Some of my favorite things about the holidays are; festive parties, occasions to shower our friends with gifts, beautiful decorations and displays, delicious food and wine and a full spectrum of traditions and trappings during this magical season. One such tradition is baking and sharing holiday treats.
Cookies have their own special day on December 4–National Cookie Day–so time to start baking! I have some fantastic recipes (below) to help you get things started. ENJOY!
Remembering the Cookie Exchange of 2020
Eleanor’s husband, Matt, staged the scene. He carried down all of the things we needed for the exchange; a table, a basket full of sanitizing wipes, disposable gloves and boxes filled with large, sturdy holiday bags — ready and waiting for all of the incoming treats.
Once the guests began to arrive, they stayed in their cars while Matt, Eleanor and I collected everyone’s bags of treats. We quickly distributed all of the goodies into the bags and then promptly delivered them to each waiting guest. Pictures were taken and they were on their way to enjoy the day’s spoils.
Jacci's Cranberry Bars
Jacci Bottler found that she was a little shy on Craisins so she had to do half raisins and half Craisins. I think that the extra little sweetness from the raisins added a wonderful warm element to this already delightful concoction. ENJOY!
Ingredients
In a saucepan combine:
- 1 cup sugar
- ¾ cup water
- 2 cup Craisins or 1 cup Craisins and 1 cup raisins
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
In a separate bowl combine:
- 1¾ cup rolled oats
- 1¾ cup flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup butter softened
Instructions
- Boil sugar, water and Craisins for approx. 10 minutes. Cool. Stir in lemon juice and walnuts.Mix the oats, flour, brown sugar, salt, and butter until crumbly.Press ½ of the crumb mixture into bottom of a 9x12" pan. Spread the Craisin mixture on top. Sprinkle with remaining crumbs onto top of Craisin mixture. Bake at 350°f for 35-40 minutes. Cool and cut into bars.
Optional
- For a powder sugar glaze for top of bars, combine 1½ cup powdered sugar mixed with 1-3 tbsp of half-n-half, one tbsp at a time, until desired consistency.
Hickory Nut Cookies
Ellen Hoffman made these wonderful cookies for our holiday cookie exchange this year. They did not disappoint!
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, (2 sticks) softened
- 2 cups brown sugar packed
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp cream of tarter
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 cups flour
- 1 cup chopped hickory nuts or pecans or walnuts
Instructions
- Mix together cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and flour.Cream butter and sugar in a large mixer bowl til light and fluffyBeat in eggs, then add dry ingredients, then stir in nutsCover and refrigerate for 2 hours (not overnight)Shape dough into 3 rolls, each 6" long and 2½" in diameter. (Or sometimes I do 4 rolls, 2" in diameter for more manageable cookies). Wrap each roll securely in aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight.Heat oven to 350°F.Cut rolls into ¼" slices. Place 1½" apart on ungreased baking sheets, or better yet, use Silpat.Bake until cookies are set and light brown, 8-10 minutes. Remove immediately from baking sheets - easier to remove if you used Silpat. Cool on wire racks.Can be stored airtight for 1 week or frozen for 2 months.
Sugar Cookie Cutouts
Rae Baker contributed these classic, light, tender cookies at our holiday cookie exchange. They perfect for those looking for that traditional holiday sugar cookie.
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- Cookie Cutters
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup butter softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, beat butter on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder and ¼ tsp salt. Beat until combined, occasionally scraping sides of bowl.Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour & divide dough in half.Cover and chill dough about 30 min. or until it is easy to handle.Preheat oven to 375 degrees FOn a lightly floured surface, roll half the dough at a time until ⅛" thick.Using a 2½-inch cookie cutter, cut dough into desired shapes.Place 1" apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 7-8 minutes or until edges are firm and barely light brown.
Tony Tiger Cookies
When my kids were little, I used to make these cookies from the recipe printed on the Kelloggs Frosted Flakes box. It was there forever so I never bothered to write it down. About 8-10 years ago, we were talking about them and the grandkids wanted me to make them. So I called the Kelloggs office and inquired. They didn't know what I was talking about. I persisted and I was passed from here to there and finally got hold of someone who was willing to do some checking, (probably over 50). She located the recipe and read it to me over the phone. --Rita Jensen
Servings 4 doz
Ingredients
- 1¾ cup flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup margarine
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3 cups frosted flakes crush 1½ cups
- 1 12 oz pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips melted
Instructions
- Stir together soda, salt and flour. Set aside.Beat margarine and sugar til light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla.Beat. Add flour mixture. Mix.Stir in frosted flakes. Drizzle melted chocolate over dough. With a knife, make swirls. Drop by Tbsp on ungreased baking sheet.Bake at 350°F 12 minutes
Notes
They are easy and no fuss. I saw that they now have chocolate frosted flakes so I tried them and liked them.
Hello Dolly Cookie Bars
This is a recipe which Haideh Lightfoot brought to our "Pandemic Cookie and Sweet Treats Exchange. They are scrumptious!
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter
- 1½ cup graham cracker crumbs
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1⅓ cup sweetened shredded coconut
- 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
- 1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. (325° F if you are using a glass baking dish).Melt butter in a small bowl in the microwave on high for 30 seconds.Combine graham crackers with the melted butter and place in a 9"x12" baking dish or pan, patting the crumb mixture down evenly with your hands.Layer the chocolate chips, coconut, and nuts on top of the graham cracker mix.Pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the entire mixture. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is light brown.Let cool completely before cutting into bars.
Snowball Cookies (also known as Mexican Wedding Cakes)
These buttery nutty cookies are mainstays for the holidays.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup pecans chopped
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar as needed for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F Cream together butter, vanilla, and ½ cup powdered sugar. Stir in flour, pecans and salt. Mix well until combined. Roll dough into balls, (about 1 tablespoon), and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.Bake for 14-15 minutes. Do not allow them to brown.Roll hot cookies in powdered sugar. Once they have cooled, roll them one more in the powdered sugar and allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
Grandma Rose's Raspberry Filled Cookies
These are family favorites at Christmas - I hope you enjoy them as much as we do. --You will definitely need a stand mixer for these cookies due to the large amount of flour.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
Ingredients
Short Crust
- 1 pound butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 egg yolks
- grated rind of 2 lemons
- 2 tsp vanilla
- ½ tsp salt
- 5⅓ cups all-purpose flour
Raspberry Filling and Icing
- Raspberry jelly or stained raspberry preserves
- 1 cup powdered sugar sifted
- Juice of 2 lemons
- Pecan halves
Instructions
Short Crust
- Cream butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy. Add yolks, one at a time, beat well after each addition. Add lemon rind, vanilla and salt.Add flour, 1 cup at a time until incorporated.Divide into thirds and wrap flattened discs in plastic wrap. Chill for 1 hour
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Roll dough to approx. ¼" thick and cut with a 2" cookie cutter.Bake until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. (for convection ovens). Cool on a wire rack.
Raspberry Filling and Icing
- Mix powdered sugar with lemon juice until smooth. Spread the bottom side on cookie with raspberry jelly.Top with a cookie.Ice cookie and top with pecan half.EAT and ENJOY!
Have An Entertaining Day!
