Christmas Cookies

This is one of the most traditional Christmas cookies that I know of.

GINGERBREAD COOKIES

1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. dark molasses
1/4 c. water
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
2 1/2 c. all purpose flour

Beat sugar, shortening, molasses and water in a large bowl on low speed until blended. Beat on medium speed 1 minute. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, 1 to 2 hours.
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Sprinkle counter top with flour; turn dough onto surface. Roll dough with a rolling pin until 1/4 inch thick. Cut with gingerbread man cutter.

Lift cookies carefully with a large spatula onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Decorate cookies with raisins (optional). Bake until set 8 to 10 minutes. Let cookies cool 3 minutes, then carefully remove from cookie sheet with a spatula.

Cool and decorate with frosting if you like. Makes about 1 dozen cookies.

While visions of sugar plums danced in their heads.

Sugar Plum Cookies
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 each egg
2 1/2 cups flour, all-purpose
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup fruit dried or candied, chopped, or 23 ounces filberts

Creamy frosting
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons water or 3

Directions:
Mix sugar, margarine, shortening and egg.
Stir in flour, vanilla, baking powder and salt.
Heat oven to 375 degrees.Shape dough by teaspoon aroundbfruit to form balls.
Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake until delicate brown, 12-15 minutes; cool.
Spread tops of cookies with Creamy Frosting.
Decorate with colored sugar, nonpareils or chopped nuts if desired.
About 7 dozen cookies.
Frosting: mix all ingredients until of desired consistency.

Candy Cane Cookies

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup margarine, softened
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon Davis baking powder
1/2 teaspoon red food coloring
1/2 C crushed peppermint candy, such as candy canes to be added to the red mix or sprinkled on top.

DIRECTIONS:
- Beat sugar and margarine in large bowl with mixer at medium speed until creamy. Beat in eggs, vanilla and almond extracts.
- Mix flour and baking powder in small bowl; stir into margarine mixture.
- Divide dough in half; tint half with red food coloring and add the candy cane pieces to this red dough. Wrap each half and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
- Divide each half into 32 pieces. roll each piece into a 5 inch rope. Twist 1 red and 1 white rope together and bend 1 end to form candy cane shape. Place on ungreased baking sheets.
- Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes or just until set and lightly golden. Remove from sheets; cool on wire racks. Store in airtight container. Makes 32 cookies.

Snowball Cookies

Ingrdients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups finely chopped pecans
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup Butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
Powdered sugar

Heat oven to 325°F. Combine all ingredients except powdered sugar in large mixer bowl. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl occasionally, until well mixed. Shape rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into 1-inch balls. Place 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 18 to 25 minutes or until very lightly browned. Cool 5 minutes; roll in powdered sugar while still warm and again when cool.

Makes 3 dozen cookies

EGGNOG COOKIES

1 c. butter
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. rum extract
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. nutmeg (fresh if available)
1/4 tsp. salt
Powdered sugar

Cream butter, gradually adding sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla and rum extracts. Sift together flour, nutmeg and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to cream mixture. Shape into 1 inch balls or put mixture through a cookie press. Place on cookie sheet (ungreased) and bake in a preheated oven (350 degrees) for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from sheet and sprinkle with powdered sugar. A family tradition! Makes 2 dozen.

FRUITCAKE COOKIES

Ingredients:
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 egg
1 3/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon soda
1/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1 cup candied cherries
1 cup chopped dates
1/2 cup mixed candied fruits and peels

Preparation:
Cream shortening and sugar until light. Add egg and beat until well blended. Reserving a little of the flour to toss with the fruit. Combine remaining flour with the salt and soda. Add the dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk. Toss fruits with the reserved flour. Fold in the floured fruits and chopped pecans. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased baking sheets, leaving 1 1/2 to 2 inches between cookies. Bake at 400° for 8 to 13 minutes, depending on size of cookies. Makes from 3 to 5 dozen fruit cake cookies. Store in an airtight container.

SUGAR COOKIES

Ingredients:
6 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
2 cups butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract or desired flavoring
1 tsp. salt

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Mix dry ingredients and add a little at a time to butter mixture. Mix until flour is completely incorporated and the dough comes together.
Chill for 1 to 2 hours. Roll to desired thickness and cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Bake on ungreased baking sheet at 350
degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until just beginning to turn brown around the edges. Decorate with icing or candies.
This recipe can make up to 5-dozen 3" cookies.

PEANUT BUTTER CRISSCROSSES

Ingredients:
1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup peanut butter
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda

Cream first five ingredients thoroughly. Stir in peanut butter. Sift dry ingredients together and add to creamed mixture. Mix well.Drop by rounded teaspoonsful onto an ungreased cookie sheet; Dip a fork into sugar and press a criss cross into each cookie. Sprinkle with additional sugar. Bake at 350 degrees about 10 minutes.

BUTTERED RUM COOKIES

Cookie Ingredients:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup blanched sliced almonds
1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
2 tablespoons light rum
1 2/3 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Butter Rum Cream Filling:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup powdered sugar
3/4 teaspoon light rum
2 teaspoons heavy cream

Preparation:
Cookie Base:
Soften the butter. Grate the almonds finely. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, grated nuts and salt. In a mixing bowl, cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the almond extract and rum until well blended. Scrape the sides of the bowl. On low speed, beat in the flour mixture until incorporated. Scrape the dough into a bowl and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Working with a small amount of the dough at a time, briefly knead it until it is malleable but still well chilled, and roll it on the floured cloth to a 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out the cookies, using a small metal spatula to transfer them to the cookie sheets, 1 inch apart. Re-roll the scraps, chilling the dough as necessary.

For a decorative effect, if desired, use the pastry tube to cut out 1/2-inch holes in the center of half the cookies. These cookies with holes in the center will serve as the top portions of the sandwich cookies.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in a 375 degree oven, or until just beginning to become golden. Use a small, angled metal spatula or pancake turner to transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Butter Rum Cream Filling:

Soften the butter. In a mixing bowl, with the mixer at low speed, cream the butter and sugar until well mixed. Still at low speed, beat in the rum and heavy cream.

To fill the cookies, use a small metal spatula to spread a rounded 1/2 measuring teaspoon of the butter cream on the underside of 1 of the whole cookie bottoms. Place a second cookie (if desired, one with a hole in it), bottom side against the butter cream and press the 2 cookies together.

RASPBERRY STAR COOKIES

Short breads:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup powdered (confectioners or icing) sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Filling:
1/4 - 1/2 cup of raspberry jam
2 ounces white chocolate, grated

Short breads: In a separate bowl whisk the flour with the salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter until smooth (about 1 minute). Add the sugar and beat until smooth (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. Gently stir in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Flatten the dough into a disk shape, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill the dough for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees with the rack in the middle of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Using a 2 to 3 inch Star shaped cookie cutter, cut out the dough. Place the cookies about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Use a smaller cookie cutter (3/4 - 1 inch to cut out the centers of half of the cookies on the baking sheet. (You will be sandwiching two cookies together and there will be a small 'window or cut out' in the top cookie so you can see the jam underneath.) Place the unbaked cookies, on the baking sheet, in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. This will firm up the dough so the cookies will maintain their shape when baked. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until cookies are lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

To Assemble Cookies: Place the cookies with the cut-outs on a wire rack and dust the tops with the confectioner sugar.

On the bottom surface of the full cookie (top of cookie will face out) spread with about a 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon of jam. Sprinkle with a little grated white chocolate. Place the cut-out cookie on top and gently sandwich them together, making sure not to smudge the confectioners' sugar. Using a small spoon, fill the cut-out with a little more jam.

Makes about 12 sandwich cookies.