Holiday Cookie Recipes

[Kate B]

The holidays are approaching quickly.  This spot is for a virtual cookie exchange ( of recipes) of course.  Does anyone have a family or special recipe that is their favorite?

I need a new cookie recipe this year!

Finally got around to posting a few favorites that will compliment any cookie tray:-)
My family favorite (Chocolate Chip Pistachio), Italian Lemon Drops, and Chocolate Raspberry Crumb Bars are posted on page 3 of this thread.

Updated 12-3-09:A recap of last year's recipes and hoping others add some of their treasures.  Impressive group of contributors to this thread:

Page 1: Pumpkin Bread, Bon Bons, Cocoa Fudge Cookies, Popcorn Balls

Page 2:  Sugar Cookie, Loaded Oarmeal Cookies, Lavendar Tea Cake, Sticky Toffee Pudding, Paula Dean Gooey Butter Cake,
Swedish Pepparkaka

Page 3:  Cocunut Cupcakes, Chocolate Chip Pistachio, Lemon Drops, Chocolate Raspberry Crumble, Dog Turd cookies,No Bake Oatmeal Cookies

Page 4: Grandma's Shortbread, ginger Snaps, Wine Jelly
Page 6: Dutch Fruit Bars , Chocolate Linzer Cookies

[Jill Marie]

Hi Kate,

I'm sorry that I don't have a Holiday cookie recipe for you, just last night I was printing Holiday cookie recipes from a website but since I havn't tried them yet I can recommend them.  However, I do have a family favorite Pumpkin Bread recipe that I got from a neighbor in 1980.   I have made it every year since then.  When my youngest son joined the Army one of the first things he requested was a batch of Mom's pumpkin bread.  Since then I have sent it to Germany, Iraq & Afghanistan.  When I email him and ask what he and the others he serves with would like I always get the same reply, more Pumpkin Bread & German Chocolate Brownies.  We eat some of the Pumpkin bread Thanksgiving morning so it will hold us through tell Thanksgiving Dinner, on Christmas Day it holds us through the opening of presents.  Here's the recipe, hope you enjoy it!  Jill

Pumpkin Bread

2/3 C. Shortening
2-2/3 C. Sugar
4 Eggs
2 C. Pumpkin
2/3 C. Water
3-1/3 C. Flour
½ teas. Baking Powder
2 teas. Baking Soda
1-1/2 teas. Salt
1 teas. Cinnamon
1 teas. Cloves
2/3 C. nuts. Optional

Cream shortening & sugar, beat in eggs, pumpkin & water.  Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, salt and spices.  Add to Pumpkin mixture. Bake at 325 degrees.  Pour into  greased Kerr pint jars, filling half full.  Bake about 45 minutes.  Makes 8 pints. 

For spicier bread add:  ½ teas. Cinnamon, ½ teas. Clove, ¼ teas. Nutmeg, per batch.

Batch and a half (use a big can of pumpkin, 29 oz.)

1 C. Shortening
4 C. Sugar
6 Eggs
3 C. Pumpkin
1 C. Water
5 C. Flour
¾ teas. Baking Powder
3 teas. Baking Soda
2-1/4 teas. Salt
1-1/2 teas. Cinnamon
1-1/2 teas. Cloves

[ppearl214]

Kate, I luffs ya dearly, but my waist line is hating the thought of this thread! Let me go find some family recipes... I do have my grandmother's famous holiday fudge (secret) recipe...

Phyl

[Sue]

Here's my recipe, but first:  What is mixed peel?   And can you make the pumpkin bread in a loaf pan?  I've never heard of baking them in a glass jar!  Interesting.



Hi Kate,

My husband loves cookies!  That's because his mother was a big cookie baker.  Anyway, I found this one in my Cooking Light cookbook and it's very nice.  These are easy to make.  You could put a half of a walnut on top, if you want, or add frosting to them and add sprinkles or some kind of holiday trim to make them more festive.   Have fun.  Don't eat too many!!

Sue in Vancouver USA



Cocoa Fudge Cookies

From Best of Cooking Light Cookbook


You can mix these incredibly easy, fudgy cookies right in the saucepan.  Just out of the oven, they have crisp edges and chewy centers.  You can make them with either Dutch process or unsweetened cocoa; we opted for the latter.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons butter
7 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cooking spray

 Preheat oven to 350.
 Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, level with a knife.  Combine flour, baking soda, and alt.  Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Remove from heat; stir in cocoa and sugars (mixture will resemble coarse sand).  Add yogurt and vanilla, stirring to combine.  Add flour mixture, stirring until moist.  Drop by level tablespoons 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray.
Bake at 350 for 8 to 10 minutes or until cookies are almost set.  Cool cookies on pans 2 to 3 minutes or until firm.  Remove cookies frompan, and cool on wire racks.  Yield: 2 dozen cookies


Sue's Notes:

You can add 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules to enhance the chocolate flavor if you wish.  You can also use flavored yogurt, which I have done when I was out of the plain. I  used the cherry flavor low fat yogurt and it was fine.  I have not tried to “doubleâ€? the recipe, but I don’t see why you couldn’t if you wanted more than 2 dozen cookies.  Just use a bigger pan.  You can also frost these cookies with dark chocolate frosting for an even more decadent treat.  Serve with milk or coffee and enjoy!

[lori67]

Mmmm... these sound good.  I'll have to look through my recipes later - I'm not much of a baker.  In the mean time, if anyone would like me to taste-test their submissions on this thread - send the already baked goodies on to Nashville!  And before long, I'll be on line 24 hours a day because I won't be able to get up out of the chair!   

Lori

[Sue]

Thanks for the explanation.  I've never seen this, but then, I've  never looked for it either.  If I can remember, I'll look for that.

Sue in V.

[MaryBKAriz]

Oh my,

This is a decadent thread! GREAT idea Kate! The ones sent in look great. I would like a REALLY good butter cookie recipe....does anyone have one? I don't like mine that much.
I will go look at recipes to see what would be fun to share.....

Mary

[MAlegant]

From a dieting standpoint, you guys are killing me.   

[Jill Marie]

I was glad to see that someone else wondered about the mixed peel as I had no idea what it was but wanted to make the recipe as my husband loves Christmas Cake and this sounds like a fun alternative.  As for the pumpkin bread by all means bake it in a bread pan, I've been tempted to do that many times as it would be quicker than filling the jars but I like the jars because it's different and it slices up into nice little pieces you can easily hold in your hand.   I like to wrap them up and put bows & ribbons on them and give them to family and friends.  If you have wide mouth pint jars it's fun to do, just spray the jars with cooking spray, fill & bake, let the jars cool a bit then the bread slips right out of the jar.  They fit nicely into sandwich bags so you can freeze them and then mail them with other goodies.  As for the Cocoa Fudge Cookies, you had me at crispy edges & chewy centers, will give them a try.  

I'm not much of a Christmas Cookie maker, fudge, pumpkin bread, party mix and popcorn balls are my childhood favorites.  My Mom loved sugar cookies and we loved to make the dough, cut out the various christmas shapes and decorate them but I rarely ate them.  

Here's my popcorn ball recipe, I'm guessing it's a pretty standard recipe but the important part is to not cook the syrup to as high a temperature as the cook books tells you too.  You want soft popcorn balls you can eat, not baseballs!

Popcorn Balls

2 Cups sugar
2/3 cup Karo syrup
2/3 cup water
2/3 cup butter
1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

Put in saucepan and bring to boil over medium high heat.  Then at medium tell it reaches 245 degrees.  Add the vanilla after it reaches 245 degrees.  Take off stove and put on popcorn.  Add coloring if desired, for Christmas of course we use red for one batch and green for the other.  We use to make popcorn balls on Christmas Eve, it kept us kids busy so we didn't think so much about the presents under the tree.  The kids can help pop the corn, the older ones can help with the syrup and everyone can form the balls.  We butter our hands then dip them in cool water so the syrup doesn't burn your hands or stick to you as you make the balls.  If memory serves me correctly we make about 3 batches of popcorn in an air popper per batch of syrup.  If you don't have a candy thermometer or even if you do I water test the syrup to make sure it's ready,  drop a bit of syrup in a cold cup of water and if the syrup gels together it's ready, if it melts away cook it a bit longer, thermometers aren't always right!  Enjoy!

[sgerrard]

Gee, now I have to figure out how to bake all this stuff, as well as knit all those hats. This is becoming a lot of work. 

Steve

[Sue]

No one said that Martha Stewart had it easy!!   Does anyone watch P. Allen Smith on PBS?  He's a male version of Martha Stewart.  Very multi-talented.

Mary, do you mean a sugar cookie, like the kind that you frost.  I have my girlfriend's mother's recipe and it's pretty good.  I can put that up if that's the kind of cookie you mean. For rolling out and making cut-out cookies?

Sue in the 'Couve

[MaryBKAriz]

Steve,

Maybe you could knit edible cookie hats? Kill 2 birds with one stone.

Mary

[MaryBKAriz]

Sue,

Yes I think it is what I mean. They are made with butter. I have sugar cookies I make, they are yummy, but not the Buttery Christmas cookies.

Mary

[Debbi]

Steve - maybe you can knit muu-muus for all of us while you're at it...

Debbi

[Kate B]

Steve - maybe you can knit muu-muus for all of us while you're at it...

Debbi

Chuckling over the muu-muus...

These recipes sound yummy!  Pumpkin bread, bon bons, fudge, cocoa fudge cookies, popcorn balls... and to think you are willing to share family secrets. Hmmm...what's a girl to try first...I will try some at the holidays and keep away from bathroom scales.
I have a couple favs to share too.  Going to get cookbook and trying to decide whether to share chocolate chip pistacchio, lemon knots, or a raspberry chocolate bar...

Kate