A Gardeners Forum Forums Willy's Place Members Favorite Recipes Christmas Cookies

In the next 2 1/2 months, aproximately one million people will be visiting my Christmas cookie pages.
Please share your favorite cookie recipes with them by posting them here!

Cranberry Pinwheels

1 cup softened butter
1-8oz. package cream cheese, sofened
1/4 cup sugar

Filling..
1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp. water
1/4 cup orange marmalade
24 whole fresh cranberries
Confectioner's sugar

Cream butter, creamcheese, and sugar in a mixing bowl. Gradually beat in flour. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Bring 1/2 cup cranberries, sugar and water to a boil over medium heat in a saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 5-6 minutes or until berriespop. Remove from heat and stir in marmalade. Set aside.

Divide dough in half. On a floured surface, roll each portion into a 16 in.x12in.rectangle. Let stand for 20 minutes. With a sharp knife or pastry wheel, cut dough into 4 in. squares. Place 3 inches apart on a slightly grease baking sheet.

Spoon 1 teaspoon of filling into the center of each square. Cut through dough from each corner to within 1/2 in of the center. Fold alternating points to each center to form a pinwheel; pinch gently at center to seal the points together. Gently press a whole cranberry in the center of each cookie

Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned around edges. Remove to wire racks to cool. Dust with confectioners sugar.

2 dozen

This cookie recipe makes a nice moist chocolate cookie that is excellent for the holidays. It is easy to make and a good one to do with kids, as they can help roll the dough into balls and then roll


Enjoy!

Mike

Cocoa Snowflakes

1 cup flour
1tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
5 tbs. butter
6 tbs. cocoa
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 extra large eggs
1 cup finely chopped nuts (optional)
½ cup powdered sugar (to roll cookies in)


In a medium bowl, sift flour baking powder, and salt, and set aside. In a small heavy saucepan, melt butter over low heat, add cocoa, and blend well with a fork or small whisk until smooth. Remove pan from heat, stir in sugar until combined ( it will be dark brown at this point). Transfer to a large mixing bowl, add vanilla, and then eggs one at a time, stirring well with a wooden spoon or hand mixer after each addition. Add flour mixture and nuts if desired, mix well. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled (at least 2 hours). Preheat oven to 400*. Grab a handful of dough, enough for a cookie sheet, leaving the rest in the fridge. Roll each hunk of dough into a ¾ ball, and then roll in powdered sugar. It is easier to roll the dough into balls if coat your hands with powdered sugar. Place the balls onto a greased cookie sheet,2 inches apart.Bake cookies for 8 minutes@ 400*, let cool a minute then remove from pan. Store cookies in an airtight container to maintain the soft and chewy texture. If you like a crisper cookie, cook a minute longer, but be careful not to burn the bottoms of the cookies.

Yield: 40-60 cookies. Prep time 15 minutes plus 2 hours chilling time. Baking time: 8 minutes per pan.

I have seen this one called "Sinfuls" or "Mexican Wedding Cakes" What ever you call them, they are a super easy cookie to make,light,fluffy and tasty. They go very well with a good cup of coffee while staying up late and watching your favorite Christmas Movies.

1 cup butter (2 sticks) softened
½ cup powdered sugar
2 cups flour
1tsp vanilla
¼ tsp salt
½ cup powdered sugar (to roll finished cookies in)
(Optional)
Ground pecans
Cocoa
Cinnamon
Other flavors

Preheat oven to 400*. Cream butter, sugar and vanilla on high speed until fluffy. Add flour, and salt. Mix until combined. Roll the dough into small 1 inch balls in the palm of your hand. Place on a ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 400* for 10 minutes. Remove the cookies from the pan, and roll in sugar while still very warm. If sugar begins to melt, just re-roll.

Optional:

Mix 2 Tbs coco, and or 1/2 cup ground pecans into batter, and roll cookies in cinnamon sugar mixture.

Yield: about 48 cookies.
Prep time: 10 minutes before baking, 5 minutes rolling in sugar
Baking time: 40 minutes total.

When I first read this I didn't think I had anything to share. But my mind decided to chomp on the idea. What do you think.

Meringue cups with a twist. Rather than make the traditional cup shape. lift the meringue out with one of those little ice cream scoops bake as usual and then decorate to your hearts content. They would look like edible christmas tree ornaments. And of course they can be flavored any way you can think of. Pumpkin pie spice would be really nice that time of year. Well here is the recipe for meringue cups if you want it.

3 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup sugar
Dash salt

Let egg whites stand in a large mixing bowl about 1 hour or till they come to room temperature. Meanwhile, cover a baking sheet with plain brown paper or parchment sheets.

Add vanilla, cream of tartar and salt to egg whites. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed till soft peaks form. Add sugar one tablespoon at a time, beating on high speed till very stiff peaks form. Sugar should me mostly dissolved. Scoop the meringue out with small ice cream scooper and place gently on the brown paper.

Bake in a 300 degree F oven for about 40 minutes. Turn off oven and let shells dry in oven with the door shut. Store in airtight container until ready for decorating. Roll in honey and then roll in Sprinkles. Or if you are good with a pastry bag decorate with colored icing. Any decorating method would work as long as it is not to liquid as that would break down the meringue. I can't think of what could be used as a loop but if that could be done would a bunch of them on a minature tree be really cute as an edible table center piece.

does anyone know recipe for anise frosting / icing?

Pumpkin Squares

Prep time: 15 minutes Total time: 55 minutes

1 1/3 cup flour
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
3/4 cup 1 1/2 sticks cold butter or margarine
1 cup oats uncooked
1/2 cup chopped peacans
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese
3 eggs
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ginger

Preheat over to 350F. Grease baking pan.

Mix flour, brown sugar and 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar in medium bowl; cut in butter with pastry blender until

mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Stir in oats and pecans. Reserve 1 cup of the mixture. Press remaining mixture

onto botton of pan. Bake 15 minutes.

Beat cream cheese, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, eggs, pumpkin and spices in small bowl with electric mixer on medium

speed until well blended. Pour over crust; sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.

Bake 25 minutes. cool completely and then cut into 24 bars.

Makes 24 servings, 1 bar each.

Just add anise oil in place of your vanilla in your usual frosting recipe.

Adirondack,

Here is a Sicilian Anise Icing recipe from my family:

3 c. icing sugar
1 tbsp. anise extract
3 tbsp. melted butter
1/4 c. lukewarm milk

Sift icing sugar into a bowl and make a well. Add remaining ingredients and blend well. Add more milk if necessary to make icing easy to spread but not too thin. Frost cookies or cakes while still warm from the oven with a pastry brush. Icing will harden and cookies/cakes will freeze well. Sprinkle with confettini if desired.

Buona fortuna,
Julianna