Cookies, cookies, and more cookies. Here are the recipes that were presented in the Christmas Cookie Exchange 2019 previously posted. https://teastheseason3.com/christmas-cookie-exchange-yes-please/.
Please enjoy. I don’t have a favorite – they are all my favorites. And believe me, I have had them all!
Along with the recipes, are some favorite Christmas plates that I have. Some homemade, some as gifts but all put to good use. Collected over the years, cookies have been beautifully displayed on them and then enjoyed by all.
Find your favorite plate and recipe – let us know! Maybe a new tradition for you and your family.
White Chocolate and Cranberry Cookies
A delicious drop cookie with a soft chew surrounding white chocolate and dried cranberries.
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter, softened
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp brandy
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¾ cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup chopped walnuts optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°. Grease cookie sheets OR line with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until smooth.
- Beat in the egg and brandy.
- Combine the flour and baking soda, stir into the sugar mixture.
- Mix in the white chips and cranberries.
- Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets.
- Bake 8-10 minutes in the preheated oven. For best results, take them out when they are still doughy.
- Allow cookies to cool one minute on the cookie sheet before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
Soft Baked Ginger Snap Cookies
A classic ginger snap cookie, with a chewy texture and a crunchy sugary topping.
Servings 2 dozen
Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup molasses
- 2¼ cup all purpose flour
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp salt
- Additional sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°
- In a large bowl cream butter and 1 cup sugar using an electric mixer on low speed until fluffy.
- Add in egg and molasses and continue to mix until combined.
- In a medium bowl mix together flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt.
- Gradually add in flour mixture to wet ingredients until combined.
- Pour about ⅓cup of sugar onto a small plate or shallow baking dish.
- Roll dough into 1- inch balls then roll in sugar.
- Place onto ungreased baking sheets.
- Bake on the center rack for about 10-12 minutes.
- Cool on baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack until cooled completely.
- Store in an airtight container.
Notes
This recipes was adapted from Taste of Home.
Sugar Cookies
A traditional favorite, this sugar cookie is moist and chewy and a treat to decorate
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 3 cups all purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°
- In the bowl of your mixer, cream butter and sugar until smooth.
- Beat in extracts and egg.
- In a separate bowl, combine baking powder with flour and add a little at a time to the wet ingredients. The dough will be very stiff. If it becomes too stiff for your mixer, turn out the dough onto a countertop surface. Wet your hands and finish off kneading the dough by hand.
- DO NOT CHILL THE DOUGH. Divide into workable batches. Roll out onto a floured surface and cut . You want these cookies to be on the thicker side (closer to ¼ inch rather than ⅛.
- Bake at 350° for 6-8 minutes. Let cool on the cookie sheet until firm enough to transfer to a cooling rack.
- Decorate with favorite toppings.
Cardamom Cookies
A gentle shortbread cookie with the subtle flavor of Cardamom, topped with nuts and a butter frosting.
Servings 4 dozen
Ingredients
- 1 cup soft butter
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 egg separated
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup chopped nuts
Instructions
- Combine butter and sugars in mixing bowl. Beat until creamy and fluffy. Add egg yolk, vanilla, flour, cardamom and salt. Mix well to form a soft dough,.
- Spread mixture in ungreased 10X15 baking pan. Brush surface with beaten egg white. Sprinkle evenly with nuts.
- Bake at 275° for one hour.
Butter Frosting
- In skillet, melt 1½ tsp butter until butter browns slightly. Remove from heat.
- Beat in 1 cup powdered sugar and ½ tsp vanilla extract. Add enough milk to bring frosting to drizzling consistency.
Notes
These cookies, crisp and crunchy with nuts, have a tough of the exotic because of the spicy addition of ground cardamom. The recipe makes a large batch of delicious and esy to prepare cookies for the holiday season as well as for other times of the year.
This recipe is from the kitchen of Sally Bryant.
Wynonia Moss’ Chocolate Chip Cookies
I delicious, moist and chewy chocolate chip cookie
Servings 4 dozen
Ingredients
- 2 sticks butter or margarine
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup regular sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2¼ cups plain flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 small box (3.4 oz) vanilla instant pudding
- 1 12 oz bag of chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped nuts (pecans or other favorite)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Cream together the butter and sugars
- Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt.
- Gradually add to the creamed mixture.
- Add the box of pudding chocolate chips and nuts. Mix until well blended.
- Drop on greased cookie sheets. (Wynonia makes these 3-4 inches across. I usually make them regular cookie size).
- Bake at 350° for about 12-15 minutes – longer for really large cookies.
Notes
Lucy says: “Wynonia was the cleaning woman at Brenau Academy for several years and she love her girls. She brought them hug Chocolate Chip Cookies regularly. I don’t make them as large as she did.”
Wynonia states: ” I usually make up more to keep in the freezer and I always add more nuts than the recipe calls for. I often ask people what their favorite nuts are and use those.”
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Cookies
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Cookies, an easy, tender cookie bursting with cinnamon sugar.
Servings 28 cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick) softened
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- pinch of kosher salt
- 1¾ cups all purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In large bowl, cream together the butter and cream cheese with a hand mixer until smooth. Slowly add the powdered sugar until combined. Add egg, baking powder, vanilla, and salt. Mix to combine. Add flour in slowly until fully incorporated, scraping the sides as needed. Place in fridge for one hour to rest.
- Preheat oven to 375°. In a small bowl, mix together the cinnamon and sugar. Set aside.
- Roll dough into 1 inch sized balls, about 2 teaspoons worth of dough. Roll until coated in the
cinnamon sugar mixture. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. - Bake for 8-9 minutes,until just set. Do not overbake, it is hard to tell when these cookies are
ready, they will puff up but won't get golden brown. Let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Notes
This recipe was from https://thissillygirlskitchen.com/cinnamon-cream-cheese-cookies/
Lemon Snowball Cookies
Snowball cookie delicately flavored with lemon and then rolled and dusted in confectioner's sugar.
Servings 44 cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- ¼ tsp lemon extract optional
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 2¼ cup flour
- 1-2 cups powdered sugar for rolling
- 2 tsp lemon zest for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Line two cookies sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats
- Beat butter, powdered sugar, lemon juice, lemon extract, and salt until smooth. Then stir in lemon zest. Add the flour and mix until a stiff dough forms. If you're using a stand mixer, this will just take a minute or so. If you're using a hand mixer it will take much longer.
- Scoop tablespoon sized cookies onto your cookie sheet. these don't spread so you can crowd them a bit, leaving about 1-2" between cookies. Bake for 8-12 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking, until the cookies are no longer wet looking. Cool 10 minutes before rolling in powdered sugar.
- Stir powdered sugar and lemon zest together in a bowl. Roll cookies to coat. If desired, do a second roll once they're completely cool, so they're perfectly white.
- Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 34 days or freeze for up to one month.
Notes
This recipe taken from https://www.crazyforcrust.com/lemon-snowball-cookies/#wprm-recipe-container-41586
Biscochitos
The official state cookie of New Mexico, Biscochitos or bizcochitos are a crisp lard- or butter-based cookie, flavored with cinnamon and anise.
Servings 5 dozen
Ingredients
- 6 cups flour
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp crushed anise seed
- 2 cups pure lard (1 lb)
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1½ cups sugar
- ½ cup brandy
Topping Ingredients
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, stir flour, baking powder, salt and anise seed together.
- In separate bowl beat the eggs, lard and sugar together.
- Mix the dry ingredients into the beaten ingredients.
- Add the water or sweet wine.
- Working with ½ the dough at a time, on a lightly floured surface, roll to ⅛ inch thickness. Cut into the desired shapes.
- Dip the cookies into the topping ingredients (already mixed together). Place on an un-greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until done.
Notes
Vegetable shortening or butter may be used as a substitute for lard.
Bourbon, sherry, milk or water may be used as a substitute for brandy.
Fleur-de-lis is the traditional shape.
Cranberry Orange Sugar Cookies
A short bread cookie flavored with chopped cranberries and orange, dusted with orange sugar.
Servings 36 cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 cups flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ cup dried cranberries, finely chopped I use a small chopper to finely chop
- 1 tbsp grated orange zest
- 1 tbsp dried orange peel
Rolling Sugar
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tbsp grated orange zest
- 1 tsp dried orange peel
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°
- Using electric mixer, mix butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy, add egg.
- Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, orange zest and orange peel in separate bowl. Add to butter mixture and mix until combined. Add cranberries.
- Combine ½ cup sugar, orange zest, and orange peel in bowl. Using fork, mix until well blended and you can smell the orange.
- Chill dough for 20 minutes. Shape dough into 1 inch balls and roll in sugar mixture. Place on baking sheet – I use silicon pads. Flatten ball slightly with bottom of glass.
- Bake for 10-13 minutes or until lightly golden. Cool on wire rack.
Notes
These cookies freeze very well!
