Christmas Cookies & Recipes

[Bandit]

Kolacky

2 sticks butter
8 oz cream cheese
1 egg

blend

2 cup flour
add to mix

refridgerate

roll out the dough 1/8 to 1/4 thickness
You have two choices.
a) cut into two inch squares, put in jam filling & pinch two corners of the square together like a croisant
b) smear fruit jam all over the dough & roll it like a jelly cake. cut into slices.

Bake at 350 for 15 to 18 minutes
Top with powder sugar.

These cookies always go first & they freeze well. The most important parts of this is to work with cold dough and to keep a very close eye when baking. pull them out just as soon as they start to turn brown.




almond paste, sweet cheese or chocolate chips ground up make good fillings too.

[liz417]

Hi Bandit,

Thank you for the recipe, I was looking for something yummy to bring to work for a potluck Are they called "Kolacky" cookies? Also, what flavor fruit jam is a hit?

Thanks again!

PS. I'm going to go with option (a) and pinch the corners

[Bandit]

Hi Liz,

Kolacky.

I think the most popular center is raspberry and apricot but I found almond to be right up there. Another good one that is a little easier but has fruit is thumbprint cookies made with shortening. Those are always a hit too.

I always make a bunch of shortbread too.

I have 10 different recipes I am making for homemade gifts & I do this like every two years because I know the people really do like cookies this time of year. I just did an orange cranberry muffin/bread for the first time ever that turned out pretty good. It was for a test run and have an idea to make it better for the gift by adding dried up cranberry (like raisins) along with the fresh ones.

I have enough to keep me busy & out of trouble this year

[Bandit]

I just made this one last week with the turkey. It is from Ruby Tuesday and I never knew Chil could taste so good. I put everything it says except for cumin & cilantro. Another good garnish is fresh green pepper.

I also used half lima beans with half northern beans & used olive oil instead of veggie oil.


Ingredients
6 cups chicken stock
1 lb great northern bean (soaked in water overnight)
2 medium onions, chopped
6 cups chicken, diced cooked
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded & diced
2 chili peppers, diced
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup salsa
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pinch salt (to taste)
Directions
1Simmer beans, half the onions, and half the garlic for 2 hours in the chicken stock or until the beans soften, stirring frequently. Add chicken and salsa.
2Saute pepper, spices, and the remaining onions and garlic in the oil and add to the chili.
3Simmer for one more hour.
4Garnish with sour cream, Monterey Jack cheese and fresh chopped cilantro.

http://www.recipezaar.com/Ruby-Tuesdays-White-Chicken-Chili-184155

I will get some more holiday sweets up soon, but I fell in love with this White Chili.

[Bandit]

This is another great old fashioned one that you dont see too often but people like them a lot. iT is a good one to add as a homemade candy. The trickiest part is watching it very closely at the end of the boil time. If you boil too long they will dry out, if you boil too short they will be soggy. Experience makes this drop cookie a lot of fun.


No Bake Cookies

Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1/4 lb oleo
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups quick oats
Directions
1Combine sugar, cocoa, oleo, and milk in a pan on the stove.
2Let boil for 3 minutes.
3Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients.
4Put in buttered cake pan or drop on waxed paper.

[DisneyGirl]

This is another great old fashioned one that you dont see too often but people like them a lot. iT is a good one to add as a homemade candy. The trickiest part is watching it very closely at the end of the boil time. If you boil too long they will dry out, if you boil too short they will be soggy. Experience makes this drop cookie a lot of fun.


No Bake Cookies

Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1/4 lb oleo
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups quick oats
Directions
1Combine sugar, cocoa, oleo, and milk in a pan on the stove.
2Let boil for 3 minutes.
3Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients.
4Put in buttered cake pan or drop on waxed paper.

Bandit thank you so much for posting this recipe! I haven't made No Bake Cookies in years! I used to make them when I taught pre-school but having moved between 3 states since those day, all my recipes are gone.

[Bandit]

Bandit thank you so much for posting this recipe! I haven't made No Bake Cookies in years! I used to make them when I taught pre-school but having moved between 3 states since those day, all my recipes are gone.

You are welcome. That is a very good one but you can only have it every couple of years because it is so rich.

[Minnymouth]

Love no-bake cookies - my favorite of all time................

[Bandit]

Toll House of course for the best chocolate chip.
Quaker Oats for the best oatmeal, except for I add nutmeg & allspice.

and of course all classic Peanut Butter Cookies will use a certain amount of shortening to get that crispy texture on the outside.

I am going now to whip up a huge batch of cut out cookies to get into the freezer until next weekend & will get that written down & over to you all when I am finished.

Enjoy your kitchen

[Bandit]

Scotch Shortbread

1/2 LB butter
1/2 C sugar
2 1/2 C flour

(you can add a little soda or powder if you want but not too much) It should be flat.

Cream butter & sugar then add flour. Pat the dough into 9x13 pan. Prick holes with a fork for effect. Sprinkle colored sugar on top.

Bake @325 for about 35 minutes.
Watch very close at your time as this one will brown fast if you turn your back.

Sprinkle with confectioners sugar & cut into cookie sized squares.
This is a lot like a lorna doone cookie.

[Bandit]

Christmas Cutout

I remember this one way back when I was just a little boy and mom working her tail off cooking, baking & filling the house with the smell of ginger & vanilla just before Christmas, then letting us in on some of the cutouts & colored icing. She would pass them out as gifts the week of Christmas.

This is my moms recipe.

2 c sugar
1 c butter
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream

mix

1 tsp. baking soda
2 heaping tsp. baking powder
5 to 6 c flour
(5 makes them softer
6 makes them a bit harder)

add slowly to mix

1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt optional

Refridgerate for a few hours in 3 balls
Roll onto flour surface about 1/8 to 1/4 thick
Use cutters of different shapes

Bake @ 375 for about 10 minutes

a)For colored sugar topping, sprinkle on and pat onto cookie before baking.
b)For frosting mix together: butter, powder sugar, vanilla & milk until creamy enough to frost cookies with. You can divide it up & make different colors with food coloring.

This dough recipe works best with a kitchen aid mixer and making a double batch will keep its consitency. You can freeze this dough & cut hearts for valentines day & it keeps up to St Patricks day for clover leaf cutouts.

Any questions? Just ask

[Lacy]

Kolacky

2 sticks butter
8 oz cream cheese
1 egg

blend

2 cup flour
add to mix

refridgerate

roll out the dough 1/8 to 1/4 thickness
You have two choices.
a) cut into two inch squares, put in jam filling & pinch two corners of the square together like a croisant
b) smear fruit jam all over the dough & roll it like a jelly cake. cut into slices.

Bake at 350 for 15 to 18 minutes
Top with powder sugar.

These cookies always go first & they freeze well. The most important parts of this is to work with cold dough and to keep a very close eye when baking. pull them out just as soon as they start to turn brown.




almond paste, sweet cheese or chocolate chips ground up make good fillings too.

Yummy ! those look really good... But hey you forgot to say how long to refrigerate the dough for !

[Bandit]

Yummy ! those look really good... But hey you forgot to say how long to refrigerate the dough for !

You just put cut/roll out dough in for an hour or two to get it chilled because when it is cold it makes rolling it, cutting & moving it around easier to work with. No absolute set time for this one.

They are good.

[Bandit]

Here is another of my favorites.

THUMB PRINT COOKIES

1/2 c. butter flavor Crisco
1 egg, separated
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. thick jam or jelly
1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder


Beat Crisco and sugar. Add egg yolks. Beat white in separate bowl and set aside. Mix flour, baking powder and salt. Add to Crisco mixture; mix well. Make 1 inch balls and roll in egg white. Put on greased pan. Press with thumb to make dent in center. Fill thumb print with 1/2 teaspoon jam or jelly. Bake on cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 8-9 minutes.

You can brush the egg white on top if you want. Just do not make the thumb print too deep because this cookie is very light & crumbles easy. They are good with a tiny but of powder sugar as an option. A very good fruit/jam cookie and works well with variations, like chocolate & coconut but jam is the best.
This year I made eight batches of these to give out

[Bandit]

BLUEBERRY (OR CRANBERRY ORANGE)
MUFFINS

2 c. flour
3/4 c. sugar
1/3 c. oil
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. milk
2 c. blueberries (or 1 c. cranberry-orange relish)

Mix all ingredients except fruit until dampened. Add fruit. Pour into greased muffin tins. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Makes 12 large muffins.


I use whole oranges with the skin minus the seeds, whole fresh cranberries and make my own relish by adding a bout 1/4 c. of sugar for a double batch and use a food processor. Where it says only 1 cup relish, I put about two cups, just like the blueberries.....

Then I add some dried/raisin-like cranberries and a tablespoon of lemon juice to the batter. This recipe works well to quadruple.

mmmm mmm good! cranberry & orange