Along with gift-giving, snowball fights, and family gatherings, holiday cookies have become a seasonal American tradition. While the shelves of local stores are stocked with red and green artificial treats and pre-made dough rolls with reindeer faces, nothing compares to homemade, just-outof- the-oven cookies. Not only are these sweets perfect holiday gifts for neighbors and friends, but they also allow you to spend some quality time in the kitchen with those closest to you. So grab some basic ingredients, an apron, and your closest friends or loved ones to start a new holiday tradition with the recipes below. (These recipes and more are found at www.christimas- cookies.com)Peanut Blossoms
1 bag (8oz) Hersheyʼs Kisses
1 egg
1/2 cup shortening
2 tablespoons milk
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
granulated sugar
Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Remove candy wrappers. In large bowl, beat shortening and peanut butter until well blended. Add 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar and all of the brown sugar; beat until light and fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to peanut butter mixture. Shape dough into One inch balls. Roll in the rest of the granulated sugar; place on un-greased cookie sheet. Bake eight to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately place kiss on top of each cookie, pressing down so cookie cracks around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.
Seven-Layer Magic Bars
1/2 cup butter or
margarine
1 1/2 cups graham
cracker crumbs
1 14-oz. can sweetened
condensed
milk
1 cup butterscotch
flavored chips
1 cup semi-sweet
chocolate chips
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350øF, (325øF for glass dish). Line a 13×9-inch baking pan with a sheet of foil, making sure to cover the sides well. Place the butter in the baking pan and melt it in the oven. Sprinkle crumbs over butter; pour condensed milk evenly on top of crumbs. Top with remaining ingredients in order listed; press down firmly with fork. Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Chill if desired. Cut into bars. Store covered at room temperature.
Chocolate Cherry Kris Kringles
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
20 to 25 maraschino cherries
20 to 25 chocolate chips , plus one cup chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350ø F. Cream sugar and margarine well. Add vanilla, flour and salt. Mix well. Stuff each cherry with a chocolate chip, then wrap in one teaspoon dough. Bake on un-greased cookie sheet for 12 to 15 minutes. Cool. Melt one cup chocolate chips in the top of a double boiler over low heat or in the microwave, and dip top of cookies in melted chocolate
The Ultimate Sugar Cookie
3/4 cup Golden Crisco or Butter-
flavored Crisco (shortening)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Colored decorations or icing
Cream Crisco, sugar, eggs and vanilla in large mixer bowl at medium speed of electric mixer until light and creamy. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to creamed mixture, mixing on low speed until well blended. Cover dough and chill 1 hour, if desired, for easy rolling. Preheat oven to 375øF. Roll half of dough at a time. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Using a cookie cutter, cut in desired shapes. Place on un-greased baking sheets. Roll leftover pieces. Sprinkle with colored decorations or leave plain to decorate when cool. Bake at 375øF for eight to 10 minutes, or until edges are light brown. (Time will vary with cookie size.) Cool slightly, then remove to cooling rack.
Andes Mint Cookies
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons water
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 ounces Andes mints
Pecan halves
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F degrees. In a large bowl, cream sugars and butter or margarine. Add eggs and water. Beat well. Mix flour, baking soda and salt well. Add gradually to egg mixture. Chill dough overnight (it is important that the dough be well chilled). Wrap each mint completely in cookie dough. Place two inches apart on lightly greased cookie sheets and put a nut half on top of each cookie. Bake seven to nine minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool thoroughly on wire racks
Lemon Slice Cookies
2 cups unbleached flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 large lemons
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons
granulated sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
On a sheet of waxed paper, stir together flour, baking powder and salt. From lemons, grate one tablespoon of zest and squeeze two tablespoons juice. In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat butter, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and powdered sugar until creamy. Beat in vanilla, lemon zest and juice until blended. Reduce speed to low and beat in flour mixture just until combined. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into six inch long log. Wrap each log in waxed paper and refrigerate dough overnight. Preheat oven to 350øF. Keeping remaining log refrigerated, cut one log into scant 1/4 inch thick slices. Place slices, 1 1/2 inches apart, on un-greased large cookie sheet. Sprinkle lightly with some of remaining two tablespoons granulated sugar. Bake 12 minutes or until lightly browned at edges. Cool on cookie sheet on wire rack 2 minutes. With wide spatula, transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough and sugar.
Butterscotch Gingerbread
People
1 small box butterscotch pudding
mix (cook & serve)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
decorations or icing
Preheat oven to 350øF. Cream pudding mix, butter and brown sugar in a mixing bowl. Beat egg in. Add dry ingredients and mix until blended. Roll out on floured board and cut with cookie cutters. Add candy buttons, cinnamon candy hearts or other decorations as desired. Bake for approximately 10 minutes and cool on baking sheet five minutes before removing to a cooling rack. Cookies may then be decorated with icing as desired. Makes approximately 12 large cookies, many smaller ones, depending on size of cookie cutters.
Oatmeal Snickerdoodles
1 cup margarine or butter
3/4 cup brown sugar; packed
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 3/4 cup flour, all purpose
2 cups oats, old fashioned
2 teaspoons cinnamon, ground
1 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease cookie sheet. In large bowl, beat together butter, brown sugar and 3/4 cup granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs; mix well. In medium bowl, combine flour, oats, one teaspoon cinnamon, soda and salt. Add to sugar mixture; mix well. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. In small bowl, combine remaining one tablespoon sugar and one teaspoon cinnamon; sprinkle lightly over each cookie. Bake eight to 10 minutes. Cool one minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire cooling rack.