Carol’s Thumbprint cookies
My mother made Thumbprint Cookies every Christmas season, along with a myriad of other holiday delicacies.
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup softened butter (2 sticks)
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup finely chopped walnuts
- Fruit jam, your choice (I like raspberry or apricot!)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375°. Grease two cookie sheets.
- Separate eggs and whisk egg whites in a small bowl. Place chopped walnuts in another small bowl.
- In a stand mixer, cream together butter, brown sugar and egg yolks until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Add flour, vanilla and salt; mix until combined.
- Scoop dough into 1½-inch balls, dipping each in egg white, then rolling in the walnuts until coated. Place two inches apart on greased cookie sheets. Poke finger to make indentation in each cookie and bake until set, about 10-12 minutes.
- Spoon jam into each thumbprint. Return to the oven for five minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to cooling racks.
Donna’s Snowman Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- ¼ teaspoon coconut extract
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Miniature semisweet chocolate chips, and green and red M&M’s minis
FROSTING
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon coconut extract
- 2 to 4 teaspoons 2% milk
- Red and/or green food coloring
- Miniature milk chocolate kisses, unwrapped
Directions
- In a large bowl, cream butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and extracts. In another bowl, whisk flour and baking powder; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Refrigerate, covered, overnight.
- Preheat oven to 325°. Shape dough into forty-eight 1-inch balls, forty-eight ¾-inch balls and forty-eight ½-inch balls. On ungreased baking sheets, place one ball of each size, side by side, for each snowman.
- Bake 18-20 minutes or until light brown. Remove from oven; cool on pans two minutes. Press on chocolate chips for eyes and M&M’s for buttons. Carefully remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
- For frosting, in a small bowl, beat confectioners’ sugar, extract and enough milk to reach a piping consistency. If two colors of frosting are desired, transfer half of the frosting to another bowl and tint each with a different food coloring.
- Cut a small hole in a corner of a food-safe plastic bag; fill with frosting. Pipe scarves on snowmen. Use frosting to attach chocolate kisses for hats.
Julie’s sugar drops
My grandma made these melt-in-your-mouth cookies that are delicious with coffee or hot tea.
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup shortening or 1⅓ sticks butter
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ cup finely chopped nuts
- 4 teaspoons milk
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup raisins (optional)
- Red or green sugar
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375°. Lightly grease cookie sheet.
- Soften shortening or butter. Mix in sugar, then add egg. Beat until fluffy. Add vanilla.
- Sift flour onto wax paper and measure. Add baking powder and salt to flour and sift together.
- Add milk to shortening/egg mixture and mix well.
- Add flour mixture, nuts and raisins, and mix well.
- Drop onto cookie sheet by teaspoons. Bake 12 minutes or until lightly brown.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle with sugar while warm.
Laurie’s ANZAC Biscuits
Named for the Australian New Zealand Army Corp, these cookies were sent during WWI because they didn’t contain eggs and would travel well.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup dry coconut
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons golden syrup
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ cup boiling water
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, sugar and coconut. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter with syrup. Dissolve baking soda in boiling water and add to butter mixture. Stir to combine. (Be careful – if the butter is hot, it will bubble up considerably.)
- Add butter mixture to dry ingredients and stir to combine. Using a 1½-inch ice cream scoop, drop onto prepared baking sheets, about two inches apart. Be sure to pack the scoop tightly so the mixture doesn’t crumble. Flatten cookies slightly with the heel of your hand.
- Bake until golden brown and firm but not hard, about 15 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool.