Favorite Christmas Cookie...Recipe???

[It's A Happy Day]

Every year our family gets together and does a Cookie Swap. Only rules are it has to be home made - no going out and buying the premade cookie dough and cooking I try to do something different each year - have made an oatmeal/cranberry cookie, peppermint sugar cookie, etc. - and we have finally set the date. I have about 2 weeks to figure out what to make and thought I would ask what everyones favorite is and if you could/want to pls. share the recipe so we could all get some new ideas.

Thanks!

 

[piratesmate]

I've posted these before, but they're my favorites!

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
14 oz Reese’s peanut butter cups
½ c butter
½ c peanut butter
½ c sugar
½ c brown sugar
1 egg
½ tsp vanilla
1¼ c flour
¾ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt

Cream together butters & sugars. Add egg & vanilla. Stir in flour, baking soda & salt, then mix well. Roll into 1” balls. Put into mini muffin pans & do not press. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. Take out of oven & add peanut butter cups immediately. Cool before removing from pan. If removed too early, cookie will break. Yield: 48

Dreamscicle Cookies

1½ c brown sugar
¾ c shortening
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ c buttermilk
1 c white chocolate chips
3 Tbl Tang
1 tsp baking soda
1½ tsp baking powder
1½ tsp baking powder
3 c all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
Glaze:
1 tsp butter or margarine
3 Tbl Tang
1 c confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease baking sheets. Cream shortening & sugar until light. Add eggs & vanilla, mixing well. Dissolve baking soda in buttermilk. Add buttermilk mixture, salt, 3 Tbl Tang, flour & baking powder to the shortening mixture. Mix well. Stir in white chocolate chips. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto the prepared sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Frost cookies while still hot with Tang Glaze.

To Make Tang Glaze: Combine the butter, Tang, confectioner’s sugar plus enough water or milk to reach a thick yet still pourable consistency & beat until smooth. Yield: 38

Luscious Lemon Snaps

2½ c all-purpose flour
1½ c white sugar
2 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
2 Tbl lemon zest
¾ c vegetable oil
½ c fresh lemon juice
2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Grease cookie sheets. Stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt & lemon zest. Make a well in center & fill it with oil, lemon juice & vanilla. Stir until it forms a dough. Or: Put everything into the food processor & blend until dough forms.
Drop by teaspoonfuls ~ 2” apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Edges should be golden brown. For a softer cookie, bake for only 7 minutes. Cool on racks & store in an airtight container. Yield: 4 dozen

Monster Cookies - 1/4 recipe
3 eggs
½ lb brown sugar
1 c sugar
¾ tsp vanilla
¾ tsp maple syrup
2 tsp baking soda
¼ lb butter
12 oz peanut butter
4½ c oatmeal
¼ lb chocolate chips
¼ lb M&M’s
Mix in order given. Drop by melon baller scoops & flatten. Bake for 12 min. Do not overbake. Let cool on sheet a couple of min before removing!! Very important! Yield: 10 dozen.

Or if you want to make the full-sized cookies, multiple all amounts by 4 & use these instructions instead:
Mix in dishpan in order given. Drop by ice-cream scoops & flatten. (~6/sheet) Bake for 12 min. Do not overbake. Let cool on sheet a couple of min before removing!! Very important! Yield: 5½ dozen.

 

[cryssi]

I really like these:

http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/getrecipe.zsp?id=46071&format=print

 

[faireygod mother]

piratesmate these sound so good. I have to try the monster cookies.

Food motivates me. LOL

 

[cindercopper]

I love making cookies for Christmas.
These are my mom's favorite Christmas cookie.....

Delectabites

1/2c (1 stick) butter softened
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
Powdered sugar

Beat butter, sugar and vanilla until fluffy.
Gradually beat in flour and walnuts until soft dough forms.
Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.
Shape dough into 1 inch balls.
Place approx. 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 15 minutes in 350 degree preheated oven.
Gently roll warm cookies in powdered sugar and cool on wire racks.
Once cool, roll again in powdered sugar.

 

[MazdaUK]

I've got a lovely recipe at home (yes, logged on at work again ) which i will try to remember to post. Slightly gingery and soft, a bit like those german ones (leibkuchen?) and great for doing with the kids as there's no creaming, althoguh you do have to let the dough rest in the fridge for a while (so you can do that while they're quiet and pull the "creative activity" out when they drive you ). We always make these Christmas Eve for Santa, as DH has to work and the kids get a little over-excited.

 

[jennz]

Piratesmate - Thanks for posting the monster cookie recipe! A friend gave that to me in another state and I've lost it. DD loves them and I actually feel like she's eating a little healthier with these....

 

[MazdaUK]

I've given metric weights because US Imperial and UK Imperial are not exactly the same - sorry if that's a problem for anyone

340g plain (all-purpose) flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
85g dark brown sugar
115 g butter
1 large egg (beaten)
4 tbsp clear honey (from a squirt bottle is fine)

1. Melt butter, honey and sugar together in a non-stick saucepan over a low heat. Sift dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
2. Add egg and butter mixture to dry ingredients. Mix well and knead into a ball of dough (actually it comes well together with a wooden spoon, so don't worry about getting messy at this stage!)
3. Tip the ball of dough into a freezer bag and rest in fridge for 1/2 hour or so (the dough not you )
4. Preheat oven to 380 F/gas 5/ 190 C (less for fan oven). Grease 3 baking sheets. Roll dough out to thickness preferred (thicker = softer cookies, thinner = more of them! - I use about 1/4 inch). Cut out whatever shapes you like - obviously we use Christmassy shapes for Santa but the rest of the year its dinosaurs or whatever and place on baking sheets. If you want to hang them on the tree then make a hole with a knitting needle about 1.4 inch from the top of the shape. Bake for 10-15 minutes until firm, leave on sheets for 5 mins then transfer to wire rack to cool.

At this point you should probably taste one or 5 to mkae sure they're OK

You can press on glace cherries and almonds before they are cooked for a Scandinavian feel, or ice (frost) them when cold.

Any questions please ask!