Cookies

Christmas Cookies 

EDIBLE COOKIES to HANG on the TREE
MAGIC COOKIE BARS
SAND TARTS
CHRISTMAS COOKIES
POINSETTIA PETAL COOKIES
BOURBON BALLS
GINGERBREAD HOUSE COOKIES
WINTER BIRCH TREE COOKIES
MORE CHRISTMAS COOKIES

EDIBLE COOKIES to HANG on the TREE

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons rum or your favourite flavouring
1 teaspoon ground mace
4 cups sifted flour
colored sugar sprinkles
2 egg whites, beaten with 2 tablespoons water

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy and pale in color. Beat in eggs, rum, and mace. Gradually beat in 1 cup flour, and then work in the remainder until dough is smooth. Form into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap, and place in refrigerator overnight.

When dough is thoroughly chilled, roll out 1/16 inch thick and cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies on ungreased baking sheets and brush with egg-white mixture. Top with sugar sprinkles. Pierce each cookie near the top with toothpick so that a string for hanging can be inserted after baking (remember that holes tend to shrink during baking). Bake in a 375 ° oven until pale gold. Cool on racks. Yields about four dozen cookies.


MAGIC COOKIE BARS

1/2 c. margarine or butter
1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (6 oz.) pkg. semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1 c. chopped, salted peanuts.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In 13 x 9 inch baking pan, melt margarine in oven. Sprinkle crumbs over margarine; mix together and press into pan. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumbs. Top evenly with remaining ingredients; press down firmly. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool thoroughly before cutting. Store loosely covered at room temperature.


SAND TARTS

8 tablespoons soft butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 cups sifted flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:
2 egg whites
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Beat the butter in a bowl until creamy and fluffy, then beat in the sugar, salt cinnamon and egg. Continue to beat until very light, fluffy and pale. Beat in the sifted flour and the vanilla until thoroughly combined. When the dough is well blended, form it into a ball, wrap in waxed paper, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. Roll out the dough between sheets of waxed paper until very thin, less than 1/4 inch, and cut into 3 - or 3 1/2 inch rounds with a plain or fluted cookie cutter.
After cutting out the cookies, preheat the oven to 375° F. Butter 3 cookie sheets. Arrange the cookies on the sheets, lifting them from the waxed paper with a flexible, thinbladed metal spatula. Beat the egg whites lightly with a fork, and using a pastry brush, brush the tops of the cookies with the beaten egg white. Sprinkle the tops with the sugar and cinnamon, to taste. Do not overdo either the sugar or the cinnamon. Bake the cookies until they turn a deep yellow around the edges, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool slightly, then remove from the pans with a metal spatula and put on wire racks to cool. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen. These cookies are better used within a week, but they will stay crisp for 3 or 4 weeks if stored in an airtight tin in a cool place.



CHRISTMAS COOKIES

3 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/2 cup chopped candied fruit peel
1/4 cup ground blanched almonds
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 apple slices

Beat eggs and granulated sugar in a large mixer bowl with electric mixer at medium speed. Add flour, baking powder, salt, white pepper, cinnamon and cloves and continue to beat until well mixed, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in the fruit peel and almonds until well combined. Wrap in waxed paper and chill dough for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease 2 large cookie sheets. Roll dough out onto lightly floured surface to approximately 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out circles with 1 -inch round cookie cutter. Place on cookie sheets. Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks. Reroll scraps, bake and cool. Place confectioners' sugar in a bag, add the cookies and shake until well coated. Because these cookies are very hard, place them in a tightly covered container with the apple slices, cover, and allow to ripen for 2 to 3 weeks (they'll soften). Makes about 9 dozen.


POINSETTIA PETAL COOKIES

3/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 slightly beaten egg white
1/2 cup finely chopped California walnuts
Candied cherries, cut in eighths

Cream shortening and sugar. Beat in egg yolk, lemon juice, and vanilla. Sift flour and salt together; stir into mixture; chill 1 hour. Form into 1-inch balls; dip in egg white and roll in nuts. Place on cookie sheet and top each with 3 cherry pieces arranged as petals. Bake at 350° for 18 minutes. Let stand a few minutes before removing from cookie sheet. If desired, wrap tightly and freeze. Makes 20 cookies.


BOURBON BALLS

1 cup crushed vanilla wafers
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup finely chopped pecans
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 cup bourbon
1/2 cup granulated sugar

Mix together all ingredients except granulated sugar. Roll mixture into 1 - inch balls. Roll balls in the granulated sugar. Place in a covered container and refrigerate for a few days before serving for maximum flavor. Continue to store in refrigerator or freezer until used up. Makes 2 doz.


GINGERBREAD HOUSE COOKIES

1 ½ oz. margarine
4 ½ oz. granulated sugar
3 oz. Molasses
3 tbsp. water
10 oz. plain flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. baking soda

Mix the margarine, sugar and syrup in a bowl with a wooden spoon. Blend together the water, three spices and baking soda, then put that into the bowl. Mix well and add the flour, working it all into a dough. Cover this with a damp cloth for at least half a day.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Roll out the dough on a floured board to about 1/4 in.thick. Then cut into shapes of houses Roll up and re-use left-overs.
Lift your houses on to a greased baking tray with a spatula, then bake them for 5-10 minutes, until they turn brown. Leave them to set for a few minutes, then cool on a wire rack. You can draw windows and doors on your cold cookies with icing, made from 1 oz. confectioner's sugar beaten with a little egg white. You will need an icing bag and nozzle for this. Or you can make one by twisting some strong brown paper into a cone. Snip a tiny hole at the pointed end, fill the cone with icing and let it drip out to form the design.


WINTER BIRCH TREE COOKIES

Christmas Baking (1997 Pillsbury Classic Cookbook)

3/4 cup sugar
½ cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 egg
2 cups Pillsbury BEST All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 package (12 oz) vanilla-flavored candy coating or Almond Bark, melted
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease cookie sheets. In large bowl, combine sugar and butter; beat until well blended. Add milk, vanilla and egg; beat well. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. Add flour, baking powder and cinnamon; mix well. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. On lightly floured surface, roll balls into logs, 6 inches long. Place on greased cookie sheets. Bake at 400 degrees F. for 5 to 8 minutes or until light golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely. Place melted candy coating in pie pan. Dip logs into candy coating; place on waxed paper to cool. Drizzle melted bittersweet chocolate over logs to resemble birch trees.
3 ½ dozen cookies.