Christmas Cookies
 

We plan to spend Sunday baking and wrapping.

got any good cookie recipes that don't require martha stewart's kitchen to produce? What kind are your favorite?

I like toll house....cuz theyre the best....

These are yummy, and I don't even like nuts much:

“BEST DAMN COOKIES”

1 3/4 sticks (14 T) butter, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar, plus additional for coating
2 cups flour
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
2 t vanilla
1 t water

1. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat the butter and 1/4 cup of the powdered sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.
2. Into a bowl sift the flour and beat it into the butter mixture with the walnuts, the vanilla, and the water.
3. Chill the dough for 1 hour, or until it is firm enough to hold a shape, and form it into small date-shaped ovals.
4. Bake the cookies in batches on ungreased baking sheets in the middle of a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they are pale golden.
5. Roll them immediately in the additional powdered sugar.

Makes about 60 cookies

We're also doing baking on Sunday. I'd like to do gingerbread men (no recipe yet); and Italian knot cookies, which are the exact cookie version of fine Colombian cocaine.

...

I can't reach the cookbook at the moment, but I'll post the Italian Knot Cookie recipe sometime very soon.

Chocolate/Vanilla pinwheel cookies! They're not very labor intensive - no rolling and cutting - and they store really well.

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter plus 1 tablesppon butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ounce semisweet chocolate
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
(Optional: 1/4 tsp peppermint extract)

1. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. In a different bowl, beat 1/2 cup butter and sugar at medium speed until creamy. Reduce speed to low, and beat in the egg and vanilla until well blended (add the peppermint in when you add the vanilla, if you're using it). Next beat in the flour mixture until just combined. Transfer half the dough out to a sheet of wax/parchment paper.
2. In a saucepan, melt the chocolate and the 1 Tbsp butter over very low heat. (Can also be done in the microwave -- usually 10 second bursts at 50% power). Stir in the cocoa powder until combined. Add the chocolate mixture to the remaining dough in the bowl, and stir until combined.
3. Roll the chocolate dough out into a 12" by 10" rectangle between two sheets of wax/parchment paper. Do the same thing with the vanilla dough. Peel off the top sheets of wax paper and then flip the vanilla dough onto the chocolate dough. Using the edge of the paper for help, roll the dough up like a jelly-roll. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and freeze for four hours.
4. Preheat oven to 375F. Cover two big cookie sheets with parchment paper.
5. Slice the dough into 1/4 inch thick coins. Place the slices on the cookie sheets, about 1/2 an inch apart.
6. Bake until golden, about 10-12 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes when you pull them out, then transfer them to a cooling rack to let them cool completely.

just remember . . . artificial vanilla is made from wood shavings.

ick.

It's made from Ponderosa Pines...doesn't bother me, they smell very yummy.

thanks, choco....the pinwheels are a childhood standard.....my dad's side of the family......

cloud....what kind of cookies does that recipe make? got a pic?

Shit, my cookbook is many miles away.

My Mum's Chocolate Rough Cookies are the best and easiest things ever.

They are really just Cocoa, Condensed Milk, SR Flour and Coconut.

These are popular at Christmas time here....

Coconut Ice

Preparation Time

10 minutes
Cooking Time

5 minutes
Makes

48
Ingredients

* 250g copha
* 500g desiccated coconut
* 1 x 750g pkt icing sugar mixture
* 4 egg whites, lightly whisked
* 125ml (1/2 cup) coconut cream
* 2-3 drops red liquid food colouring
* 2-3 drops green liquid food colouring

Method

1. Line the base and 2 opposite sides of 2 square 20cm (base measurement) cake pans with non-stick baking paper, allowing it to overhang slightly.
2. Melt the copha in a medium saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat and set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly.
3. Divide desiccated coconut, icing sugarand egg white evenly among 2 bowls. Add half the copha, half the coconutcream and red food colouring to 1 bowl, and stir until well combined and evenlycoloured. Divide pink coconut mixture among prepared pans. Press evenly overthe base and smooth the surface.
4. Repeat with the remaining coconut mixture, copha, coconut cream and the green food colouring. Press evenly overpink coconut ice and smooth the surface.
5. Cover with plastic wrap and place inthe fridge for 2 hours to set.
6. Remove from the fridge and setaside for 10 minutes to bring to room temperature. Use a 4cm-diameter star-shaped pastry cutter and a 4cm-long Christmas-tree-shaped pastry cutter to cut 24 shapes from each pan.

Notes & tips

* You can make these coconut-ice stars and trees up to 2 days ahead. Store in an airtight container out of direct sunlight.

I make these a fair bit...

Muesli Cookies

1 cup untoasted muesli
½ cup plain flour
½ cup desiccated coconut
½ cup finely chopped dried apricots
¼cup currants
¼ cup brown sugar
90g butter
2 tablespoons maple syrup
¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to moderate, 180°C. Lightly grease 2 large baking trays.

2. In a medium bowl, combine muesli, flour, coconut, apricots currants and sugar.

3. Melt butter and syrup in a small saucepan on low heat. Stir in bicarbonate of soda. Make a well in dry ingredients. Add butter mixture, and mix until well combined.

4. Drop tablespoons of mixture onto trays, leaving a 4cm space between each biscuit (this allows for spreading). Press lightly with a fork to form a round.

5. Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden. Cool on trays.

LJ, sorry I don't have a pic. They make smallish, powdered-sugar covered cookies. Put the walnuts in a ziplock back and smash 'em.

Christmastime recipes
 

Not cookies, but appropriate for the season.

My favorite Christmas cookbook is The Frugal Gourmet Celebrates Christmas by Jeff Smith. (Yes, I know he was disgraced, but I still like the cookbook.) In it, there are all sorts of recipes to celebrate Christmas during the Advent season or for the Christmas table. Among them:

Flower Salad for Mary: Put together a mixed green salad with edible flowers. Dress with a light vinaigrette. Mary is the “Flower of Heaven.”

For Joseph: Dates, Figs & Olives

For Baby Jesus: Milk and Honey; Birthday Cake

For the Angels: Angel Hair Pasta With a creamy sauce.

For the manger animals: Straw and Hay (Regular pasta and spinach pasta.)

there was something for the tax collectors, too, but I forget what it was. Bitter greens, maybe?

Beest requests a good chocolate chip cookie recipe, please.

Swiss hearts
 

4 1/2 cups almonds (finely ground in a food processor)
6 1oz. squares unsweetened chocolate
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
4-8 Tbsp flour (depends on size of eggs)
6 egg whites (beaten until stiff)

Melt chocolate
Combine ground almonds, sugar, cinnamon, and flour
Mix in melted chocolate
Mix in eggs whites

Cool a little so dough stiffens
Roll dough to 1/4" thick on sugar covered board
Cut out hearts and place on sugar covered cookie sheets (you can put them close together because they don't spread)
Let stand at least 3 hours to dry out
Bake in 275 degree oven for 15-20 minutes
Makes about 7-8 dozen

Gingerbread
 

This is the best gingerbread I've had. It's very sturdy if you want to do construction with it. And yummy.

5 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 cup shortening
1 Tbsp. ground ginger
1 cup white sugar
1 cup molassas

frosting
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
2 egg whites
1/2 tsp vanilla

Melt shortening in saucepan large enough for mixing dough. Mix in sugar and molassas. Mix well. Stir together flour, salt baking soda, nutmeg and ginger. Gradually stir in 4 cups of flour mixture. Work in remaining flour mixture with hands.

Roll to 1/4 " thickness and cut out as desired. Place on a cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 degrees (190 degrees C) for 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before removing to cooling rack.

Frosting
Mix together powdered sugar and cream of tartar. Add egg whites and vanilla. Beat on high speed until frosting holds it shape. If necessary, add more powdered sugar to thicken. Cover frosting bowl with a damp cloth to prevent drying.


Cloud, your recipe is known as Gramma Pete's butterballs in my house. Also one of my favorites. You can smell the butter as soon as you're in the same room with them.

Toll house is the classic, but they come out kind of too crispy for me. Here's a link you might like: Alton Browns' three versions of chocolate chip cookies, the Thin, the Puffy, and the Chewy.

Three Chips for Sister Marsha

Have not tried them, but if you do, please let me know.

And Pete--butterballs, yum!

How about a favorite snickerdoodle recipe?