Skip to main content

Christmas Cookies


In a good year, I usually make about 10 different kinds of Christmas cookies.

I didn't bake much this year - there wasn't time, it seemed, but mostly the motivation wasn't quite there. I made banket, and I made some sugar cookie cut-outs with the little Baker, and today we whipped up a batch of the classic Peanut Blossoms.

Here are a few of the recipes I had WANTED to make, but didn't get to this year:


Cranberry Walnut Pinwheels 
Wisconsin Electric Cookie Book (2002)

Dough1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cranberries
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
3 tablespoons orange marmalade
In a small bowl, combine cranberries, walnuts and marmalade.

In a medium size bowl, combine flour, baking power and salt; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; continue to beat until well mixed. Gradually add the reserved flour mixture, beating until the dry ingredients are moistened. Shape into a ball, cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or until easy to handle. Make Filling.

On a lightly floured surface, roll chilled dough into a 15 x 9-inch rectangle. Spread filling to within 1/2 inch of edges. Roll up tightly, beginning with the long side. Cut roll in half; wrap each half in plastic wrap. Chill several hours or overnight.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Slice cookies 1/2-inch thick; place on parchment lined or lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 13 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes 4 to 5 dozen. Great recipe for the holidays.

Cherry Almond Surprises 
Wisconsin Electric Cookie Book (1952)

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
6 tbsp. powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup almonds, finely chopped
1 pound candied cherries
Powdered sugar to coat

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Sift flour, powdered sugar and salt together. In a separate bowl, cream butter. Add evaporated milk to butter a little at a time; mix until smooth. Add almond extract, vanilla, sifted dry ingredients and nuts. Blend well. Flatten a level teaspoonful of dough in palm of hand. Place cherry in center. Bring dough around cherry to form a ball. Roll between palms until smooth. Place on greased cookie sheets. Bake at 400 degrees about 10 to 12 minutes. Roll cookies in powdered sugar while hot. Makes 4 to 5 dozen.

Peppermint Bark
 
1 pound (16 ounces) chopped bittersweet chocolate
½ teaspoon (or more to taste) peppermint extract
1 pound (16 ounces) chopped white chocolate
¾ cup chopped candy canes

Line an 11 x 17-inch baking sheet with foil and set aside.  Melt bittersweet chocolate in the top of a double boiler over lightly boiling water, stirring constantly. Stir in ¼ teaspoon of peppermint extract (or more to taste). Spread chocolate evenly onto the prepared sheet, using an off-set spatula. Chill until set, about 1 hour. Melt white chocolate in the top of a double boiler over lightly boiling water, stirring constantly. Stir in remaining ¼ teaspoon of peppermint extract, (or more to taste) then add candy canes and stir to combine.  Spread white chocolate mixture over chilled dark chocolate, spreading to the edge of the pan with an off-set spatula -wait until it's hard enough, or you'll get a "muddy" white chocolate layer.  Chill until set, about four hours or overnight. Refrigerate until just before serving, then break into pieces and serve or package as gifts. Will keep in fridge for about a month (if it lasts that long!).
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Layered Mexican Trifle Salad

So this is awesome.  It's a lot of work, but it is awesome.  Feeds a crowd, looks cool, tastes great.  What more can you ask for?  I first had this at a party, and then tracked down the recipe - I believe it was originally from Pampered Chef.  You can mix it up, but I really like this combo.  It's easy to double or whatever is needed, based on the serving dish.  The one pictured was MASSIVE, and was basically a triple batch - so much work, and at the last minute! Layered Mexican Trifle Salad I ngredients: Beans: drain, rinse and mix together 1 15 oz. can pinto beans and 1 15 oz. can black beans 1 15 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained (I've also used fresh) 1 large tomato, diced (I usually use several Roma tomatoes) 2 green bell peppers, diced 3 ripe avocadoes, diced and mashed with the juice of 1 lime and salt and pepper to taste 1 large onion, diced (red or white) 2 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded 2 cups cheddar or...
Read more

Skillet Chicken, Broccoli, Ziti & Asiago Cheese

We ALL really love this recipe. This is based on a recipe from the good people at Cooks Illustrated - I am grateful to them for getting my kids to happily eat sundried tomatoes and broccoli!  I've also made this in a huge batch and served it family-style for a dinner party (and got to use my giant Pampered Chef Simple Additions square pasta bowl (it's really big), and it was AWESOME).  If people could have licked the bowl clean, they might have - there was NOTHING left. Try this, and love it: Chicken, Broccoli, Penne and Asiago Cheese  Skillet 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch squares 2 tbsp. vegetable oil (or olive oil - just don't heat that to smoking) 1 medium onion, minced (about 1 cup) 3 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tbsp.) 1/4 tsp. dried oregano 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes 8 oz. ziti or penne (2 /12 cups) 3 c. water 2 c. low-sodium chicken broth 3-4 c. broccoli florets 1/4 c. sun-dried tomatoes in oil, rinsed and chop...
Read more

Another Take on Comfort Food

Sometimes there's nothing you can do but cook. I've had the displeasure of seeing 2 young moms in our school community recieve cancer diagnoses in the last 18 months.  If you're like me, when someone you know is hurting, you want to help, but lots of times, there's not much you can do. If you can cook, you can take away some of the stress of getting the family fed and bring a meal or two. In fact, even if you can't cook, you can pick up a meal at a restaurant or a bag of groceries, or even a gift card for a local restaurant. I think it comes naturally to some - the church and school communities I grew up in always loved with food - church potlucks, school spaghetti dinners, and of course lots of meals for people who needed them.  But not everyone has done this before, so it might be overwhelming.  As in my "feeding a crowd" blurb, there are a few things to keep in mind.   Don't try to impress - don't try new recipes.  Find out if you'r...
Read more