Is there anyone who can resist Christmas cookies?
Nothing brings to mind holiday warmth and
festivity more than the fragrance of
delicious cookies baking in the oven.
From the homeliest gingerbread people to the most heavenly divinity ... they’re always exactly the right size, they look so appealing; they taste so delicious; and satisfying, but not too filling. For many of us, baking Christmas cookies is among the
happiest of our childhood memories, calling up the aromas and flavors of that festive season and reminding us of pleasures shared with friends and with other family members. If your youth didn’t include the baking of Christmas cookies, why not create a tradition for your family and begin making them this year? This season, you can make the following special cookies for family and friends—for home entertaining as well as for gift giving. All you need is some basic baking tools, some time and some decorating imagination. The rest is
simple—just follow our
instructions and get ready to
make the best-looking, best-
tasting Christmas cookies
ever.
Experienced cookie bakers know all kinds of tips and shortcuts for baking cookies, like how to use a resealable plastic bag with the tip cut off instead of a hard-to-clean pastry bag for icing cookies. Here are more tricks of the trade.
When preparing rolled cookies, make sure there’s space in the refrigerator for chilling the dough and always chill the dough as the recipe directs. (Chilled dough is easier to handle.)
Use butter at the temperature the recipe specifies. Melted butter produces different results from chilled or softened butter.
To avoid burning, use heavy-gauge baking sheets with low edges, so air can circulate.
Check the oven temperature regularly with a reliable oven
thermometer.
To help them keep their shape, let cutout cookies rest on the
baking sheet for about 1 minute before removing the spatula. (Hot-from-the-oven cookies are pliable and apt to bend and
lose their shape, if moved.)
Cool baking sheets between batches of cookies. A fast way to do this is to run cool water over the bottom of the baking sheet, then dry it with a kitchen towel.
Have plenty of cooling racks handy; arrange cookies in a
single layer on racks to cool.
When making cookies with children, put the decorations
(colored sugar, sprinkles and so on) in bowls that won’t easily
tip over.
When chopping dried fruit, which can be sticky, chill the fruit first and spray the knife with nonstick cooking spray.
Yields 4 dozen cookies 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature ¾ cup sugar 2 large egg yolks 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract ¼ teaspoon salt 2¼ cups all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon red food color ¼ cup chopped peppermint candies
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, vanilla and salt and beat until combined. On low speed, gradually beat in the flour. Divide the dough in half. Mix the red food color and chopped peppermint candies into one-half of the dough. Place both halves of the dough in a bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until the dough is firm. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. For each cookie, roll 1 tablespoon of each dough into a 4-inch rope. Twist the two ropes together and curve into a candy cane shape. For wreaths, twist the two ropes together, form into a wreath and press the ends together. Decorate with silver and gold dragées. Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool for about 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. ½ teaspoon red food color ½ teaspoon green food color Silver and gold dragées for decoration
This recipe is from Mary Engelbreit’s Cookies Cookbook.
Yields 3 dozen crispers 1 package (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate bits ½ cup light corn syrup 1 can (3 ounces) chow mein noodles Cinnamon “red hots” Silver candy balls Candied red and green cherries, chopped or slivered
Combine chocolate bits, corn syrup and 1 tablespoon of water in a double boiler and heat over low heat until chocolate melts. Remove from heat and stir to blend. Add noodles and mix. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheets covered with waxed paper. Decorate tops with candies and cherries. Refrigerate to harden for 1½ hours. Store in covered tins at room temperature and eat within three days of making.
This recipe is from Christmas Cookies.
Yields 2½ dozen cookies 1 cup butter or margarine, softened 1½ cups sugar 1 large egg 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon cream of tartar ½ teaspoon salt 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten ¼ teaspoon water Assorted colors of food coloring Decorator sugar Vanilla and chocolate ready-to-spread frosting Chocolate candy bar sprinkles (optional) Chopped pecans (optional) Melted semisweet chocolate (optional) Red cinnamon candies (optional)
Beat butter at medium speed with an electic mixer for 2 minutes or until creamy. Gradually add 1½ cups sugar, beating well. Add egg and beat until blended. Combine flour, cream of tartar and salt; add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. Roll dough to ¼-inch thickness between two sheets
of wax paper. Remove paper; cut dough with cookie
cutters. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Combine egg yolk and water; stir well. Divide mixture among several cups. Tint with desired colors of food
coloring. Keep egg yolk paint covered until ready to use. Add a few drops of water if paint thickens too much. Using a small paintbrush or sea sponge, paint assorted designs on some cookies with egg yolk paint. Sprinkle some cookies with decorator sugar. (Some cookies will
be baked plain.) Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes. Let stand
1 minute on baking sheets. Carefully remove to wire racks to cool. Frost remaining cookies with vanilla and chocolate frosting and decorate as desired.
This recipe is from The Ultimate Southern Living Christmas Book.
Yields 4 to 5 dozen biscotti ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened 1½ cups sugar 3 eggs ¼ cup heavy cream ¼ teaspoon anise oil 1 teaspoon anise seed 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour 3 teaspoons baking powder
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, waiting until each is incorporated before adding the next one. Add the cream, anise oil and seeds, the flour and the baking powder and mix until a firm dough is formed.
Turn the dough out onto a work surface and form it into two logs approximately 24 inches long, adding more flour if needed for the logs to hold their shape. Place them on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 45 minutes, or until light golden brown. Remove from the oven and while still warm, slice each log diagonally into ¼-inch-thick slices. Return the slices to the cookie sheet cut side down and bake for 15 minutes more, turning after 7 to 8 minutes. Cool on wire racks. Store in an airtight container.
This recipe is from Mario Batali Holiday Food.
Yields 3 dozen cookies 2 cups all-purpose flour 1½ teaspoons ground ginger 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground allspice 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature ½ cup sugar ½ cup unsulphured molasses 1 large egg yolk Royal Icing
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, baking powder and baking soda.
Set aside. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the molasses and then the egg yolk. On low speed,
gradually beat in the flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Divide the dough into quarters, shape into disks and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Divide one of the pieces of dough in half and refrigerate the remaining pieces of dough. On a generously floured surface, roll out the dough to a ¼-inch thickness. Cut out cookies using 3-inch cookie cutters. Place the cookies about 1 inch apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for about 8 minutes, or until slightly firm. Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks. With a skewer, make a hole in the top of each cookie large enough
for a ribbon to fit through. Let the cookies
cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes, then
transfer them to wire racks to cool completely. Makes enough to decorate 6 dozen cookies. 1 large egg white 1 cup confectioner’s sugar plus additional, if needed 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice or ½ teaspoon cream of tartar Food coloring, optional
In a large bowl, beat the egg white, sugar and lemon juice at high speed with an electric mixer for 8 minutes, or until thick enough to hold its shape, gradually adding additional sugar if needed. Beat in food color, if using. (The icing can be covered and refrigerated for up to four days.) Spoon royal icing into a pastry bag fitted with a very small plain tip. Decorate the cookies as desired. Let stand until the icing is set.
This recipe is from
Mary Engelbreit’s
Cookies Cookbook.
Yields 3 dozen pieces 2½ cups sugar ¾ cup white syrup ¼ cup hot water 2 egg whites Candy cane pieces, cherries or chopped nuts
Mix together the sugar, white syrup and hot water;
set aside. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Bring the sugar mixture to a boil and boil until thread stage or 248 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Pour the mixture slowly into the egg whites continuing to beat them on high speed while adding the syrup mixture.
Beat until the mixture forms stiff peaks. Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Top with bits of candy canes, cherries or chopped nuts.
This recipe is from Simply Christmas.
Yields 4 dozen squares 1 cup all-purpose flour ¼ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ cup butter, softened ¾ cup granulated sugar 2 eggs 8 ounces pitted dates, chopped ¼ cup mixed candied fruit ½ cup red candied cherries, quartered ¾ cup chopped nuts Red and green candied cherries, reserved for garnish 1½ cups confectioners’ sugar 2½ tablespoons milk, more if necessary
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13x9x2-inch pan. In a small bowl, blend flour with salt, baking soda and cinnamon. In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar and eggs at medium speed until light and fluffy. Stir in flour, dates, candied fruit, quartered cherries and nuts. Spread in prepared pan and bake 30 minutes until golden. In the meantime, prepare the frosting by mixing together confectioners’ sugar and milk. Stir until smooth; then cover with a damp cloth until ready to use. Wait until cake has cooled and cut into 2x1-inch bars. Then frost, using a butter knife or spatula and decorate with red and green candied cherries. Store, wrapped in waxed paper, in a covered tin.
This recipe is from Christmas Cookies.
Yields 64 pieces 1 pound bittersweet chocolate or 16 squares (16 ounces) semisweet chocolate, chopped 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk 1 cup walnuts (4 ounces), coarsely chopped 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/8 teaspoon salt
Line an 8-inch square baking pan with plastic wrap; smooth out wrinkles. In heavy 2-quart saucepan, melt chocolate with condensed milk over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Remove from heat.
Stir in walnuts, vanilla and salt. Scrape chocolate mixture into prepared pan; spread evenly. Refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours. Remove fudge from pan by lifting edges of plastic wrap. Invert fudge onto cutting board; discard plastic wrap. Cut fudge into eight strips, then cut each strip crosswise into eight pieces. Layer between waxed paper in airtight container. Store at room temperature up to one week, or refrigerate up to one month.
This recipe is from Good Housekeeping Great American
Classics Cookbook.
Yields 2½ dozen balls 1 package (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate bits 3 tablespoons corn syrup ½ cup bourbon 1 package (8 ounces) chocolate wafers, crushed 1 cup chopped nuts ½ cup confectioners’ sugar 1/3 cup chopped candied red cherries Granulated sugar
Gently melt chocolate in a double boiler over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in syrup and bourbon; cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix wafers, nuts, confectioners’ sugar and cherries. Add the chocolate mixture and stir to blend. Let stand for 30 minutes. Shape into 1-inch balls with fingers. Roll in granulated sugar, then refrigerate, covered, until ready to eat.
Yields 7 dozen cookies 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 cup granulated sugar 1 large egg 1 tablespoon vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon almond extract ½ teaspoon salt 2½ cups all-purpose flour Red and green sugar Multicolored sprinkles Glacé fruit
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, beat the butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla and salt and beat until blended. On low speed, gradually beat in the flour. Following the manufacturer’s instructions, place the dough into a cookie press and press cookies about 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Decorate the cookies with colored sugar, multicolored sprinkles, and/or glacé fruit. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden. Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
This recipe is from Mary Engelbreit’s Cookies Cookbook
Yields 1 dozen cookies 1 cup butter, softened ½ cup sugar ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract 2¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1/8 teaspoon salt
Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Stir in vanilla. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Roll dough to ½-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut with a 2½-inch round cutter or Christmas cookie cutter. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 275 degrees F for 50 minutes. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
This recipe is from Christmas with Southern
Living 2002.
