All My Christmas Cookie Recipes

These are all the recipes I made this year for Christmas cookies and candies.  They are tried and tested by 2 boys (and one man) and well liked.  I hope that you get some enjoyment out of them also.

Note:  I do use a Stand Mixer and strongly recommend that for the butter cookies.

Chocolate Cinnamon Cookies

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
• 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. 1. Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
2. 2. Beat butter until creamy. Add brown sugar and 3 tablespoons granulated sugar; beat until blended. Add egg, baking soda, corn syrup and vanilla; beat well.
3. 3. Stir together flour and cocoa; beat into butter mixture. If batter becomes too stiff, use wooden spoon to stir in remaining flour. Cover; refrigerate about 30 minutes, if necessary, until batter is firm enough to shape. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Combine 1/4 cup granulated sugar and cinnamon; roll balls in mixture. Place balls 2-inches apart on prepared cookie sheet.
4. 4. Bake 9 to 10 minutes or until cookies are starting to set and tops are cracked. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack or slide parchment paper and cookies to wire rack. Cool completely; peel cookies from paper. 40 cookies.

Notes: I think these could be done with powdered sugar instead of cinnamon sugar.

Hazelnut Shortbread

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
• 2 teaspoons Spice Island® Pure Vanilla Extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/4 cups finely chopped hazelnuts ( I toasted them at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes first)
• 1/2 cup each white, red, green, yellow and dark chocolate candy coating disks

Directions

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add syrup and vanilla. Beat in flour just until combined; fold in nuts. Shape into two 1-1/2-in. rolls; wrap tightly in waxed paper. Chill for 2 hours or until firm.
• Cut into 1/4-in. slices and place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 325° for 14-16 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Remove to wire racks to cool.
• In separate microwave-safe bowls, melt candy coating disks; stir until smooth. Drizzle over cookies. Let stand until set. Yield: 6 dozen

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies – use mini muffin tins

Makes about 44

For the cookies:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 squares (2 oz.) unsweetened chocolate
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter or shortening
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

For the garnish:
44 miniature Peanut Butter Cups, frozen and unwrapped
1 cup peanut butter baking chips
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine chocolate in bowl and microwave at 50% for about 2 minutes, stir and repeat until smooth and melted. Cool slightly. Combine sugar and butter or shortening in large bowl. Beat at medium speed with electric mixer until blended and crumbly. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then salt and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add chocolate slowly. Mix until well blended. Stir in flour and soda with spoon until well blended. Fill mini muffin tins about 2/3 full.  Bake for 8-10 minutes or until set. Press a frozen peanut butter cup into the center of each cookie immediately upon removing them from the oven. Cool completely. Melt the peanut butter chips and drizzle back and forth over the cookies using a parchment pouch or plastic bag with a little snip off the corner. Repeat with the chocolate, only drizzling at another angle from the peanut drizzle.

Butter Cookies

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 6 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ tsp almond extract
• 3 cups plus 2 tablespoons bleached all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• Assorted sprinkles

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle, on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Cream the mixture until it is smooth and fluffy. Add the egg yolks 1 at a time, mixing in between each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat for 1 minute and add the extracts. Combine the flour and the salt in a medium-size mixing bowl. Mix well. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low speed until it is fully incorporated. Increase the speed to medium and mix until the batter is thick and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle. Lightly flour a flat surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thick. Cut the dough into the desired shapes. Line a baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper. Place the cookies on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake until lightly golden, about 20 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and let cool completely in the pan. Remove the cookies from the pan using a spatula. Repeat the process until all the dough is used. Frost each cookie and garnish with sprinkles.

• BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
• Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 1999
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 stick of butter, softened
• 3/4 pound (about 3 cups) confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
• Red, blue, green and yellow food coloring

In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, cream the cheese and butter. Add the sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Add the vanilla and milk and mix well. Add a couple of drops of food coloring and mix well. Yield: about 1 1/2 to 2 cups frosting

Turtles

2 bags of semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 bag of kraft caramel bits

1-2  Tablespoons of milk

1 bag of pecan halves

Parchment Paper

Lay out enough parchment paper to hold 24 Turtles.  Melt 1 bag of chocolate chips in the microwave until they are smooth.  Spoon the chocolate onto the parchment paper in circles about 2 – 2 ½ in. in diameter.  Put 4 pecan halves on the chocolate circles for the “feet:”. 

Melt the bag of caramels in the microwave with a small amount of milk to thin them out.  Spread the caramel on top of the chocolate circles.

Melt the remaining chocolate in the microwave until smooth and spread it on top of the caramel.

Let them cool & harden at room temperature and then serve.

Cinnamon Pinwheels

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cinnamon red hot candies
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Red paste food coloring

Directions:

On waxed paper, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.

In food processor with knife blade attached, pulse cinnamon candies until finely ground; set aside.

In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat butter and sugar until creamy.

Reduce speed to low; beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture just until blended, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula.

Transfer half of dough to small bowl; with hand, knead in candies, then enough red food coloring to tint red.

Between two 20-inch sheets of waxed paper (must use wax paper!), roll cinnamon dough into 15" by 10" rectangle. (If paper wrinkles during rolling, peel it off, then replace it to remove wrinkles.) Repeat with plain dough.

Refrigerate dough rectangles 10 minutes or until chilled but still pliable.

Remove top sheet of waxed paper from each rectangle. Place plain rectangle (still on waxed paper) on work surface with a long side facing you.

Invert cinnamon rectangle on top of plain rectangle, so that edges line up evenly; remove top sheet of waxed paper.

Starting from a long side, tightly roll rectangles together jelly-roll fashion, lifting bottom sheet of waxed paper as you roll.

Wrap log in plastic wrap and freeze at least 1 hour or overnight, or until dough is firm enough to slice.

Whipped Shortbread Christmas Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

½ teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup red maraschino cherry
1/2 cup green maraschino cherry

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl and using an electric mixer, combine butter, flour, icing sugar and vanilla extract; mix until mixture is a smooth consistency.

Prepare cookie sheets with parchment paper. Spoon out dough onto parchment lined cookie sheets by teaspoonfuls or by tablespoons for larger cookies, spacing about 2 inches apart.

Cut maraschino cherries into halves and place one piece in the middle of each cookie, alternating with red and green cherries.

Bake in preheated 350 degree F oven for 13 to 15 minutes or until bottom of cookies are lightly browned, do not overbake.

Remove from oven and let cool on cookie sheet for about 5 minutes.

Transfer onto wire racks to finish cooling. Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats (Can use quick oats also)
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 6-ounce package Ocean Spray® Craisins® Original Dried Cranberries
• 2/3 cup white chocolate chunks or chips (Can also use dark chocolate)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Using an electric mixer, beat butter or margarine and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mixing well. Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition. Stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate chunks.
• Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack. Yield: approximately 2-1/2 dozen cookies.

Buttery Almond Crunch

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened, divided
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• ½ bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

• Spray an 8-inch square pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
• Add 1/2 cup of butter, sugar and corn syrup to a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until mixture reaches hard crack stage on a candy thermometer. Stir in almonds. Quickly pour into prepared pan. If you wish, you may drop the chocolate chips on top of the candy at this point and spread them as they melt. 
• Refrigerate until firm. Break candy into pieces. Yield: 10 ounces.

Easy Oreo Truffles

Ingredients

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1 pkg.  (1 lb. 2 oz.) OREO Cookies, finely crushed (about 4-1/4 cups), divided

1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted  (could also use white chocolate)

Make It

MIX cream cheese and 3 cups cookie crumbs until well blended.
SHAPE into 48 (1-inch) balls. Dip in melted chocolate; place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs.
REFRIGERATE 1 hour or until firm. Store in tightly covered container in refrigerator.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

How to Make Cookie Crumbs

Crushing OREO Cookies is a cinch with a rolling pin and a Ziploc® Brand Slider Bag with the Smart Zip™ Seal.

How to Melt Chocolate

Place chocolate in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 2-1/2 min. or until chocolate is completely melted, stirring every 30 sec.

How to Easily Dip Truffles

To easily coat truffles with the melted chocolate, add truffles, in batches, to bowl of melted chocolate. Use 2 forks to roll truffles in chocolate until evenly coated. Remove truffles with forks, letting excess chocolate drip back into bowl. Place truffles on prepared baking sheet; let stand until firm.

Fannie Mae Fudge

4 c sugar

1 c whole milk (could also use 2%)

1 tsp vanilla

25 cut-up large or 250 small or 3 1/3 c small marshmallows

13 oz Hershey Chocolate bar broken into pieces (can be regular or with almonds)

12 oz semi sweet chocolate chips

1 c chopped nuts (optional – can use chocolate with nuts – see above)

1 c butter

Mix together Sugar, milk, vanilla, butter.  Heat over medium heat until boiling.  Boil 2 minutes.  The temperature should be 240 degrees.Turn off the heat, but leave the pan on the burner. Add marshmallows, stir until melted.  Add chocolate, one kind at a time.  Stir until melted.   It will be hard to stir.  Add nuts.  Grease 2 9 x 13 pans.  Pour into the pans and cool.