Christmas Cookies!

When we got together to bake, we didn't get a whole lot done. Mostly, we made gingersnaps (which turn out to be the favorite of Miss Brooklynn) and some crazy sugar cookies. The cookies pictured here were made from the Cook's Illustrated recipe for Glazed Butter Cookies. These have a very nice taste and texture, and are egg free for those with allergies.



The next day, I decided to make some Snowballs, White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies, and my favorite Nielssen Massey Chocolate Chip Cookies.

All were good, all were eaten. I promise to be better next year and post while we're all still in a baking mood.

Big Soft Ginger Cookies

Copyright: Allrecipes.com

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 (175 degrees C). 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.

This recipe appears in the Allrecipes "Tried & True Favorites" cookbook. Buy it online at http://www.shopallrecipes.com/ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2007

My note: I glazed these with the cream cheese glaze from the Glazed Butter Cookies. It added a nice, tangy note to these cookies.

White Chocolate Chunk Macadamia Cookies

Copyright 2003, Carole Walter

Great Cookies

3/4 cup lightly packed very fresh dark brown sugar

1/2 cup quick (1-minute) oatmeal

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned in and leveled

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly firm

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1 large egg

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

8 ounces fine-quality white chocolate, such a Lindt Swiss Classic White, cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped macadamia nuts

1. Position the shelves in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Place the brown sugar, oatmeal, and granulated sugar in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process 2 1/2 to 3 minutes, stopping occasionally to pulse.The oatmeal must be very finely ground.

3. In a medium bowl, strain together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

4. In the large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the butter and corn syrup together on medium-low speed, mixing until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the oatmeal-sugar mixture in three additions and beat for 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat for 1 minute longer. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Reduce the mixer speed to low, add the dry ingredients one-half at a time, and mix just until blended. Using a large rubber spatula, fold in the chocolate pieces and the macadamia nuts.

5. Drop 1 1/2-inch mounds of dough, about the size of a large walnut, from the tip of a tablespoon onto cookie sheets, about 3 inches apart. Scrape down the side of the bowl occasionally to ensure even distribution of the chocolate chips and nuts. Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges begin to turn a golden brown. To ensure even baking, toward the end of baking time rotate the pans top to bottom and front to back. Do not overbake.

6. Remove the cookies form the oven and let stand for 2 minutes. Using a thin metal spatula, carefully loosen. When firm enough to handle, transfer to cooling racks.

Storage:

Store in an airtight container, layered between strips of wax paper, for up to 5 days. These cookies may be frozen.

Snowballs

Copyright: Carole Walter, 2003
Great Cookies

1 1/4 cups pecans
2 cups all-purpose flour, divided, spooned in and leveled
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons strained confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon cold water
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups strained confectioner's sugar, spooned in and leveled, for coating

Make the Dough:

1. Place the pecans and 1/4 cup of the flour in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse 5 or 6 times, then process 8 to 10 seconds or until the pecans are chopped medium-fine. Add the remaining 1 3/4 cups flour and the salt and pulse 2 or 3 times, just to combine.

2. In the large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter on medium-low speed until creamy and lightened in color. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the 2 tablespoons of confectioners' sugar, 1 tablespoon cold water, and the vanilla and continue to mix on low speed. Scrape down the side of the bowl as needed.

3. Add the flour-nut mixture in three additions, mixing just until combined. Do not overmix. Remove the bowl from the mixer, cover with plastic wrap, and chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.

Bake the Cookies:

4. Position the shelves in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line the pans with baking parchment.

5. Form the dough into 1 1/4 inch balls and set about 2 inches apart on the pans. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes or just until cookies begin to brown lightly on the bottom. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes, then carefully loosen with a thin metal spatula.

Sugar the Cookies:

6. Place the 1 1/2 cups of confectioners' sugar in a large, shallow dish. While the cookies are still warm, roll in the sugar, coating each heavily. Handle gently; they are very fragile. When the first coating of sugar is complete, roll the cookies a second time. Place on wire cooling racks and let air-dry for several hours.

Storage:

Store in an airtight container, layered between strips of wax paper, for up to 3 weeks. These cookies may be frozen.

Glazed Butter Cookies

Copyright: Cook's Illustrated

2 1/2 cups unbleached flour
3/4 cup sugar, superfine -- (5 1/2 ounces)
1/4 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons unsalted butter -- softened but still cool, cut into sixteen pieces
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cream cheese -- at room temperature

GLAZE:
1 tablespoon cream cheese -- at room temperature
2 tablespoons milk -- up to 3 tablespoons if needed
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar -- 6 ounces

FOR THE COOKIES: In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix the flour, sugar, and salt at low speed until combined, about 5 seconds. With the mixer running on low, add the butter, one piece at a time; continue to mix until the mixture looks crumbly and slightly wet, about 1 minute longer. Add the vanilla and cream cheese and mix on low until the dough just begins to form large clumps, about 30 seconds.

Knead the dough by hand in the bowl for 2 or 3 turns to form a large, cohesive mass. Turn the dough out onto the countertop; divide it in half, pat each half into a 4-inch disk, wrap the disks in plastic, and refrigerate until they begin to firm up, 20 to 30 minutes. (The disks can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 weeks; defrost in the refrigerator before using.)

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position; heat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll out 1 dough disk to an even 1/3-inch thickness between 2 large sheets of parchment paper; slide the rolled dough, still on the parchment, onto a baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, repeat with the second disk.

Working with the first portion of rolled dough, cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters and place the shapes on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until the cookies are light golden brown, about 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through the baking time. Repeat with the second portion of rolled dough. (The dough scraps can be patted together, chilled, and rerolled once.) Cool the cookies to room temperature on a wire rack.

FOR THE GLAZE: Whisk the cream cheese and 2 tablespoons of the milk in a medium bowl until combined and no lumps remain. Whisk in the confectioners' sugar until smooth, adding the remaining milk as needed until the glaze is thin enough to spread easily. Drizzle a scant teaspoon of the glaze onto each cooled cookie, or spread it on with the back of a spoon

Rich Roll Cookies

Copyright 2006: The Joy of Cooking

Yield: About thirty-six 2- to 3-inch cookies

Beat in a large bowl until creamy:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar

Add and beat until combined:

1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract or almond extract

Stir in until blended:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Divide the dough into thirds or quarters, shape into disks, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm enough to roll.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease or line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Working with 1 portion of dough at a time, roll out to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out cookies using 2- or 3-inch cutters and arrange about 1 inch apart on the cookie sheets.
Reroll and cut the scraps. If desired, sprinkle the cookies very lightly with:
(Colored sprinkles, decorating sugar, or nonpareils)

Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until the cookies are lightly colored on top and slightly darker at the edges, 10 to 12 minutes.

Let stand briefly, then remove to a rack to cool. If desired, decorate the cooled cookies with:
(Royal Icing, below)

ROYAL OR QUICK DECORATIVE ICING
About 2 cups
This icing will become very hard. To avoid the naturally grayish tone that develops during preparation, add to portions that you want to keep white a slight amount of blue vegetable coloring. Do not use blue in any icing that you plan to color yellow, orange or any other pale, warm tint.
Sift:
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
Beat until stiff, but not dry:
2 large egg whites at room temperature
Gradually add the sifted sugar and:
2 tablespoons lemon juice
until it is of a good consistency to spread. Cover with a damp cloth until ready to use.
Should you want the icing stiffer, add a little more sifted sugar. To make it softer, thin it very, very gradually with lemon juice, more egg white or water.