Part of Christmas at my house is the joy of Christmas baking. I have such wonderful memories of baking with my mother, my daughter, and so many friends. You bake, you eat, you laugh, and you feel the true meaning of friendship and Christmas. It is not only the delicious end result, it is the delightful process. There are the cookies you make every year, like gingerbread, iced sugar cookies, and cookie press cookies, and many new ones to try.
There are so many parties to have around cookies. Everyone loves a cookie swap party when each guest brings a plate of homemade cookies, and the cookies are the refreshments, and then a sampling of the cookies are packaged to take home or share. Invite a small group of children for a cookie baking party, let them eat all they desire, and then let them package cookies for teachers, neighbors, and friends or take the children with small packages to retirement homes to distribute. A small package of cookies in the hands of a smiling child will brighten anyone’s day. In my neighborhood, we also share baked good with our firemen and policemen just to say “Thank you and Merry Christmas.”
For special memories, begin baking and sharing cookies for Christmas. It will become a very special tradition. Enjoy some of my favorite cookies from special friends!
Gingerbread Cookies
Cookies:
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
½ cup blackstrap molasses
½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup water
Icing:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
4 teaspoons milk
For garnish: sprinkles
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For cookies, in a bowl, whisk together flour, spices, soda, and salt; set aside. With mixer, beat butter, molasses, and brown sugar together. Slowly beat in flour mixture in three parts alternating with water. Place dough on floured surface, and with floured hands work flour into dough until no longer sticky. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 3 hours to overnight. On lightly floured surface, roll dough to ¼-inch thick, and cut with cutter. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 7 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire rack. For icing, whisk together sugar and milk until smooth and creamy. Pipe on cookies to decorate. Sprinkle with sprinkles
Yield: 3 dozen
Italian Sugar Cookies
1½ sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 (20-ounce) bags sugar cookie mix
2 eggs
1 (6-ounce) bag craisins, coarsely chopped
1 (12-ounce) package white chocolate morsels
1 (14.5-ounce) can deluxe pistachio mix with almonds and cashews, coarsely chopped and lightly toasted
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. With mixer, cream butter and cookie mix. Beat in eggs. Stir in craisins, chocolate morsels, and nuts. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire rack.
Yield: 4 dozen
Madalyn Hindman, Jackson
Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3 ounces cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
For garnish: sprinkles
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With mixer, cream butter, cream cheese, and sugar. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla. Beat in flour and salt. Place dough into cookie press with disk. Press dough onto an ungreased baking sheet. If desired, decorate with sprinkles. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, turning halfway through baking. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack.
Yield: 6 dozen
Brownie Cookies
1 (18.3-ounce) package brownie mix
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
¼ cup vegetable oil
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 (6-ounce) package milk chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With mixer, beat brownie mix, flour, eggs, oil, and vanilla until combined. Stir in chips. Spoon dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake for 8 to 9 minutes. Let cookies rest for 5 minutes before moving to wire rack.
Yield: 3 dozen
Shortbread Cookies
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1 teaspoon vanilla
3½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
With mixer, cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla. Beat in flour and salt. Roll into a ball, and chill for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough on a floured surface to ½-inch thick. Cook out with star cookie cutter. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
Yield:
Adapted from a recipe by Ina Garten
Claire Phillips, Madison
Fudgy Bonbons
1 (12-ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ stick unsalted butter
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
60 milk chocolate kisses, unwrapped
2 ounces white baking bark
1 teaspoon oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan over low heat, melt chips and butter. Stir in condensed milk and mix well. Stir in flour and vanilla. Shape 1 teaspoon of dough around each kiss making sure it is completely covered. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool completely on wire racks. In microwave on defrost, melt white baking bark and oil at 1 minute intervals until melted. Drizzle over bonbons.
Yield: 5 dozen
Kathryn Davis, Jackson
Fruitcake Cookies
1 pound candied fruit (red cherries and yellow pineapple), chopped
½ cup self-rising flour
¼ teaspoon salt
3½ ounces shredded sweetened coconut
2 cups chopped pecans
1 (15-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
Preheat oven to 275 degrees. In a bowl dredge fruit in flour. Stir in salt, coconut, and pecans. Thoroughly stir in condensed milk. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Store in an airtight container.
Yield: about 4 dozen
Sallie Kaufman, Brandon