Keep up the Cookie Baking Spirit! Are you scheduled to bring cookies to many gatherings over the upcoming holidays? Perhaps as many as 10 dozen or more? Don't become overwhelmed. Tune in to the holiday music, preheat the oven, bring out your favorite cookie recipes, and remember, "tis the season to bake cookies!" Your children can join in the fun and help you. If you are looking for some new holiday cookie recipe ideas, here are a few of our favorites to consider trying.
Hershey Kiss Cookies (One of Judy's favorites)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
30 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Milk Chocolates
1/2 cup ground almonds, pecans or walnuts
Directions:
1. Beat butter, sugar, egg and vanilla in medium bowl until well blended. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; add to butter mixture, beating well. If necessary refrigerate dough until firm enough to handle.
2. Remove wrappers from chocolate pieces. Heat oven to 350°F. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in ground nuts. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until almost no imprint remains when touched lightly in center. Remove from oven; immediately press a chocolate piece into center of each cookie. Carefully remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. Chocolate should be set before storing. About 2-1/2 dozen cookies.
Another favorite holiday cookie recipe of Judy's that can be found online is the classic Candy Cane Cookie recipe from Betty Crocker. Judy also recommends the Vegan Clementine Cookie. A delicious cookie recipe which is being shared for this post by the Vegetarian Librarian (Judy's daughter).
Vegan Clementine Cookies
Ingredients:
7/8 cup vegan shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 tbs. vanilla
Egg Substitute, the equivalent of 2 eggs
2 cups flour
2/3 cup cornmeal
1/4 tsp. salt
Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
the juice and zest of 2 clementine oranges
Directions:
Combine dry ingredients in medium sized bowl, set aside. Cream shortening, vanilla and sugar with an electric hand mixer in large bowl. In separate bowl, use electric hand mixer to whip 3 tsp. of egg substitute with 4 tbs. of water until frothy. Add egg substitute mixture to shortening mixture. When combined, gradually add dry ingredients. Drop on ungreased cookie sheet by rounded teaspoons.
Bake at 350 degrees for 12 - 14 minutes, until the bottoms begin to brown. Cool on wire rack.
Combine ingredients for the glaze, adding extra powdered sugar if too thin. Dip tops in glaze and let set on wire rack. Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies.
Now for some favorites from Liz:
Rogaliki (literally meaning little horns because of the cookie's crescent shape)
Ingredients:
1 cup milk, lukewarm
1 cup butter, melted
2 pkgs of dry yeast
1 egg
1 egg for egg wash
4 cups of flour
Jam filling (I like the solo brand almond or raspberry cake and pastry filling or thick jam)
Directions:
Dissolve 2 pkg dry yeast in 1/2 cup of lukewarm milk. Let rest for 10 minutes. Sift flour into bowl. Add yeat mixture, remaining milk, 1 egg (beat with fork before adding), 1 cup of melted butter. Mix to form dough. Remove dough from bowl and divide up, shaping into 4 balls. Cover each part with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Take out one piece at a time and roll out into about 1/4" thick circle on floured surface. Start at the center and cut into eight triangles (like slicing a pie). At base of each triangle, place a teaspoonful of filling and roll up towards peak. Arrange on lightly greased baking sheet, bend the ends towards each other, to create the crescent shape. Take the remiaing egg and beat with fork. Brush rogaliki with egg. Allow to rest for dough to rise a little. Bake at 350 degrees F until golden brown. Yummy!
Pierniki (honey-spice cookies, similar to gingerbread cookies)
Recipe from: The Polish Country Kitchen Cookbook
Since the middle ages, the polish city of Torun has been famous for its baking of honey-spice cookies and cakes. Traditionally, the unbaked dough should rest for weeks to yield the most flavorful cookie. The dough would be prepared around the feasts of St. Andrew (November 29) or St. Lucy (December 13) and then baked on Christmas Day. Presently, this cookie is also popular for the feast of Saint Nicolas (December 6). There are many versions of the traditional recipe, some including ginger.
Ingredients:
2 cups of flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t cloves
2 T butter
1 egg
3 T sugar
1/2 cup honey
1 egg yolk
30 whole almonds
Directions:
Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and set aside. In a large mixer, beat butter with egg, sugar, honey until blended. Add flour mixture and beat until combined. Cover and chill overnight. Next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. On a light floured surface, roll out half the dough at a time to 1/8 inch thickness. Keep remaining dough chilled. Cut with cookie cutters or a glass. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Lightly brush cookies with beaten egg yolk. Press 1 almond into center of each cookie. Bake 8-10 minutes. If desired, use a drinking straw to make a ¼ inch hole near the top of the cookies before baking. After baking and cooling, thread ribbon through the hole and tie a bow or make a loop for a tree ornament. Also, icing or glazes can be used for decorating these cookies. My favorite is Nutella!
Hershey Kiss Cookies (One of Judy's favorites)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
30 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Milk Chocolates
1/2 cup ground almonds, pecans or walnuts
Directions:
1. Beat butter, sugar, egg and vanilla in medium bowl until well blended. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; add to butter mixture, beating well. If necessary refrigerate dough until firm enough to handle.
2. Remove wrappers from chocolate pieces. Heat oven to 350°F. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in ground nuts. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until almost no imprint remains when touched lightly in center. Remove from oven; immediately press a chocolate piece into center of each cookie. Carefully remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. Chocolate should be set before storing. About 2-1/2 dozen cookies.
Another favorite holiday cookie recipe of Judy's that can be found online is the classic Candy Cane Cookie recipe from Betty Crocker. Judy also recommends the Vegan Clementine Cookie. A delicious cookie recipe which is being shared for this post by the Vegetarian Librarian (Judy's daughter).
Vegan Clementine Cookies
Ingredients:
7/8 cup vegan shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 tbs. vanilla
Egg Substitute, the equivalent of 2 eggs
2 cups flour
2/3 cup cornmeal
1/4 tsp. salt
Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
the juice and zest of 2 clementine oranges
Directions:
Combine dry ingredients in medium sized bowl, set aside. Cream shortening, vanilla and sugar with an electric hand mixer in large bowl. In separate bowl, use electric hand mixer to whip 3 tsp. of egg substitute with 4 tbs. of water until frothy. Add egg substitute mixture to shortening mixture. When combined, gradually add dry ingredients. Drop on ungreased cookie sheet by rounded teaspoons.
Bake at 350 degrees for 12 - 14 minutes, until the bottoms begin to brown. Cool on wire rack.
Combine ingredients for the glaze, adding extra powdered sugar if too thin. Dip tops in glaze and let set on wire rack. Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies.
Now for some favorites from Liz:
Rogaliki (literally meaning little horns because of the cookie's crescent shape)
Ingredients:
1 cup milk, lukewarm
1 cup butter, melted
2 pkgs of dry yeast
1 egg
1 egg for egg wash
4 cups of flour
Jam filling (I like the solo brand almond or raspberry cake and pastry filling or thick jam)
Directions:
Dissolve 2 pkg dry yeast in 1/2 cup of lukewarm milk. Let rest for 10 minutes. Sift flour into bowl. Add yeat mixture, remaining milk, 1 egg (beat with fork before adding), 1 cup of melted butter. Mix to form dough. Remove dough from bowl and divide up, shaping into 4 balls. Cover each part with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Take out one piece at a time and roll out into about 1/4" thick circle on floured surface. Start at the center and cut into eight triangles (like slicing a pie). At base of each triangle, place a teaspoonful of filling and roll up towards peak. Arrange on lightly greased baking sheet, bend the ends towards each other, to create the crescent shape. Take the remiaing egg and beat with fork. Brush rogaliki with egg. Allow to rest for dough to rise a little. Bake at 350 degrees F until golden brown. Yummy!
Pierniki (honey-spice cookies, similar to gingerbread cookies)
Recipe from: The Polish Country Kitchen Cookbook
Since the middle ages, the polish city of Torun has been famous for its baking of honey-spice cookies and cakes. Traditionally, the unbaked dough should rest for weeks to yield the most flavorful cookie. The dough would be prepared around the feasts of St. Andrew (November 29) or St. Lucy (December 13) and then baked on Christmas Day. Presently, this cookie is also popular for the feast of Saint Nicolas (December 6). There are many versions of the traditional recipe, some including ginger.
Ingredients:
2 cups of flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t cloves
2 T butter
1 egg
3 T sugar
1/2 cup honey
1 egg yolk
30 whole almonds
Directions:
Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and set aside. In a large mixer, beat butter with egg, sugar, honey until blended. Add flour mixture and beat until combined. Cover and chill overnight. Next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. On a light floured surface, roll out half the dough at a time to 1/8 inch thickness. Keep remaining dough chilled. Cut with cookie cutters or a glass. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Lightly brush cookies with beaten egg yolk. Press 1 almond into center of each cookie. Bake 8-10 minutes. If desired, use a drinking straw to make a ¼ inch hole near the top of the cookies before baking. After baking and cooling, thread ribbon through the hole and tie a bow or make a loop for a tree ornament. Also, icing or glazes can be used for decorating these cookies. My favorite is Nutella!
A variation on the Hershey Kiss cookies is this recipe for Peanut Butter Blossoms:
ReplyDelete1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar + set aside 1/2 cup sugar(optional)*
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 dozen chocolate kisses
Cream peanut butter and sugar.
Add egg and vanilla and mix well.
Roll dough into 1 10 1 1/2" balls.
*Optional: roll ball in sugar that was set aside.
Place 2" apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 for approx. 10 minutes or until tops begin to crack.
Remove from oven and immediately press chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie.
Cool 5 minutes then carefully remove to wire rack.
Do not move until cooled completely and chocolate is set.
Yields about 2 dozen cookies.
Kids love to help with these: unwrapping hershey kisses, rolling balls in sugar, and putting kisses into cookies (supervise to prevent burns) kept my 4 year old girls happy and occupied for nearly an hour last year!