What is your favorite Christmas cookie ??? Can you please some recipes?

[Trueblue1968]

[Trueblue1968]

1. I would like a delious Sugar cookie that doesnt spread huge and tastes wonderful.

Delicious frosting too ???? Thanks bakers.

[mntleo2]

11. A recipe and a hint

Buttery Sugar Cookies and Frosting
Not only are these cookies delicious, they bake up flat like they should without warping
Cookie Dough:
1 C real butter
1 C granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 t almond extract
3 C all-purpose flour
1 ½ t baking powder
½ t salt

Frosting:
2 T butter
¼ t almond extract
3 C powdered sugar
Pinch salt
1-2 T milk
Make cookies the traditional way, beating well, a mixer works good. Dough will be thick. Wrap and chill the dough for a at least 30 minutes to overnight. If you leave the dough longer than 30 minutes the dough may need to warm up on the counter a little to putty-like consistency. Roll out to 1/8-1/4” thick to cut into designs.

Put on a parchment lined baking tray about 1-2” apart. They do not spread and they will cook evenly this way. Bake at 350 degrees about 10 minutes until barely brown around the edges. Cool a few minutes (not too long) before transferring them to cooling racks

For Frosting: Beat the icing so that it is spreadable, Can separate the icing into bowls to color with food coloring. Use sprinkles, etc, it will work well with whatever you use

Here are some hints I have used over the years. I have 4 kids and many grandkids and this recipe is from years of finding the best recipe.Rather than rolling the dough out with a dusting of flour, use sifted powdered sugar instead! It works pretty good and will not “toughen” the dough from too much flour.

Uh-oh if you break one, well I guess you or a kid may have to take one for the troops and eat it
The icing is delicious and the best I have had combined with these cookies.
Hope this helps, Cat in Seattle

[fierywoman]

2. Zimtsterne (cinnamon stars)

Something like: equal weight of sugar and ground almonds, a bit of cinnamon and a pinch of salt, bound together with foamy beaten egg whites (but it IS a dense cookie), cut into star shape, just before finished baking, brush a mixture of water and confectioner's sugar, back to the oven for a minute or two -- the result is that the brushed on part is crackled: very pretty.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

3. Snowballs/Russian Teacakes/Mexican Wedding Cookies

This is the recipe I use:
https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/russian-tea-cakes/3af8664b-6c3e-4022-b686-cd961521e59b

[Warpy]

4. Pfefferneusse

"Pepper nuts," supposedly invented when there were ample spices on the shelf but either crop failures or expensive nuts that year. They're sweet, crunchy spicy, and absolutely wonderful and I haven't had them in years.

This recipe has the spice profile close, but NO NUTS. Nuts defeat their purpose: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/9822/pfeffernusse/

[chowmama]

5. Brandy Snaps

The batter is easy to make and the baking easy, but you can only do four cookies at a time – they spread large and cool quickly, making them too hard to shape. The batter stores well in the refrigerator. Crisp and candy-like, spicy and not overly sweet. An old recipe, in the category of lace cookies. Makes a lot.

½ c light molasses
1 stick of butter (1/2 c or 4 oz)
1 ¼ c of cake flour, sifted before measuring
¼ tsp salt
2/3 c white granulated sugar
1 TBSP (yes, tablespoon) ground ginger
3 Tbsp brandy

In a saucepan, bring the molasses to a boil; remove from heat, add the butter & let the butter melt as the molasses cools to just warm. Mix all the dry ingredients together and stir them into the cooled molasses, along with the brandy. This makes a thick sticky batter. It will be easier to handle if you chill it, but this isn’t necessary if you’re in a hurry.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Use ungreased parchment paper to line a cookie sheet. (You can use a well greased cookie sheet, but the cookies tend to stick & parchment makes it a lot easier). Decide how you’re going to shape the baked cookies & have anything you need ready. I roll tube shapes around wooden handled spoons. Some people make cones or drape them over a rolling pin. They cool really fast and can be removed from the shaping device within minutes.

Place 4 half-teaspoonfuls (use a measuring ½ teaspoon) very far apart on the paper. If the batter is really sticky, you can wet your hands to handle it; this won’t affect the results at all. Bake around 10 minutes. As every oven is different, you’ll know they’re ready when they have pretty much stopped bubbling, but aren’t dark brown yet. If this takes much longer or much less than 10 minutes, adjust your oven up or down.

Remove them from the oven and let them cool about 1 minute, til you can pick them up and handle them without burning yourself, but while they’re still flexible. Shape them however you want. If the first one is still too sticky, bake the rest for another minute or so. If they get too hard before you’ve shaped them, put them back in the oven just long enough to soften them. Put the shaped cookies on racks to cool.

Repeat till the batter is used up. It stores well, so you don’t have to bake them all at once. If you use several pieces of parchment, you can be loading one while another is in the oven and just keep slipping them on and off the same cookie sheet. Store the completely cooled cookies in an airtight container and keep away from moisture or humidity.

[Trueblue1968]

6. Can you substitute brandy flavoring instead?

[chowmama]

8. I don't see why not

as long as you don't try 1:1. 3 Tbsp brandy flavoring would be overpowering. You'd just have to make up the remaining liquid some other way.

Ginger, molasses and caramel flavors - maybe try sweet cider, +/- the flavoring? Something citrusy? And never overlook plain water, as long as you used extract for flavor. I'm not sure I'd try dairy, just because I'm not sure how it would react to the cooking process.

[Cairycat]

7. Mennonite peppernuts

(different from the above-posted Pfeffernuesse)

Cream 1/2 C butter and 2 C brown sugar
Add1 1/2 tsp. baking soda dissolved in 2 tbsp. hot water
Add 2 eggs
Mix 3 1/4 C flour, pinch of salt, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, 1/2 tsp. or more anise seed
I like to add some ginger, allspice and a grind or two of pepper
Chill dough overnight
Roll into 1/2" rolls (like rolling Play-dough snakes ) They should end up being the diameter of a nickel or thereabouts
Freeze the rolls
Slice and bake 5-8 minutes at 400 degrees. They are best baked crisp but you don't want them overbaked. I can get 6 dozen on a half baking sheet.

This year I have baked four half sheets and have dough rolls for two or three more.

[Trueblue1968]

9. I have heard the name of the cookie but never tasted it. What does it taste like ?

Gingerbread?

[Cairycat]

10. yeah, gingerbread, but the anise

flavor stands out. If you dislike anise, you wouldn't like it, and without the anise it would be just a rich spiced cookie.

[Trueblue1968]

12. I love the flavor of anise.

[japple]

13. My mother got a Mirro cookie press in the early 1960s. You can still find many, many recipes online for

the Mirro Cookie Press. She produced cookies out the wazoo for years with that thing and people still rave about them. Among the best were Spritz cookies that were in the shape of Christmas tree and with colored sprinkles and cheese straws (she was famous for these!) She also made pecan tassies--famous recipe from somewhere in the South. She was a great Mom, nurse, cook, baker, food producer, inspiration to her children and grandchildren, and she was also a WAC serving her country in WWII.

Pecan tassies are easy to make, and here's an easy recipe: https://www.pamperedchef.com/recipe/Desserts/Holiday/Pecan+Tassies/9673

[woodsprite]

14. That Mirro Christmas Tree recipe is my favorite!

I usually do the Xmas trees with the almond flavoring. Then make a batch with red coloring and vanilla flavoring in the shape of poincettas (sp?).

I’ve never tried the cheese straws. Will have to do that!

[Trueblue1968]

15. Pressed cookies are so fun and pretty.