mix while
still
warm.
CASHEW COOKIES
A third "nut topped cookie".
1/2 cup butter
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups sifted flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 tablespoon salt
1/3 cup sour cream.
1 3/4 cups salted cashews (can use pieces)
Cream sugar and butter; add egg and vanilla and mix. Add dry
ingredients (sifted
together) alternately with sour cream. Add cashews. Drop by
teaspoonfuls onto a
greased cookie sheet. Bake 400o for 10 minutes. Cool.
Frost with the following
1/4 cup butter,
1 1/2 teaspoons half/half,
1/4 teaspoon vanilla,
1 cup confectioner's sugar.
Additional whole cashews.
Put very small amount on cookie, top with whole cashew. Put back
into oven for
about 1-2 minute. Watch
carefully.
CHOCOLATE COVERED
CHERRY COOKIES
Cricket McPherson
I got this recipe from my sister-in-law who got it from an old Better
Homes and
Garden. I used it for a Chocolate contest and won second
prize.
11/2 cups flour
1/2 cups cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 10-oz. jar maraschino cherries (not candied
cherries).
1 6-oz. jar semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup Eagle Brand milk
Sift dry ingredients together. Cream butter and sugar; add egg
and vanilla. Add dry
ingredients. Shape in 1-inch balls press center with thumb to
make a depression
for the cherry.
Melt chocolate with milk and 4 teaspoons of juice from the
cherries. Put 1/2 cherry
in depression. (Note Kroger sells half cherries.) Frost over the
cherry on the cookie.
Bake at 350o for 10 minutes.
CHOCOLATE CRINKLES
This was the traditional chocolate Christmas cookie when I was growing
up.
Definitely a "messy cookie" with hand rolled chocolate and powdered
sugar. You
need to chill the dough and be careful, very careful, not to overbake.
1/2 cup shortening
4 squares unsweetened chocolate (Melted)
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup confectioners' sugar
Mix shortening, chocolate and sugar. Blend in one egg at a time,
add vanilla.
Measure flour and mix with baking powder. Blend into chocolate mixture.
Chill
dough. Heat oven to 350o
Roll dough into balls and roll in powdered sugar. Bake on a
greased cookie sheet
for 10-12 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE
Keep dough in refrigerator between batches.
CHOCOLATE TOFFEE BARS
Rosemarie McPherson
1 3/4 cups unsifted flour
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup cold margarine or butter
1 (14-ounce can Eagle Brand Chocolate
Sweetened Condensed Milk)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 (1.4 ounce) milk chocolate-covered English toffee
candy bars, cut into
small pieces
1 cup chopped nuts, optional.
Preheat oven to 350o. (325o for glass dish). In medium
bowl, combine flour and
sugar; cut in margarine until crumbly. Press firmly on bottom of
13 x 9 inch baking
pan. Bake 15 minutes. Meanwhile in medium bowl, combine
sweetened
condensed milk, egg and vanilla. Mix well. Spread evenly
over prepared crust. Top
with toffee pieces and nuts if desired. Bake 20-25 minutes longer
or until bubbly.
Cool. Cut into bars. (Makes 24-36 bars) Store covered in
refrigerator.
CHOCOLATE DREAM BARS
1 cup sifted flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup Grape-nuts (whole wheat cereal)
3/4 cup nuts
3/4 cup butter
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 package chocolate chips.
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add Grape-nuts and
nuts to flour
mixture. Cream butter and sugar and add eggs and vanilla.
Mix together two
mixtures and chocolate chips. Bake in square pan 350o for 30-35
minutes.
CHOCOLATE MACAROON BARS
1 1/4 graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1/3 cup margarine or butter melted
1 (14-ounce) can Eagle Brand Condensed milk.
1 7-ounce package flaked coconut
2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (four slices)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven 350o. Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cocoa
and
margarine. Press firmly on bottom of 13 x 9 baking pan.
Bake 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in medium bowl, combine remaining ingredients; mix
well. Spoon
evenly over prepared crust. Bake 30 minutes or until lightly
browned. Cut into bars.
Store covered in refrigerator.
CHOCOLATE PEPPER
COOKIES
This cookie recipe is actually from Martha Stewart. Rebecca Lines
made them
when we baked cookies together in 1989 and everyone raved both about
the ease
of making and the taste. For 10 years I searched for the recipe
(Rebecca had
moved) and finally found in a MS cookbook.
1 1/2 cups (three sticks) unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4-6 ounces chocolate for decoration.
Cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and beat until
fluffy. Sift together dry
ingredients. Add to butter mixture and beat until well mixed; if
dough seems too
soft, add up to 1/4 cup more flour. Shape into a flattened round,
wrap, and
refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350o.
Take about 1/4 of the dough and roll until 1/8 inch thick. You
can dust the board
with flour, cocoa or a mixture. Cut the dough into shapes and
place on baking
sheets. Leftover dough can be gathered together and placed in the
refrigerator and
re-rolled. Repeat until dough is gone. Martha says to reuse
dough only once, but it
is too good to waste - even very good unbaked.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, or just until crisp. Do not allow to
darken. Cool on racks.
Melt chocolate and drizzle over the cooled cookies in a haphazard
fashion. Allow to
harden before serving. You can use semi-sweet, milk or white
chocolate or a
combination of all three.
CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE
COOKIES
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into
small pieces
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (not
Dutch-process)
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Melt unsweetened chocolate, butter and 1 cup chocolate chips in a
1-quart
saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally. Cool. Stir
together flour, cocoa,
baking power and salt.
Beat together sugar, eggs and vanilla with electric mixer until pale
and frothy, about
2 minutes. Mix in melted chocolate and then flour mixture at low
speed until
combined. Stir in remaining cup chips. Chill, covered,
until firm, about 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350º
Roll teaspoons of dough into 1 inch balls with dampened hands and
arrange 2
inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake in batches in the
middle of oven
until puffed and set about 10 minutes. Cookies will be soft in
center. Cool on racks.
CHRISTMAS COOKIES
Becky Linhardt
MIX TOGETHER
1 pound. Butter (which to my mom meant margarine)
2 tablespoon vanilla
ADD
1 cup chopped pecans
4 cups flour
6 tablespoons. granulated sugar
FORM into small, maybe 1" balls and place on cookie sheet. BAKE
at 3500 for 15
minutes. REMOVE from cookie sheet. ROLL in powdered sugar
while still warm.
PLACE on cookie rack to cool.
Makes about 8 dozen small cookies that melt in your mouth.
COCONUT BARS
Blend thoroughly
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar
1 cup cake flour
Spread evenly in 8 x 8 pan. Bake at 350o for 15 minutes.
Beat together
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Add (sifted together)
2 tablespoons of flour
1 teas baking powder
Stir in
1 cup broken nut meats
1 cup moist shredded coconut
Spread over first mixture. Bake 30 min. Cool in the pan.
COCONUT MACAROONS
1 1/3 cups Angle Flake coconut
1/3 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Combine coconut, sugar, flour and salt in mixing bowl. Stir in
egg whites and
almond extract; mix well. Drop from teaspoon onto lightly greased
baking sheets.
Garnish with candied cherry halves, if desired. Bake at 325o for
20 to 25 minutes.
Remove from baking sheets immediately. Makes about 18 cookies.
CREAM CHEESE COOKIES
(Aunt Mary's Roll Ups)
I am still learning this recipe. It is not easy to make but is a
most traditional part of
Christmas. I always relied on my mother to make them for me, but
when she died I
started making them. Sometimes I have too much dough, other times
too much
filling. I don't think she (or her sister) actually used the
recipe. Even the ugly cookies
that break open are very tasty. I usually keep these for myself
and do not share.
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 cups flour
3 ounce package of cream cheese
Blend butter, cream cheese and sugar. Mix in flour. Roll
out dough and cut in
circles.
2 cups finely ground walnuts
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teas vanilla extract
1/2 teas lemon extract
Honey or maple syrup to make sticky
Fill 1/2 of cookie, fold over and crimp with fork. This is the
best way to keep filling
from running out and all over the cookie sheet. Bake at 350o
until golden, sprinkle
with powered sugar while still warm
CURRANT COOKIES
Edna Swanson
My mother-in-law makes these cookies that are a cross between a cookie
and a
scone. She makes them much smaller than the traditional bakery
scone, but still
manages to capture the taste.
Mix as for pie crust.
4 cups flour
2 sticks butter
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
dash of salt
Beat together
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon lemon extract.
Add to dry ingredients. Add:
1/2 box currents (about 1 cup)
Mix until well blended. Roll out on floured board until about 1/2
inch thick. Cut in 1-1
1/2 inch rounds. Bake 15-20 minutes in 375-400o oven. (I
would check sooner if
making small cookies.)
DATE BARS
Doris Valentine - a friend of my
mother
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup sugar
1 pound dates, chopped.
Cook all filling ingredients over low heat, stirring until
thickened. Cool.
1 cup margarine or butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups quick cooking or old-fashioned oats
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Heat oven to 400o. Mix margarine and brown sugar in large bowl
until well blended.
Stir in remaining ingredients. Press half of the mixture in
ungreased rectangular pan
13 x 9 x 2 . Spread with filling or 1 cup of jam. Top with
remaining crumbly mixture.
Spread lightly. Bake 25-30 minutes or until light brown.
Cool 30 minutes and cut
into bars while warm. Makes 32 bars.
MRS. STEWART'S DATE AND
NUT BARS
Becky Linhardt
I am going to issue a warning on these cookies. Although I think
they would be
wonderful as a Christmas cookie, I have never been able to make them in
the
winter. In the summer they turn out fine. Not sure what the
problem is, and you might
be willing to try. It may just be me.
Preheat oven to 325o
CREAM
3 eggs beaten
1 cup sugar
2 Tablespoon shortening
COMPINE THEN ADD TO CREAMED MIX
5 Tablespoons flour
1 teas baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
BLEND IN
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup chopped dates
Pour in greased 8 x 8 pan (may want to dust with flour) Bake at
325o for 35-45
minutes. (Or until toothpick comes out clean. Beck says she has
increased the time
but if you bake too long they will darken and caramelize.)
DO NOT DOUBLE MIXTUE. THEY WILL NEVER BAKE.
Remove from pan when cool. Dust with powdered sugar.
If you disregard my warning and make a double batch, or have a
batch that doesn't
bake. You can scoop out the batter and roll into balls.
Roll balls in powdered sugar.
They taste and look good, but then they are JOANNE'S DATE BALLS.
FLORENTINES
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Dash salt
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
1 egg well beaten
1/2 cup Angel Flake coconut
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 squares semi-sweet chocolate
1 Tablespoon butter or margarine
Mix flour, soda and salt. Cream 1/4 cup butter. Gradually
add sugar and beat until
light and fluffy. Add corn syrup and egg. Blend well.
Stir in flour mixture, coconut
and vanilla. Drop by half teaspoons onto greased baking sheets,
leaving 2 inches
between (these spread a lot). Bake 350 o for 10
minutes. Cool on baking sheets 1
minute and remove quickly to finish cooking on racks. If wafers
harden on sheets
return briefly to oven. Melt chocolate and 1 Tablespoon butter in
saucepan over very
low heat. Drizzle over wafers. Makes 4 dozen.
FROZEN COOKIES
Edna Swanson
This is a cookie that can be baked as needed. It makes a lot, but
the dough keeps in the freezer.
1 pound butter (melted)
2 cups brown sugar
3 eggs
5 cups flour (may need a little more
2 Tablespoons vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1-2 cups coarsely chopped nuts. (walnuts or pecans)
Pour melted butter over sugar, allow to cool and cream well. Add
eggs, vanilla. Mix
soda and spices with flour, add nuts, and mix together. It
should be soft and sticky.
Form into logs and wrap in waxed paper. Freeze logs. Cut in
1/4 inch slices and
bake at 350o for 15 minutes. Can be baked as you need them if you
have space in
the freezer.
FROZEN DATE COOKIES
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 pound butter
3 well beaten eggs
5 cups flour
2 teas soda
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup chopped dates
Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs. Mix in flour, soda, nuts
and dates. Roll dough
into tubes. Refrigerate overnight. Cut off 1/4 inch slices
and bake. 350o 10-12
minutes.
GINGER COOKIES
3/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ginger
Granulated sugar to roll balls in.
Cream shortening, sugar and molasses. Add flour and spices. Refrigerate
until you
can handle. Roll into 1/2 inch balls. (For Christmas cookies, can
be made larger
other times of the year.) Roll in granulated sugar. Bake at 375o
for 12-15 minutes.
GINGERBREAD BOYS
(or in our case leaves)
One year I was looking for an easy cut out cookie that didn't need to
be frosted. I
found this one in an old cookbook given to me by my friend Ruth
Lawrence. I have
no idea whether Ruth ever made these cookies, but I think of her when I
eat them.
1 1/4 cups flour, sifted
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup soft butter
1 teaspoon orange rind, grated
Sift together first 3 ingredients. Bring molasses and butter to a
boil in a saucepan.
Cool slightly; add flour mixture and orange rind; mix well. Chill
thoroughly. Roll
dough into 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into boy-shapes. (That is what
the recipe says.
We have a collection of small leaf shaped cutters which we use for
this.) Bake on
greased cookie sheet 1/2 inch apart 8-10 minutes in 375 o oven.
HOLLY HERMITS
These cookies are great because they help get rid of those leftover
candied fruits
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon soda
1/2 cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
3/4 cups chopped mixed candied fruit and peels
1/2 cup seedless raisins
1/2 cup broken California Walnuts
Cream shortening and brown sugar. Add eggs and water. Add
dry ingredients.
Stir in fruits, peels, raisins and nuts. Drop from teaspoon 2
inches apart on lightly
greased cookie sheet. Bake moderate 375o for 10 minutes.
Cool before removing
from pans.
HONEY BEARS
1/3 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey or light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1 cup nuts
Cream butter, sugar, and honey. Add vanilla and eggs. Blend
in dry. Bake in 8 x 8
pan at 350o for 25-30 minutes.
JULEBROD COOKIES
These cookies almost require Swedish Christmas music playing in the
background. The
almond-cardamom flavor adds a new dimension to a cookie plate.
Once you have
found the baking ammonia (I got mine from a cooking shop on the
internet - but
used to be able to get from a drugstore pharmacy) and course sugar
(which is
easier to find now than it was even five years ago), they are easy to
make.
2 sticks butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon carbonate of ammonia
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup chopped almonds
Topping, egg yolk, course sugar, and finely chopped almonds
Cream butter and sugar. Beat egg with the carbonate of ammonia
and add dry
ingredients and nuts. Chill dough.
Roll into 1/2 inch balls. Dip in yolk of egg, beaten with l
tablespoon water, then in
coarse sugar and almond mixture. Bake 350o oven until light
brown (10-15 min)
DROMMAR
(Swedish Dream Cookies)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (one cup) unsalted butter softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon crushed ammonium carbonate (also called
baking ammonia)
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
Sift together flour and salt
Beat together butter, eggs and sugar with electric mixer until pale and
fluffy. Blend
in ammonium carbonate and almond extract until well combined. Mix
in flour mixture
at low speed until just blended and then stir in coconut. Form
dough into disk and
chill, wrapped until firm, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 300º
Roll dough into 1 inch balls and arrange 1 inch apart on baking greased
baking
sheets. Bake cookies in batches in upper oven until pale golden around
edges 18-
22 minutes. Cool on racks.
NUT BALLS
From Mrs. Frank Backa - my husband
Kim's Aunt Lil's mother.
2/3 cup butter
1 cup ground nuts
1 cup flour
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cream butter; add other ingredients, working with fingers until well
blended. Pinch
off bits and roll into balls the size of large marbles. Bake on
buttered cookie sheet
in moderately hot oven (375o) for 10 minutes. Roll while hot in
powdered sugar.
Makes about 40 cookies.
OATMEAL CRISPIES
1 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 beaten eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups oatmeal
1/2 cup nuts
1 1/2 cups flour
Cream sugars and shortening. Add eggs, vanilla, beat well.
Add dry ingredients.
Add oatmeal and nuts. Mix well. Shape into rolls; wrap in
waxed paper and chill
thoroughly. Slice 1/4 inch thick. Bake on ungreased cookie
sheet 12-15 minutes in
350o oven. Makes about 5 dozen cookies.
OHIO COOKIES
(No Bake)
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 stick oleo (1/4 cup)
1/2 cup milk
Boil two minutes. Add 3 cups rolled oats, 1/2 cup coconut, and 1
teaspoon vanilla.
Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper.
CHOCOLATE-PEANUTBUTTER
NO BAKE
(Millington Cookies)
As soon as my sister Kim hits Millington she is off to the IGA for a
package of these cookies. Now that she realizes they are this
easy to make, she'll probably whip them up before going to work.
1/4
lb. butter
2 c. sugar
4 tbsp. cocoa
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
3 c. oatmeal
Mix together in a saucepan the milk, sugar, cocoa and butter; bring to
a boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add peanut butter,
vanilla and oatmeal. Stir until well mixed. Drop by
spoonfuls on waxed paper.
PEANUT BUTTER KISSES
Or as Janet calls them "Tit cookies"
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup shortening
1 cup peanut butter
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 14-ounce package Hershey's kisses
Preheat oven to 375o Cream sugars, shortening and peanut
butter. Add eggs, milk
and vanilla; beat well. Sift together flour, soda, and
salt. Add to peanut butter
mixture. Beat well.
Shape into 1-inch balls; roll in granulated sugar. Place on ungreased
cookie sheet.
Bake 375o oven for 8 minutes. Remove from over. Press
a kiss into center of each
warm cookie. Return to oven. Bake 3 minutes longer.
Makes 6-7 dozen cookies.
(One year I was able to find a package of slightly smaller "kisses" in
the section with
chocolate chips. They would work better on the smaller
"Christmas"-size cookies and
you don't have to unwrap them..)
SPECULA
I insist that Peggy make this cookie every year. Love
it. The directions are fairly
complicated and I am never sure if this is because it came directly
from a cookbook
and had not been passed down in handwritten copies (which tend to
shorten and
abbreviate.) Peggy does this. You don't really want these
cookies to get brown (or
burn) on the edges so it is probably worth it. Again these can be
baked at different
times keeping the dough in the freezer..
4 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
2 teaspoons instant coffee
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
3 extra-large eggs
8-10 ounces blanched and thinly sliced almonds
Sift together flour, cinnamon, ginger, salt and baking soda and set
aside. In the
large bowl of an electric mixer cream the butter. Add the coffee,
almond extract,
sugars and beat well. Add the eggs one at a time beating until
smooth after each
addition. On low speed gradually add the sifted dry ingredients,
scraping the bowl
with a rubber spatula and beating only until mixture is smooth.
(This is too much for
all but the most powerful of mixers and you will have to mix in the
last of the flour by
hand with a wooden spoon.) With a wooden spoon and/or bare hands,
mix in the
almonds.
Spread out two pieces of wax paper, each about 16 inches long.
Place 1/2 the
dough lengthwise on each piece of paper to form a long role. Fold
the paper along
the roll and roll tightly. The dough is sticky and the paper may
break, but if it does,
just wrap another piece of paper around this. (We have been
speculating on what
would work better and perhaps a heavy waxed freezer paper would be a
good thing
to try to roll these in.) Make a roll that is about 12 inches
long, three inches wide,
and an inch thick, or whatever shape you want the cookies.
Transfer rolls to freezer and freeze several hours or even overnight
(longer if you
wish). The dough works best when frozen solid. You may want
to chill the rolls for
about 1/2 hour and then work on getting a better shape to them.
Adjusts two racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat to 375 o
. Unwrap one
roll at a time. Place it on a cutting board. With a very
sharp knife cut into 1/4 inch
slices and place on unbuttered cookie sheets.
Bake about 12 minutes, reversing positions of top and bottom sheets and
front to
back as necessary to insure even browning. Cookies are done when
they are
slightly brown and spring back if lightly pressed with fingertip.
Transfer to racks to cool. This is one of the best dunking
cookies.
SYMPHONY BARS
This recipe was sent to me by my husband's Aunt Lil, probably because
of its name.
Cake pan, buttered 13 x9 x 2
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
teaspoons vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups chopped pecans
2 ounces (4 tablespoons) melted baking chocolate
Cream butter, gradually add sugar, beat until light and fluffy.
Beat in eggs and
vanilla. Add flour; blend in nuts. Divide batter in half.
Put half the batter on bottom of
the pan, then add the chocolate to the other half and spread over
batter. Bake 30
minutes. Cool in pan.
Frosting
5 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
In a heavy saucepan blend flour and milk. Cook over low heat
stirring constantly until
paste thickens. Cool. Cream butter sugar and vanilla.
Add paste and beat at high
for five minutes, or until frosting is creamy. Spread on cooled
bars. Cut in 32
sections and garnish with red and green candied cherries.
TEMPTATION BARS
This is the most wonderful bar cookie dough. I have used almost
any addition
imaginable to adapt it to the season. Everyone always raves about
it. Last year I
made it twice once with white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts and
once with
dried cherries and almonds. They didn't even seem like the same
cookie.
2 1/2 cups unsifted flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup corn syrup (light)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans
1 package (12 ounces) vanilla chips or pieces.
Mix dry ingredients. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
Slowly beat in the corn
syrup, then egg and vanilla. Beat in flour until blended.
Stir in pecans and half of the
chocolate. Spread on ungreased 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 1 inch pan
(cookie sheet with
sides). I find a damp hand works best for spreading the dough as
it is rather stiff.
Sprinkle remaining chocolate on top. Bake 350 o for 30 minutes or
until lightly
brown. They will not look done, but they harden in the pan.
Cut into small squares.
NOTE: This recipe can be made with lots of different chips and
candy pieces, such
as: semi-sweet, milk chocolate or white chocolate chips, mini M &
M's or Reese's
pieces.
SPRINGERLE
When the children had all left, my mother converted her vintage
Chirstmas cookie
recipe to Springerle's.
1 pound sifted cake flour
1 pound sifted powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking ammonia (or baking powder
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon anise oil (or lemon oil)
Sift sugar and flour together three times. Third time add salt
and baking ammonia.
Beat eggs for 15-20 minutes. Add sifted dry ingredients
gradually. Then add butter
and flavoring. Roll dough 1/4 inch thick. Cut with Springerle
pattern and put on
greased cookie sheet. Let set overnight. Bake 300-325
o for 12 minutes -- do not
let brown,
THUMBPRINT COOKIES
Another good variation cookie.
You can fill the hole with candied
cherries (red or
green), almost any jam or jelly, or even a glob of frosting.
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup brown sugar/ packed
1 egg, separated
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup finely chopped nuts
Jelly, candied cherries or tinted confectioner's
icing
Heat oven to 350 o. Mix butter, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla
thoroughly. Blend
together flour and salt/ blend in. Roll dough into balls (about 1
teaspoon). Beat egg
white slightly with fork. Dip balls in egg white and then into
nuts. Place 1" apart on
ungreased baking sheet; press thumb into center of each. If using
cherries, place in
thumbprint. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until set. Cool.
If you did not use cherries, fill
thumbprints with jelly or tinted icing. I collect jellies and
would use something exotic
in these cookies -- guava, passionfruit, lemon marmalade, etc.
VIENNESE CRESCENTS
Cream
1 cup butter
Add
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 cup ground almonds
1 teas vanilla
Mix well. Shape into crescents, 3 inches by l inch. Roll in
Confectioner's sugar.
Bake 35 minutes at 300 o. Cool, roll in sugar again.
RUSSIAN BALLS
Use Viennese Crescents recipe but increase sugar to 1/2 cup and use 2
cups
pecans in place of the almonds. Shape in balls the size of large
marbles. Follow
baking and rolling instructions.
WHITE COOKIES
One of the many men who passed through Lisa's life left this
recipe. It definitely had
a most interesting and unexpected flavor. The dough is quite soft
and requires
frequent chilling. I have an unheated sunroom so on a cold day
this isn't much of a
problem.
2 sticks butter
3 1/2 cups flour
2 cups white sugar
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
Cream sugar and butter; add eggs. Add try ingredients. This
makes a very soft
dough. Gather into a ball and place in freezer. Break off
about 1/4 of the dough and
return rest to freezer. Roll thin between two sheets of waxed
paper -- if dough is too
soft you may want to return to freezer before cutting. Cut into
shapes and bake at
350 o for 10-12 minutes. Do not brown. The cookies
should be white, but with a
spicy taste.