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December 8, 2009 · 12:22 pm

Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Sugar Cookies

DAY 12: The ultimate classic cookie, adaptable to any holiday or occasion. I love this dough because it bakes up just slightly puffy in the middle and (unless you overcook them!) the cookies stay soft for days and days. The dough and cookies both freeze well, which is good because this recipe makes A LOT of cookies. These are most fun to have little helpers decorate, although I love them most plain, warm out of the oven.

This makes a wonderful soft sugar cookie. Frost with your favorite butter cream frosting, cream cheese frosting or a glacé icing. Check out Our Best Bites’ tutorial on Glacé Icing. Here are two basic frosting recipes, one for a buttercream and one for glacé icing.

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RECIPES:

Sugar Cookies

Servings: about 6 dozen
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3 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
About 7 – 7 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Beat sugar, butter, sour cream, and vanilla. Beat in eggs. Add soda, salt, and enough flour to make a moderately stiff dough.

Chill for 20 minutes to 1 hour for easier handling. Roll out dough to desired thickness (I like these fairly thick) and cut with cookie cutter.

Bake at 375°F for 10 -11 minutes; if they brown, it’s been too long. They should look white when done.

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Buttercream Icing

Servings: Makes 3 cups icing
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1 cup butter
1 lb (4 cups) sifted powdered sugar
2 Tbs milk
1 tsp vanilla or other flavored extract (almond is really good!)
Dash salt

Cream butter with a mixer. Beat in remaining ingredients. This yields 3 cups STIFF icing. Add additional milk for a thinner icing.

For Chocolate Buttercream: Add 3 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted and 1 Tbs additional milk.

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Glacé Icing

Servings: Makes about 2 cups icing
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1 lb powdered sugar (about 4 cups)
¼ cup+ 2 Tbs whole milk
¼ cup + 2 Tbs light corn syrup
1 tsp almond or vanilla extract
Gel food coloring

With a whisk, combine sugar and milk until smooth. Stir in corn syrup and almond or vanilla extract. Add food coloring for desired colors.

You will use this same recipe for both glazing and piping. The way it is right now is the consistency you want for glazing. It’s smooth and thin. It easily runs off of a whisk in a thin drizzle.

To prepare the icing for piping, add more powdered sugar.

From Our Best Bites

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TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS COOKIES RECAP:
DAY 1: Swedish Peppar KaKar
DAY 2: Mint Oreo Cookies
DAY 3: Christmas Chocolate Chip Cookies
DAY 4: Cherry Nut Mudslides
DAY 5: Snickerdoodles
DAY 6: Raspberry Almond Linzer Cookies
DAY 7: Peanut Butter Kisses
DAY 8: Peppermint and Vanilla Butter Cookies
DAY 9: Chocolate Rolo and Andes Chocolate Mint Cookies
DAY 10: Russian Tea Cakes
DAY 11: Chocolate Caramel Thumbprints

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December 7, 2009 · 10:01 am

Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Chocolate Caramel Thumbprints

DAY 11: These Chocolate Caramel Thumbprint Cookies combine three great tastes: chocolate, caramel, and pecans. They look complicated, but are actually pretty easy to put together. I like to use a dark chocolate drizzle, but you could use regular semi-sweet chocolate chips or even milk chocolate chips for a less-intense flavor.

Chocolate Caramel Thumbprints

Servings: 4 dozen
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1 cup butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 eggs, separated
¼ cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
½ tsp salt
2 cups finely chopped pecans

Caramel sauce:
30 caramels, unwrapped
1/3 cup heavy cream

Glaze:
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs corn syrup

Combine butter, sugar, egg yolks, milk, and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Beat until light and fluffy. Add flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Beat until well combined. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place egg whites in a small bowl. Place finely chopped pecans in a bowl. Set aside. Roll dough into balls. Dip balls into egg white and then into pecans. (I find this easier if I make a whole baking sheet worth of dough balls, then dip them all in egg/pecans). Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Make a small indentation with your thumb in the center of each cookie.

Bake at 350°F for 12 minutes, or until cookies are set. While cookies are still hot, press center again (the back of a measuring teaspoon or small melon-baller work well for this–no burned thumbs!)

To prepare Caramel Sauce: Combine caramels and cream in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat until caramels are melted. Spoon small amount of caramel into centers of baked cookies. Carefully remove cookies to a wire rack to cool.

For Chocolate Glaze: Combine bittersweet chips, butter, and corn syrup in a small bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. Microwave for another 20-30 seconds if not melted. Let cool slightly. Pour chocolate into a small Ziploc freezer bag (don’t use a regular bag-it WILL burst). Poke a hole in the corner of the bag (a bamboo skewer makes a perfect sized hole). Drizzle chocolate over the cooled cookies. Cool until set.

To store: refrigerate or freeze cookies in individual layers; then store between layers of waxed paper in the refrigerator or freezer. They can also be stored at room temperature, but if you stack them, they will stick together.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies

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December 6, 2009 · 7:24 am

Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Russian Tea Cakes

DAY 10: These are my kids’ favorite Christmas cookies. They call them “Red and Green Ball Cookies.” Even the child who thinks she hates nuts loves these cookies. They were one of the cookies that I loved to make with my Mom every Christmas. They are a lot of fun to make with kids, even if they do leave your fingers (and the lips and tongues that lick those fingers) stained red and green for the next 24 hours.

Yes, Little J did roll all of these cookies in sugar for me. She’s an awesome helper!

Also called Mexican Wedding Cookies, these cookies can be made all year round without the red and green sugar. Just bake them plain and then roll the warm cookies in powdered sugar.

RECIPE:

Russian Tea Cakes

1 cup butter, softened
½ cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
¼ tsp salt
2 ¼ cups flour
¾ cup finely chopped pecans
Red & Green granulated sugar or Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Beat butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt on low speed of a mixer for 1 minute. Add flour; mix just until combined. Stir in nuts. Roll into 1” balls. If using colored sugar, roll balls in sugar and place on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, until firm to touch, but not brown. If using powdered sugar instead of color sugar, roll cooked cookies in powdered sugar while still warm.

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December 4, 2009 · 9:12 pm

Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Two Great Cookies from One Easy Dough

Chocolate Rolo Cookies
Andes Chocolate Mint Cookies

DAY 9: I first tried this dough in the Andes Mint version at a cookie dough exchange (thanks Jaimee!). The original recipe is from Recipezaar. Finding myself wanting a similar cookie, but not having any Andes mints in the house, I adapted them to make Chocolate Rolo Cookies. This is my favorite way to eat them now!

The original Andes cookie recipe uses regular Andes, but when I make these I prefer the Andes Parfait, that have the 2 green layers on the outside and a chocolate middle layer. It makes a nice contrast with the chocolate cookie.

Chocolate Rolo Cookies

Servings: 5-6 dozen
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¾ cup butter
1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
2 Tbs water
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 large eggs
2 ½ cups flour
½ tsp salt
1 ¼ tsp baking soda
Rolos

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a saucepan over low heat, combine butter, sugar, and water. Heat until melted and add chocolate chips until mostly melted. Remove from heat and stir until completely melted. Pour mixture into large mixing bowl. Let stand 10 minutes to cool slightly. Beat in eggs one at a time on high speed. Add flour, salt, and baking soda; mix on low speed until well blended. Dough will be very soft, almost liquid. If desired, chill for 1 hour for easier handling (you can usually use the dough in less than an hour).

Take about 1 Tbs dough and wrap it around a Rolo (use just enough dough to completely cover Rolo). Place on baking sheet. Bake for 7-8 minutes (Do not overcook; cookies will still look a little underdone). Cool on baking sheet 1-2 minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 5-6 dozen cookies

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Andes Chocolate Mint Cookies

Servings: 4 dozen
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¾ cup butter
1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
2 Tbs water
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 large eggs
2 ½ cups flour
½ tsp salt
1 ¼ tsp baking soda
About 24 Andes mints (Parfait variety, if you can find them)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Roll dough into balls and place on baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes. Place half of an Andes mint on top of each hot cookie. Allow to melt slightly and swirl with a toothpick.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies (the original recipe says that it makes 2 dozen, but I got almost double that).

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December 4, 2009 · 5:55 am

Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Peppermint & Vanilla Butter Cookies

DAY 8: This was a new cookie recipe for me this year. I found it at the Fun and Food Blog. They looked so cute, that I couldn’t resist trying them. Unfortunately, they turned out to be absolutely awful! No one in our house liked them. And when a teenage boy won’t finish a cookie, you know it’s bad. Little J’s comment was, “These taste like Moon Sand.” Having never eaten Moon Sand, I’ll have to take her word for it. But they had a crumbly, pasty texture that instantly sucked all of the moisture out of your mouth.

There is the definite possibility that I did something wrong making these, or that the recipe was printed wrong (1/3 cup powdered sugar seems a little low). But it wasn’t just the sweetness. Try them yourself, if you dare. Let me know how they turn out for you. I was so disappointed because they turned out super cute! They did, however, prompt a great discussion at the dinner table tonight about how these would be a great cookie to trick people with, since they look so good, but taste so awful.

Peppermint and Vanilla Butter Cookies
………………………….(Recipe from Mansi at Fun and Food Blog)

1 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract *
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp peppermint extract
1/4 tsp red food color

Heat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, beat butter, powdered sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed. Stir in the flour.

Divide the dough in half. Stir peppermint extract and food color into one half of dough, while keeping the other part as it is.
Divide each color of dough in half again (making 2 white and 2 pink parts).

Roll each section of dough on a generously floured surface into a thick cylindrical rope, about 12 inches long. Place 2 ropes, 1 red and 1 white, side by side. Twist them together with your hands so they get entwined. Repeat with the remaining 2 pieces of dough.

Make small balls from each double-colored dough, then shape each into a flat cookie shape.

Place cookies about 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until set. Remove from cookie sheet and allow to cool completely on the wire rack.

*NOTE: The only change I made to the original recipe was to use vanilla extract instead of vanilla essence.

Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Peanut Butter Kisses

DAY 7: These are pretty standard “Christmas Cookie Plate” fare. You can dress them up by using different flavors of Hershey’s Kisses, or different shapes of chocolate-I love the Dove heart shaped chocolates (but they are usually only available around Valentines Day). These are made with Hershey’s Dark Chocolate Kisses. I know that a lot of people roll these in sugar before baking, but I prefer the less-messy-sugarless option.

Peanut Butter Kisses

Servings: about 3 dozen
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½ cup butter
½ cup coconut oil or additional butter
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
Hershey’s Chocolate Kisses (or Dove Hearts or other “shaped” chocolate)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cream butter, coconut oil (if using), peanut butter, and sugars. Beat in vanilla and eggs. Add dry ingredients. Roll dough into balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes. Immediately press 1 Kiss (or Dove heart) into each cookie; cool.

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