Snow People Cookies
These cookies are adorable and fun to make. They also taste really good. They are a fun cookie for kids to make. The cookies are made from a rich, cream cheese dough. They stay soft in the middle, with a little crunch on the outside. They are even cuter if you use the candy-striped kisses available this time of year.
Snow People
Dough:
4 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
1 c. butter, softened
1 (8oz.) package cream cheese, softened
2 c. sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
¼ t. almond extract
Decorations:
Mini chocolate chips or mini M&Ms
Kisses, whole, or mini peanut butter cups, halved
Frosting:
2 c. powdered sugar
Few drops green food coloring
Milk
Extra powdered sugar for sprinkling
Mix dry ingredients and set aside. Cream together butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and flavorings then stir in dry ingredients. Chill dough overnight. For each snow person rolls out 3 balls of dough, 1-inch, ¾-inch and ½-inch in diameter. Place balls in descending order on ungreased baking sheet. Press together lightly. Use 2 mini chocolate chips for eyes in smallest ball and use either chips or mini M&Ms for buttons (2 on largest ball and 1 in medium). You can also add a tiny dot of frosting once they are cooled for the buttons, too. Bake in a preheated 325-degree oven for about 18 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are lightly browned. Cool on baking sheet 1 minute then remove to rack to finish cooling. Combine powdered sugar with green food coloring and just enough milk to make a frosting that can be piped. Use a little dab of frosting to attach either a chocolate kiss (unwrapped) or half of a peanut butter cup as a hat. Pipe a small amount of frosting to form a scarf. Dust cookies with a little extra powdered sugar for snow when finished decorating. Makes about 48 cookies.
Lemon Meltaway Cookies
These cookies have a great lemon flavor and delicate texture. The cookie is so tender, in part, because there is cornstarch in the dough. I think you and your family and friends will love them as much as I do.
I will admit to adding a little more lemon zest to the dough and frosting, for even more lemon flavor. To make them easier for packing, I sometimes make a lemon glaze instead of the frosting. I just combine a cup of powdered sugar with enough lemon juice to make it a nice consistency to drizzle. I drizzle it over the cookies and let the glaze harden up before packing.
They are also easy to make. They are a slice and bake cookie. That means you make the dough, form into a roll, and chill. Now you can just slice and bake when you have the time. I sometimes make a batch and freeze them- so I can make fresh cookies whenever I like. In a season of heavy meals and rich desserts, these cookies are light and refreshing.
Lemon Meltaways
Dough:
1 ¼ c. flour
¾ c. butter, softened
½ c. cornstarch
1/3 c. powdered sugar
1 T. lemon juice
1 t. grated lemon peel
Frosting:
¾ c. powdered sugar
¼ c. butter, softened
1 t. lemon juice
1 t. grated lemon peel
In large bowl combine all dough ingredients and mix well. Divide dough in half and roll each half into an 8- inch roll. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill until firm, 1-2 hours. Slice chilled dough into ¼ inch slices and place 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8-12 minutes, or until cookies are set, but not brown. Cool completely on a rack. Combine frosting ingredients and beat until light and fluffy. Frost cooled cookies. Makes 4 dozen.
Angel Wings -Chruschiki
Angel Wings are what a lot of people call these fried, delicate cookies. In my family, we also call them Flancate (Slovenian) or Chruschiki (Polish). After posting a picture on Facebook, I learned they have even more names. Many nationalities make versions of these cookies. These are a favorite among my family and friends.
The dough is a mixture of 8 eggs yolks, white wine, a little salt and flour. Very similar to pasta dough. They are a tradition in my family. I try to make them at least once during the holidays.
I use a pasta machine to roll out the dough. You can roll them out by hand, but a pasta maker makes the job a lot faster and easier. Also, if the cookies sit around and start to dry out before you can fry them, they tend not to grow as much. They are cut, shaped then fried. They puff up a lot when fried. More than doubling in size.
Once cooled, they are dusted with powdered sugar. Because they are rolled so thin, a single batch can make a hundred cookies or more.
Part of the fun of making them, is watching someone eat one for the first time. They are delicate and will sometimes fall apart when you go to bite into one. Then there is the powdered sugar. Let’s just say you don’t want to be wearing black.
Angel Wings/ Flancate / Chruschiki
8 egg yolks
2 ½ -3 c. flour, plus extra for rolling
½ c. white wine – I sometimes use sherry
1 t. salt
oil or shortening for deep frying
powdered sugar for sprinkling
Combine egg yolks, wine and salt mixing until smooth. Stir in 2 cups of the flour and continue adding flour until dough is very firm, but still pliable. It is better to add more flour later than to add too much too soon. Knead or mix the dough in a mixer for 5-8 minutes. Kneading dough, or mixing in a stand mixer strengthens the dough. Divide dough into thirds, cover and allow to rest 1 hour.
On lightly floured surface, roll dough out into thin strips. Cut strips diagonally into 1 ½ inch wide pieces. Cut a small slit in middle of dough and pull one end through, pulling until dough is long and somewhat twisted. Work with small amount of dough at a time to avoid drying out. Dry dough will tear and be hard to work with. You can use a pizza cutter or a pastry wheel with a zigzag edge. Cook dough, a few pieces at a time in a skillet with either oil or shortening 2 inches deep and heated to a temperature of 375 degrees. Pastry will cook in 30 seconds or so. Remove when lightly brown and drain on paper toweling. Cool and dust with powdered sugar. Makes at least 100, depending on how thin you can roll them. We have gotten as many as 200 from a single batch.
Note: If you have access to a pasta machine, the rolling time will be greatly reduced. Use the machine to roll the dough uniformly and quickly. There is no substitute for experience. After making a batch you will learn just how the dough should feel and how thick to roll the dough. If too thick, the dough is not as tender. Too thin and they fall apart to easily. Also, get a friend or two to help you. The are a lot of jobs to do and the time will fly with some assistance. Besides, you’ll have plenty to share with family and friends.
Sugar Cookies with Non Royal Icing
These cut-out cookies are a classic, and always part of my holiday cookie baking. I will confess to having an enormous assortment of cookie cutters, so there is almost no end to the shapes I might use. This time of year I am making trees, stars, snowmen and more.
These cookies are crisp and sturdy enough to stand up to frosting, without being too hard. They also hold their shape well when baking.
I normally use royal icing to frost them, and an assortment of sprinkles and other candies. Royal icing is made with egg whites or powdered egg whites. The advantage over a butter cream, is that royal icing hardens, making the cookies easy to pack and stack. You don’t need much- just a thin layer. Tinting the frosting different colors is a big part of the fun. Depending on how much time you have, you can get really creative with decorating.
I tried a different frosting last year. Several friends had said they didn’t have, or couldn’t find, powdered egg whites and wondered if there was an alternative. There is. This one has just a few easy to find ingredients, and hardens up as nicely as royal icing, with a bit of a shine. The recipes for both icings follow the recipe for the cookies.
Sugar Cookies
1 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
3 c. flour
2 t. baking powder
3 T. milk
Extra sugar for sprinkling, if desired
Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients and add to butter mixture. Beat in milk. Heat oven to 375-degrees. Roll dough on lightly floured surface to about 1/3- inch thickness. Cut out with lightly floured cutters and sprinkle with sugar or colored sugar if you like and if you are not going to frost them. Bake on an ungreased baking sheet for 10-12 minutes. Cool on baking sheet 3 minutes before placing on wire rack to cool completely. Frost when cooled. Makes about 4 dozen.
Decorating your cookies:
You can use a buttercream frosting, if you like, however the topping I prefer is royal icing. Because royal icing contains egg whites it gets hard. Cookies have a smooth appearance and can be stacked. When making royal icing, use pasteurized egg whites or powdered egg whites. Raw egg whites pose a risk of salmonella.
You can also use colored sugar and sprinkles and mini chocolate chips for eyes.
Non-Royal Icing
4 c. powdered sugar 3 T. corn syrup 2 t. vanilla extract 1/3 c. lemon juice- about
Combine the first three ingredients then add the lemon juice, a little at a time until the icing gets to the consistency you want. You might need a little more. Stir until smooth and add food coloring, if you like. Spread or pipe out, allowing to dry before adding new layers of icing.
Traditional Royal Icing
1 lb. powdered sugar
½ t. cream of tartar
5¼ t. egg white powder
6 T. water
½ t. vanilla, optional
Assorted food coloring
In large mixing bowl combine dry ingredients and mix well. Add water and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Divide into small bowls and tint each batch as needed. Keep bowl covered with a damp towel while waiting to use so frosting will not dry out.
Keith’s Molasses Cookies
I really enjoy cookies made with molasses and spices. They have a unique flavor and texture that I like. A friend recently posted pictures of these molasses cookies. I wanted to try them, so I asked him for the recipe. Keith was kind enough to send me the recipe. Thanks Keith!!!
I made a batch yesterday. I can see why Keith says these are a family favorite. They are crispy on the edges, with just a touch of chewiness in the middle. The spices are a perfect balance. They remind me of the gingersnaps I make at the holidays, but with a more tender texture. I LOVE these cookies. I shared them with some friends yesterday and everyone agreed with just how good they are.
I am not sure where the recipe came from originally. Keith said the recipe came from a jar of molasses a long time ago. He has memories of making these with his grandmother.
One difference I found was that I got a lot more cookies from the recipe than I thought I would. The recipe said 5-6 dozen, based on cookies made from 1-inch balls of dough. I suspect Keith’s balls were bigger than mine. I ended up with more like 8 dozen!
With dark cookie dough, people are often worried about how to tell when their cookies are done baking. These are also a soft cookie out of the oven, so you might be worried they aren’t baked long enough. They firm up as they cool. I did 8 minutes on all but one of the batches, and they were perfect. I did a 10 minute batch, just to compare. They were also fine, if a bit darker on the bottom and crisper. If you are concerned, take one cookie off the baking sheet and flip it over. It should be a little darker than the top of the cookie. Don’t worry if they are soft when you try to take them off the baking sheet. They firm up nicely after cooling down. If it is too hard to move them right away, you can leave them on the baking sheet for a minute, before removing them.
So here is the recipe. Enjoy!!
Keith’s Molasses Cookies
1½ c. butter (3 sticks)
2 c. sugar
½ c. dark molasses
2 eggs
4 t. baking soda
4 c. sifted flour
1 t. ground cloves
1 t. powdered ginger – I used fresh grated ginger instead, adding 2 teaspoons to the dough
2 t. cinnamon
2 t. salt
Extra sugar for rolling
Melt butter. Set aside to cool. Beat sugar, eggs and molasses together until well mixed. Add cooled butter. Mix well. Sift dry ingredients together and stir into butter mixture. Dough will be on the soft side. Refrigerate dough for at least a few hours, or overnight. Preheat oven to 375. Grease baking sheets and set aside, or use silicone liners. Roll dough into approximately 1″ balls. Roll balls in granulated sugar. Place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. Re-grease sheets after each use.
Cool on flat surface covered with wax paper. I actually used a cooling rack. Cookies are very soft, but firm up a lot as they cool. Transfer carefully or allow to cool a few minutes on the baking sheet before removing. Makes approximately 5 to 6 dozen cookies.
Note: I got more like 8 or 9 dozen, but I think my balls were smaller.
If you like a softer cookie, remove at the 8 minute mark. 10 minutes will give you a crisper cookie.
Cream Wafers
Cream Wafers are a little more work than most cookies, but they are worth it. They are the most requested cookies of all the ones I make. The secret is the dough, which contains no sugar. It is made from only three ingredients- flour, butter and heavy whipping cream.
When baked, they turn into flaky layers that melt in your mouth. Seriously, if you want to really impress this holiday season, show up at a party with these cookies.
Cream wafers are coated in sugar before baking. You can use tinted sugar, if you like. Once baked and cooled, they are made into little sandwich cookies, using a buttercream frosting. You can also tint the frosting if you like.
Because they puff when baking and become thicker, and you are using two of them to make the sandwich cookie, be sure to roll them out pretty thin.
Here is the recipe. Hope you enjoy!!
Cream Wafers
1 c. butter
1/3 c. heavy whipping cream
2 c. flour
extra fine or granulated sugar
Frosting:
¼ c. butter, softened
¾ c. powdered sugar
1 T. milk
1 t. vanilla
food coloring, if desired
Mix butter, cream and flour well. Wrap and chill at least an hour. Roll chilled dough 1/8 inch thick on lightly floured board. Cut out into 1½ inch rounds or even little hearts or stars. Transfer cookies to a sheet of wax paper heavily coated with extra fine or granulated sugar and coat both sides. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and prick each cookie 4 times with a fork. Bake at 375-degrees 7-9 minutes until lightly browned and puffy. Cool on rack. Mix frosting ingredients. Put 2 cookies together with frosting to make “sandwiches”.
Spritz Cookies
Spritz cookies are so fun to make. Delicate, tender and buttery, they are also so pretty. The dough is squeezed through a cookie press with different discs to produce a wide variety of shapes.
I have been making a lot of different variations of Spritz cookies in the last few days. I’ve also received a few messages from people who have issues with using their cookie presses.
Hope I can answer a few questions and make your Spritz cookies easier to create. The big problem is getting the dough to stick to the cookie sheet. There is a balance you need to get where there is enough friction to get the dough to stick, but not too much, so the cookies will release after baking.
I use silicone liners on my cookie sheets. Parchment paper works well. You can also squeeze the dough onto ungreased baking sheets. Hold the cookie press firmly down on the baking sheet. Click the ratchet once or twice and lift up. The dough, hopefully, will be on the sheet. Sometimes I can click 10 or 15 cookies with no problem, then get one that sticks. Just remove the excess dough from the end of the cookie press and start over. Little gaps or air pockets in the dough can cause that to happen.
The dough has to be soft enough to go through the press. Make the dough with room temperature butter and don’t chill the dough after mixing it. A good spritz dough should be soft, but easy to shape into a roll shape and put in the cookie press. It should not be dry or crumbly.
Within certain parameters, dough for Spritz cookies are all pretty similar. At least in that the texture is all pretty much the same. My classic recipe uses egg yolks. Some of the recipes I tried used whole eggs instead. Both variations produced tender, tasty cookies. Some have a little more or less sugar. Sweetness level is a personal preference.
You can vary them by adding different flavorings or extracts. You can’t add ingredients like nuts or chips because the dough would not go through the press. You can also tint the dough to produce colorful cookies.
So here are some of the Spritz cookies I have been making. Enjoy.
Classic Spritz Cookies
1 c. butter
1 c. sugar
3 egg yolks
2 t. vanilla
½ t. salt
2½ c. flour
In mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg yolks. Stir in vanilla and salt. Tint dough, is desired. Add flour and stir until smooth. Using a cookie press with desired shape press cookies on to ungreased baking sheet. Leave about 1-inch between cookies. Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for about 8-10 minutes- cookies should be a light golden color around the edges. Cool on a wire rack. Makes about 4-5 dozen.
Vanilla Spritz
1 c. butter, room temp
¾ c. sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
1 t. almond extract
2¼ c. flour
½ t. salt
Mix butter and sugar until well mixed. Beat in egg and extracts. Stir flour and salt together in a medium bowl, then add to butter mixture. Mix well. Don’t chill dough. Place dough in cookie press and press dough onto parchment or silicone lined baking sheets. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 8-10 minutes. Cookies should be lightly toasted on the edges. Cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes. Makes 6-7 dozen tiny cookies.
Chocolate Spritz
Make the Vanilla Spritz or Classic Spritz dough, but add 2 oz. of unsweetened chocolate (baking chocolate) melted, when you combine the butter and sugar.
Viennese Shortbread with Coffee/Cinnamon Filling
1 c. butter
½ c. powdered sugar
½ t. vanilla
2 c. flour
¼ t. baking powder
Heat oven to 375-degrees. Cream together butter, sugar and vanilla. Blend in flour and baking powder. Using flower design of cookie press to make 1- inch cookies on ungreased baking sheet. Bake about 7 minutes, or until very lightly browned. Cool and then put two cookies together with coffee filling.
Note: You can make these cookies in almost any cookie press design that is symmetrical. I have made strips, trees and stars among others. Makes about 2 dozen double cookies.
Coffee/Cinnamon Filling
2/3 c. powdered sugar
2 T. butter, softened
1 t. instant coffee dissolved in 1 t. boiling water
1 t. cinnamon
Beat all ingredients together until smooth. Add a few drops of water if too dry.
Soft Butter Cookies
If you are looking for a truly tender cookie, this may be it. These cookies are so delicate, they just melt in your mouth!!
The secret ingredient might surprise you. It is oil. Yes, I know I said butter cookies – they also contain butter. But the combination of oil and butter makes them soft and delicate, even days after baking.
They also contain both granulated and powdered sugar. Not your typical cookie recipe, for sure. This just may be my “go to” butter cookie recipe from now on.
You don’t have to chill the dough and they roll very easily, without sticking to your fingers. You could chill the dough, but let it warm up a little before rolling. The dough can also be made ahead and frozen- I tested it.
In class last week we pressed the tops in colored sugars, nonpareils or sprinkles before baking. You can also bake them plain, then dip in melted chocolate and sprinkles or nuts after baking,
Soft Butter Cookies
1 c. butter
1 c. oil, I used avocado oil
1 c. sugar
1 c. powdered sugar
2 eggs
1 T. vanilla
1 t. baking soda
1 t. cream of tartar
½ t. salt
4 ½ c. flour id f dough is too soft, you might need to add a little more flour.
In mixing bowl, beat together butter, oil, sugars and vanilla. Once well blended, beat in eggs. Stir in the baking soda, cream of tartar and salt, then add the flour, mixing until well combined. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough into one inch balls and press tops of cookies in sprinkles or colored sugar, if desired. Place one inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 12 minutes, or until light golden on bottom. Leave cookies on baking sheets 3 minutes before placing on cooling rack. Makes about 6 dozen cookies.
Russian Teacakes
This is the first cookie I can remember making with my Mother. She sat me down at the kitchen table with a pile of chilled dough. I think I was 7. She put a piece of wax paper on the table, then rolled out one small ball of dough. She told me to do what she had just done. Roll out the rest of the dough into little balls. I sat there and made one tiny dough ball after another, until I was done. I can’t make these cookies without thinking of her. A special memory, indeed. Wouldn’t seem like Christmas without them.
Russian Teacakes, also known as Mexican Wedding Cakes are a delicate nut-filled shortbread cookie coated in powdered sugar. The magic is created when the cookies, hot from the oven, are rolled in powdered sugar. The powdered sugar clings to the hot cookies and makes a sort of sweet coating. Once cooled, they are dusted with more powdered sugar. Whether you call them Russian Teacakes, Mexican Wedding Cakes, or as another friend always refers to them, butter balls, these cookies are a must for your holiday cookie baking.
Russian Teacakes
1 c. butter
½ c. powdered sugar, plus extra for coating
1 t. vanilla
2 ¼ c. flour
¼ t. salt
¾ c. finely chopped nuts, nearly ground
Mix butter, ½ cup sugar and vanilla well. Stir flour and salt together and then add to butter mixture. Mix well and stir in nuts. Wrap dough and chill. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes. Cookies should be lightly browned on the bottom. While still warm, roll cookies in powdered sugar. Dust again with sugar once cooled. Makes about 4 dozen.
Cream Wafers
Cream Wafers are a little more work than most cookies, but they are worth it. They are the most requested cookies of all the ones I make. The secret is the dough, which contains no sugar. It is made from only three ingredients- flour, butter and heavy whipping cream.
When baked, they turn into flaky layers that melt in your mouth. Seriously, if you want to really impress this holiday season, show up at a party with these cookies.
Cream wafers are coated in sugar before baking. You can use tinted sugar, if you like. Once baked and cooled, they are made into little sandwich cookies, using a buttercream frosting. You can also tint the frosting if you like.
Because they puff when baking and become thicker, and you are using two of them to make the sandwich cookie, be sure to roll them out pretty thin.
Here is the recipe. Hope you enjoy!!
Cream Wafers
1 c. butter
1/3 c. heavy whipping cream
2 c. flour
extra fine or granulated sugar
Frosting:
¼ c. butter, softened
¾ c. powdered sugar
1 T. milk
1 t. vanilla
food coloring, if desired
Mix butter, cream and flour well. Wrap and chill at least an hour. Roll chilled dough 1/8 inch thick on lightly floured board. Cut out into 1½ inch rounds or even little hearts or stars. Transfer cookies to a sheet of wax paper heavily coated with extra fine or granulated sugar and coat both sides. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and prick each cookie 4 times with a fork. Bake at 375-degrees 7-9 minutes until lightly browned and puffy. Cool on rack. Mix frosting ingredients. Put 2 cookies together with frosting to make “sandwiches”.
