Christmas Cookies (Part Two)

Posted on December 17, 2011 by lmsinca

I didn’t have time to take a fancy photo or do a collage like my daughter did but wanted to get these other recipes out before the weekend blows by.  Upper left is Vanilla Bean Shortbread, top center is variation of Apricot/Oatmeal cookie made with cherries and chocolate, top right are cookie cutters (my grandma’s recipe), bottom left aren’t very fancy but they’re awesome tasting Christmas Crinkle sugar cookies (variation is on first photo the half pink/half white Cherry Crinkles, bottom right are Peppermint and center bottom are yummy Snowball Chippers (coconut and chocolate that tastes more like candy).

VanillaBean Shortbread Cookies
Makesabout 60 (I think)
Ingredients:
4 cups flour
½ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp sea salt
1 lb. unsalted butter
1 cup powdered sugar
½ tsp vanilla
1 vanilla bean
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350
Beat butter until light andfluffy.  Add the powdered sugar, bakingpowder, salt and beat again.  Add thevanilla and paste from inside the vanilla bean. Add flour in to additions and stir until everything comes together in athick dough.
Divide into two equal parts, wrapand refrigerate for one hour.  Roll outto ¼” to ½” thickness and cut with cutters and place on parchment lined cookiesheets and decorate with colored  sugar(Iuse gold) or cinnamon/sugar and a square fluted edged cutter.
Bake for 7 to 10 minutes.
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                                                                Rolled Sugar Cookies

                                                                Makes about 6 Dozen

Ingredients:
2 1/3 cups flour
¼ tsp soda
¾ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt (scant)
½ cup butter plus 1 tbs
½ tsp orange extract
¼ tsp lemon extract
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup sour cream
 Directions:
 Cream butter, then add extracts and sugar.  Beat in egg until fluffy.  Stir in flour, soda, baking powder and saltalternately with sour cream.  Chill in fridgefor about an hour then roll out on floured cutting board and cut intoshapes.  Decorate as desired.  Bake about 13 minutes at 375.
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White ChristmasCrinkles
(See variation belowfor cherry cookies)
Makes 48 cookies
Ingredients:
4 ounces white baking chocolate or chips
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup buttermilk or sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
Sugar and red sprinkles
Melt white chocolate over low heat and set aside tocool.  Stir together flour, baking sodaand ¼ tsp salt and set aside.
Beat butter with electric mixer on medium speed for about 30seconds.  Add the sugar and beat till wellcombined.  Add buttermilk, whitechocolate, egg and vanilla until well mixed. Cover and chill for about an hour.
Shape dough into 1 inch balls and roll in coloredsugar.  Bake at 375 for about 10 minutes.
Cherry cookie variation: We add chopped maraschino cherries to the batter and omit rolling themin sugar.  After baking dip ½ of cookieinto melted white chocolate and roll that edge in red sugar.
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SnowballChippers
Makesabout 6 dozen
Ingredients:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup sour cream
2 TBS butter, melted
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups shredded coconut
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
4 ounced semisweet chocolatesquares (for dipping)
Directions:
Beat sugar, sour cream, butterand egg white in large bowl.  Add flourand baking powder until just blended. Beat in vanilla and coconut and then stir in chocolate chips.
Heat oven to 325 and line cookiesheets with parchment paper, lightly coated with vegetable spray.  Shape dough in ¾ inch balls and pace 1 inchapart on cookie sheets.  Bake one pan ata time for 18 to 20 minutes until coconut begins to brown.  Cool
Lay out wax paper on cookiesheets and dip bottoms of cooled cookies in melted chocolate and place on waxpaper.   Place cookie sheets in fridgeuntil the chocolate hardens.

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Christmas Cookie Recipes (Part One)

Posted on December 16, 2011 by lmsinca
Here are a few recipes for most of the cookies above.  I left out the Santas and the second picture from the top right is actually toffee.  If anyone is dying to make candy let me know, otherwise I’ll leave that recipe out as well.  I make money off that stuff so I sometimes hesitate to give it out but will do so for you guys if you really want it.

Please don’t blame me for the added pounds, these are not calorie friendly, but hey it’s Christmas.  Cooking times may vary, depending on your oven so be careful.  I generally use unsifted, unbleached flour and unsalted butter for all these recipes.  First up for Mike and ash is the Coffee Kisses recipe (upper right corner of photo).

Coffee Kisses
For Cookie Press (makes only 20 cookies)
 
Ingredients:

½ cup butter, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp instant coffee
2 TBS hot water
1 large egg
1 ½ cup unsifted all-purposeflour

Filling:
¼ cup butter, softened
1 cup confectioner sugar
1 TBS Kahlua
Chocolate candy sprinkles
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.  In electric mixer beat butter with granulatedsugar until light and fluffy.  In cup,dissolve instant coffee in hot water and beat into butter mixture and add egg (itwill look terrible at this point) then add flour gradually.
Load gun with dough and stardisc.  Press them onto ungreased cookiesheet and bake about 8 minutes until edged begin to brown.  Cool.
Combine filling ingredients andput a generous amount between two cookies. Gently squeeze the edges until a little frosting leaks out and then rollthe edges in chocolate sprinkles.
We generally double this recipewith no problem.   I always test a trayin the oven with only 4 to 6 cookies on it to make sure they hold their shapeas the dough is very soft.  Sometimes Ineed to add a little flour to the dough (about 1 or 2 TBS).
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                                                           Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies
                                                                     (2nd pic on top left)
                                                          For cookie press (about 4 dozen)
 
   
 
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½ cup butter, softened
1 3oz. pkg. cream cheese
½ cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp lemon extract
1 TBS grated lemon peel
1 ¾ cups flour
½ tsp salt
Directions:
1.        Beat butter and cream cheese thoroughly
2.        Add sugar gradually, continuing to beat untillight and fluffy
3.        Add egg yolk, lemon extract and lemon peel andbeat well
4.        Add flour and salt gradually and mix well
5.       Separatedough in thirds and color one batch red and one green
6.        Fill and assemble gun and press onto ungreasedcookie sheet
7.       Decoratewith colored sugar
8.        Bake 14-17 minutes at 350 on ungreased cookie sheet until justturning golden around the edge.
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Red Velvet Whoopiepie recipe (to add peppermint, see below)
(top left corner of photo)

Ingredients:

2cups  all-purpose flour
2TBS unsweetened cocoa powder
½tsp baking soda
¼tsp salt
½cup butter, softened
1cup packed brown sugar
1egg
1tsp vanilla
½cup buttermilk
1TBS red food coloring
1recipe Whoopie Pie Filling, recipe below


Directions:
Gold Medal Enriched Bleached Presifted Flour, All-Purpose $2.99
Enriched Bleached Presifted Flour, All-Purpose
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Comstock Pie Filling or Topping, Apple $2.49
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Preheatoven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment; set aside. In mediumbowl combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Inlarge mixing bowl beat butter on medium to high 30 seconds. Beat in brown sugaruntil light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Alternately add flour mixtureand buttermilk, beating after each addition just until combined. Stir in foodcoloring.

Spoonbatter in 1- or 2-inch diameter rounds, about 1/2-inch high on prepared bakingsheets, allowing 1 inch between each round.

Bake7 to 9 minutes for 1-inch cookies or 9 to 11 minutes for 2-inch cookies, oruntil tops are set. Cool completely on baking sheets on rack. Remove cooledcookies from baking sheets.

Tofill, dollop Whoopie Pie Filling on flat sides of half the cookies. Top withremaining cookies, flat sides down. Makes 60 one-inch or 42 two-inch cookies.

WhoopiePie Filling: In medium mixing bowl beat 1/4 cup softened butter and half an8-ounce package softened cream cheese until smooth. Fold in one 7-ounce jarmarshmallow creme.

**Add1 tsp peppermint extract to filling and as soon as cookies come out of the ovenadd crushed peppermint to half of the cookies. With the crushed peppermint they need to be shipped or eaten fairlyquickly as you cannot freeze them very well.

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ApricotOatmeal Cookies (my personal favorite)
(bottom left corner of photo)
Forcherry chocolate variation see below
Makesabout 5 dozen
Ingredients:
¾ cup snipped dried apricots
¾ cup butter
1 ¾ cup all purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp baking soda
2 cups rolled oats
½ cup chopped walnuts orhazelnuts
Powdered sugar frosting(optional)
Directions:
Place snipped apricots in a smallbowl and cover with boiling water.  Letstand for about 5 minutes and then drain.
In large mixing bowl beat butteron medium to high speed until softened. Add about half the flour, the brown sugar, sugar, egg, baking powder,vanilla, cinnamon and baking soda.  Beattill thorough combined.  Beat or stir inremaining flour.  Stir in oats, nuts and apricots.
Drop by rounded teaspoon 2 inchesapart on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 375 for about 10 minutes.  Cool
Drizzle powdered sugar frostingover them when completely cool.
I just combine about a cup ofpowdered sugar with a little milk to get the consistency I want.
**Cherry chocolatevariation-Substitute dried cherries for apricots and add about ¾ cup minichocolate chips, drizzle with melted semi-sweet chocolate.


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