Tuesday, December 13, 2016

2016 Christmas Cookies!

I love Christmas cookies. Here's what we're making this year.

Almond Shortbread Thumbprints

Cook time: 18 minutes | Total time: 48 minutes | Yield: 3 doze

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 2/3 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 jam (your choice)
  • 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 teaspoon milk 
Instructions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a medium bowl, cream together butter and white sugar until smooth. Mix in 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. Mix in flour until dough comes together. Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls, and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Make a small hole in the center of each ball, using your thumb and finger, and fill the hole with preserves.
  3. Bake for 14 to 18 minutes in preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Let cool 1 minute on the cookie sheet.
  4. In a medium bowl, mix together the confectioners' sugar, 3/4 teaspoon almond extract, and milk until smooth. Drizzle lightly over warm cookies. 
These thumbprints just melt when you eat them, the tart jam and the sweet icing drizzle are amazing together.

Double Chocolate Treasures 

Cook time: 12 minutes | Total time: 42 minutes | Yield: 5 dozen

Ingredients:
  • 12 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups Quaker Oats
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup confectioners sugar 
Instructions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Melt 1 cup chocolate chips. Stir until smooth.
  3. Beat together butter and sugar until fluffy. Blend in eggs, vanilla, and melted chocolate. 
  4. Add combined dry ingredients except confectioners sugar. Stir in remaining chocolate chips
  5. Shape into 1-inch balls, roll in confectioners sugar, coating heavily. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
  6. Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool 1 minute on cookie sheet. 
These have been in the Christmas cookie arsenal for years. We still have the original Quaker Oats ad containing the recipe from the 1980's. If you like chocolate, and even if you DON'T like oatmeal, these are a hit.


Viennese Specials

Cook time: 8 minutes | Total time: 1 hour, 8 minutes | Yield: 3 dozen

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup shortening
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
  • 2 cups sifted flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon powdered cloves
  • 1 cup ground almonds or filberts
Instructions:
  1. Mix the first 3 ingredients until creamy. Add in the last 5 ingredients. Mix well, and chill dough in waxed paper 1 hour or overnight.
  2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  3. Roll dough between 2 sheets of wax paper to 1/8" thickness.
  4. Cut into 2" rounds. Make a slight thumbprint in the center of each round and add a dab of jam. Place on ungreased cookie sheets.
  5. Bake until done - about 8 minutes.
What can I say about these cookies? This is a very old recipe, and they are more spicy than sweet. They are an absolute tradition and every year I appreciate just how dimensional the flavors are.  I make these, my mother made these, her mother made these... They are Christmas.


Austrian Nut-Butter Cookies

Cook time: 7 minutes | Total time: 1 hour 7 minutes | Yield: 1.5 dozen

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup sifted all purpose-flour
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2/3 cup ground nuts
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 2 squares (2 oz.) unsweetened chocolate, melted
  • 1/2 stick butter
  • 2/3 cup confectioners sugar
 Instructions: 
  1. Sift together flour and sugar. Add nuts, mix.
  2. Blend in shortening with a spoon to form dough. Chill 1 hour.
  3. Roll out to 1/8" thickness. 
  4. Cut into 2" circles. Placed on ungreased cookie sheet.
  5. Bake 7 minutes. Remove baked cookies from sheets at once to cooking rack. 
  6. Make into sandwich cookies with Chocolate Butter Filling and Frosting.
  1. Melt and cool chocolate
  2. cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Blend in chocolate.
  3. Spread between cookies to form sandwiches and on top for frosting. For traditional Austrian cookie, spread a thin layer of jam on top cookie before frosting, and spring with slivered nuts before frosting sets.
This is the first year for these cookies. It's nice to have a couple "make ahead" batches of dough. This recipe is from a small booklet called "Old World Cookies" from the Test Kitchens of Mirror Aluminum Company, late 1950's.

Gingerbread Men

Cook time: 10 minutes | Total time: 25 minutes | Yield: 5 dozen

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup Molasses
  • 3/4 cup butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons ginger
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
 Instructions: 
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. In a saucepan, bring butter, sugar, and Molasses to a quick boil. Cook about 5 minutes, then cool.
  3. Stir in sifted flour, baking soda, salt, and spices; 2 eggs, beaten, and vanilla. Mix well and chill.
  4. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough very thin (1/3 of dough at a time) and cut with gingerbread men cookie cutters. Arranged on greased cookie sheet.
  5. Bake 8-10 minutes. Cool, frost and decorate, if desired.
Gingerbread men are traditional, my husband loves them, my mom loves them, and I'm 36 years old and this will be the first time I've ever made gingerbread. This recipe is from a 1961 Family Circle Brer Rabbit Molasses advertisement.
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