Here's what I've made so far this year. They are traditional annual Christmas favorites I make every year. Some are time consuming but worth it! I may also make Russian Tea Cakes, aka Mexican Wedding cookies or Kouranbiethes (Greek) Cookies or just call them Snowballs!
Big Soft Ginger Cookies
These are just what they say: big, soft, gingerbread cookies. They stay soft, too.
Servings: 24
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup margarine, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons white sugar
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
Italian Rainbow Cookies
Ingredients:
7 oz marzipan paste or almond paste
1 cup sugar
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
4 large eggs, separated
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour (sift before measuring)
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 drops green food coloring, or to desired color
5 drops red food coloring, or to desired color
12-oz jar raspberry jam (preferably seedless)
6 oz semisweet chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F and grease 3 (13- by 9-inch) metal baking pans. Line bottom of each with wax paper, letting it extend at 2 opposite ends, and grease paper. Break marzipan paste into small pieces and grind with sugar in food processor until no lumps remain. Transfer to a large bowl and add butter. Beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, then add yolks and almond extract and beat well. Beat in flour and salt on low speed. Beat egg whites in another bowl with cleaned beaters until they just hold stiff peaks and stir one third into batter to lighten slightly (batter will still be stiff). Fold in remaining whites thoroughly. Divide dough into thirds (about 1 1/2 cups each). Stir green food coloring into one third and red food coloring into another, leaving one third plain. Spread each dough separately into a pan. (Layers will be thin.)
Bake layers in batches in middle of oven until just set and beginning to turn golden along edges, 7 to 10 minutes total. Run a knife along edges to loosen from pan, then while still hot, invert a large rack over pan and invert layer onto rack, pulling gently on wax paper overhangs to release if necessary. Peel off wax paper and cool completely.
Line a large shallow baking pan with wax paper and slide green layer into it. Spread half of jam evenly over green layer and carefully top with plain layer. Spread remaining jam evenly over uncolored layer and carefully top with pink layer (trim edges if necessary). Cover with plastic wrap and weight with a large cutting board or baking pan. Chill at least 3 hours.
Melt chocolate in a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Remove weight and plastic wrap and spread chocolate evenly over top, but not sides, of pink layer. Let stand at room temperature until set, about 1 hour, and cut into small diamonds (12 rows crosswise and 12 diagonal rows).
Note: Do not make this dough ahead.
Storage: Store in an airtight container, layered between strips of wax paper, for up to 3 weeks. (Note: These cookies may be frozen, preferably before slicing.) This cookie improves with age.
For best flavor, make the cookies up to 3 days before serving and store them covered in the refrigerator.
Makes about 7 dozen diamonds.
Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookie Logs
Cook Time: 10 Minutes Ready In: 1 Hour
Yields: 48 servings
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups miniature semisweet
chocolate chips
1 tablespoon shortening
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
2. Cream together butter and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Mix in the flour, and then one cup of the chocolate chips. Shape dough into 2x1/2 inch logs. Place logs 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes in preheated oven, or until firm. Let cookies cool completely before removing from pan (shortbread is brittle).
4. Melt the remaining 1 cup chocolate chips and shortening over a double boiler, stirring frequently until smooth. Dip one end of each cookie into the chocolate, then into the nuts. Place onto waxed paper until set.
Chocolate Brickle
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 cup brown sugar
1 package saltine crackers (1 cube of a box of 4)
4 cups chocolate chips
1 cup crispy rice cereal
1 cup nuts, chopped
Multi-colored sprinkles
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Line a 12 x 18 x 1-inch cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Spread crackers side by side, one layer thick. Fold up sides of foil to the edge of the crackers to keep them in place.
Combine brown sugar and butter in a 2-quart saucepan. Bring to boil for 3 minutes. Carefully pour boiling sugar and butter mixture over crackers and not breaking them. Spread to cover evenly. Bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes.
Remove from oven and let rest about 5 minutes.
In an micro-proof glass bowl (or double boiler), melt chocolate chips by cooking on high for about three minutes, stirring at one minute intervals, or until melted. Gently fold in rice cereal. Spread chocolate mix evenly over the top of the brickle cracker layer. Sprinkle with nuts and let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for 2 hours.
Break into pieces and store in airtight container in the refrigerator.
Yield: about 2 pounds
Italian Christmas Bows
Also called Crostoli, Nochitells or Wandies
Ingredients:
2 lbs All-purpose flour
1 level tsp. baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
8 jumbo eggs
1/2 cup pure olive oil
Olive Oil for frying
Directions:
Make a well with flour on a bread board and add baking powder and salt.
Break eggs in the wall and add oil.
Mix eggs and oil with hand until blended. Gradually, very gradually, gather the flour until all flour is absorbed. If dough is too dry add another egg until a medium dough is formed - not too dry.
Knead dough for a few minutes then cut it in fourths and knead each piece until they are smooth.
Place a small amount of flour around each piece and place in a covered bowl for about hour or so to handle easier. (let it 'rest')
Roll out each piece very very thin (you could also use a pasta maker to make them very thin) and cut bows and rosettes with a fancy pastry cutter and fry them immediately in hot olive oil in a frying pan until brown.
Put them on either paper towels or newspapers to absorb the extra oil.
When completely cooled, place in large container and slowly pour slightly warmed honey over each piece and then sprinkle with powdered sugar.
You can just serve with powdered sugar and omit the honey if you wish.
Will last weeks!
Will make these tomorrow:
Snowballs (Russian Tea Cakes, Mexican Wedding cookie)
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 12 Minutes Ready In: 35 Minutes
Yields: 36 servings
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup butter softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or almond)
6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped Pecans, ground fine
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar for
decoration
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. In a medium bowl, cream butter and vanilla until smooth. Combine the 6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar and flour; stir into the butter mixture until just blended. Mix in the chopped walnuts. Roll dough into mini balls, and place them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. When cool, roll in remaining confectioners' sugar. I also like to roll mine in the sugar a second time.
Notes:
You can freeze the dough
Store in an airtight container
If dough is crumbly, add 1 Tbsp milk
Options:
Choc Chips
Sprinkles
Cloves (Greek)
Good with almond extract (and some vanilla), pecans (fine), and green food coloring
