Holiday Cookie Favorites

I absolutely love cookies. Not as much as a good cupcake, but cookies are pretty close to the top of my delicious “gooderies” list. This holiday season I decided to try some new recipes.

Sugar Cookie Failure, yet Tasty

I did try a new cookie recipe for rolled sugar cookies, but I do not think they turned out as I hoped. The plan was to rolled them out, cut them in many holiday shapes, bake and decorate. Well, that did not happen.

The dough seemed too soft and sticky to roll. And that was after being chilled in the frig. We gave it the ol’ college try, but we ended up rolling out balls of dough, rolled in holiday sanding sugar, and baking. They are quite tasty, but I felt that I should have stuck with Martha Stewart’s Old Fashion Sugar Cookie. They are THE BEST!

Cookies with Chips

The majority of my cookies this year have chocolate chips. I do not think I really thought this through. Maybe all I could think about was chocolate chips. Each cookie has a very different flavor.

Most of my favorites come from Martha Stewart or Food Network. I always start with the recipe as written, and then I make some slight changes. If you have that pumpkin laying around, roast it, purée it, and turn it into a cookie! I used white and semi-sweet chips in the pumpkin chocolate chip cookie. This will be a recipe you come back to every year.

Gingerbread

I love gingerbread, and in the recipe from Martha Stewart (Gingerbread Snowflake recipe), I do deviate from the recipe by adding freshly grated ginger and finely chopped crystallized ginger. They are fun to make and decorate. Although, I was pressed for time, so I got pretty sloppy and did not do the type of decorating I had hoped. I think he is still cute, wrapped and ready for Christmas.

Trying Something New

There were three new recipes this year – Martha Stewart’s Pistachio Tuiles, Martha Stewart’s Linzer Cookie, and my Grandmother’s Melt in Your Mouth Cookies. The tuiles are a big hit with the hubby and my friends. This was my first time making them, but it will not be my last. You do have to work kind of fast when forming the tuiles. They are delicate. If you like them crunchy on the edges and a little chewy in the middle, bake them around the 8 minutes. If you like them crunchy, just bake them a little longer. You will get hooked!

The linzer cookie will be a surprise for Christmas. I have not tried them, but I will. The recipe called for raspberry jam, but since I picked up Sugar Plum Jam from the local farm market, it seemed more festive for Christmas. And, I may have overcommitted on my dusting of powered sugar, but tis’ the season!

My Grandma’s Melt in Your Mouth Cookies are another hit among the cookie taste testers in the house. Buttery and delicate. And, Oh So Good! I say that in a sinful, I really should have an apple instead of a cookie, kind of way.

Helen’s Melt in Your Mouth Cookies

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Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter

• 1 cup vegetable oil

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 cup powered sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 2 eggs

• 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp cream of tartar

• Additional sugar for rolling

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Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• In a mixer with a fitted paddle on low to medium speed, mix butter and both sugars until well combined.
• Add the eggs one at a time allowing each to mix in with the butter and sugar.
• Add vanilla.
• In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients.
• On low speed, add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients a little at a time, ensuring the flour mixture is well incorporated.
• Form dough into 1-inch balls, roll in sugar, and placed on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Space 2 inches apart.
• Press the balls using the bottom of a glass so the balls flatten to about a quarter inch.
• Bake until lightly golden. About 8-10 minutes. Depending on your oven, you may need a little longer. Cookies should be baked through and not still doughy.
• Enjoy!

Give all of these recipes a try, and please share your favorite cookie recipes. I would love to try them!