Christmas Cookie Exchange

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays!
Thank you for all the wonderful suggestions. I made a few of you delicious cookies, but in my excitement didn't take a photo. I did snap a photo of the boxes I gave neighbors. Everyone loved them! Looking forward to trying more of your recipes. Hope you all have a wonderful holiday and happy new year!

Looks great! please post , I have a cookie swap Sunday

Looks great! please post , I have a cookie swap Sunday

Thank you for all the great recipe ideas! Going to make to baking many of them in the next few days.

I found a new one, Christmas Ribbon Bars, that I made this week. It's a shortbread base and I used a gourmet jam, Holiday Jam (pears, apple, cranberry). Rave reviews! I'll post it if anyone would like to try it. The original recipe calls for raspberry jam but didn't have it. Really, any jam would work, pick your favorite. 🎄BB

I have to make double batches of these EVERY time!

My grandmother was Sicilian but she made them. My it was a east coast thing.

Make these....
ROOTBEER FLOAT COOKIES
Makes 3 dozen
1 CUP BUTTER, at room temp
1 CUP SUGAR
1 CUP BROWN SUGAR
1 LARGE EGG
2 TBSP.MILK
1 TBSP + 2 tsp. ROOTBEER CONCENTRATE (NOT extract)
1 tsp. VANILLA EXTRACT
3 CUPS FLOUR
1 tsp. CREAM of TARTAR
1 tsp. BAKING SODA
1 ½ CUPS WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIPS


Preheat oven to 350°F
Cream the butter and the sugars. Add the egg and beat until fluffy. Add the milk, vanilla extract and root beer concentrate. Stir in the dry ingredients and chips. Drop batter by rounded tablespoons, 2 inches apart, on parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until just set. Allow to cool on cookie sheet for about 5 minutes.

I think this is the recipe of the year for 2015…
* The only thing missing is the straw!

You might find interesting and helpful a book written many years ago by one-time NYTimes food writer, Mimi Sheraton. Called "Visions of Sugarplums," it's out of print, I believe, but can be obtained online via Alibris, A Better World, etc. The book contains well-researched and well-tested recipes for all kinds of holiday cookies, bars, candies, cakes, puddings, etc. from all over the world. It's inspired many treats I've baked over the years. See https://tinyurl.com/GiftBaking2017... for links to two recipes from that book that I'm baking this year.
If I could have only one holiday baking resource, it would be that. ;o)

Have sny of you made a Danish Christmas cookie called Pebber Nodder? A shortbread cookie with cinnamon, cardamom and pepper cut into nugget sizes.

Two of my favorites are traditional Christmas cookies, so they're probably not very exciting for you BB, but I love Linzer cookies and what are sometimes called Viennese crescents (lots of ground walnuts in the dough, and I add a dash of cardamom to mine).

My other favorite isn't one I've come across as a usual Christmas cookie, but it's so chocolatey and minty, I think it's a great wintery cookie: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/chocolate-mint-cookies-102892 (I used honey I think instead of the dark corn syrup)

Oh and there's one from Ottolenghi's new baking book, Sweet, that I really want to try, the Gelvude Speculaas (last recipe in this article). There's no pic in the link, but they look pretty and I love the sound of spiced cookie around an almond filling. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/apr/11/easter-recipes-yotam-ottolenghi

Let us know what you decide to make!

One of my favorites is chocolate peanut butter oatmeal no bake cookies. Everyone loves them and it's easy to crank them out when you are using the oven for something else.

This one is a family favorite...my mom made them, I make them and now my daughters make them for the Grans: https://food52.com/recipes/12575-coconut-oatmeal-cookies

This one is always a favorite at my house: https://food52.com/recipes/11345-frosted-coffee-fingers

I give out struffoli every year, not really a cookie but nobody complains. You must know how to make that since you're Italian!

I haven't made these yet but I think the entire family is going to love these!!
https://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/dipped-and-crisp-peanut-butter-cookies.html

I think rugelach is fit for any occasion, especially when they're as good as this recipe!

https://food52.com/recipes/73003-hazelnut-chocolate-rugelach-with-goat-cheese-pastry