Christmas
Tree Ornament Cookies
the Best Christmas Cookie Recipes
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My
children always looked forward to when I make the Peppermint Wreaths, because
they couldn't wait to help.
I didn't ever put peppermint in them though, I just used vanilla flavoring. So don't feel like you have to go buy some peppermint extract or peppermint candies just to make these cookies.
These Christmas cookies are easy and fun to make, and there are many designs you can make from the dough besides wreaths. I gave some away as Christmas gifts to my coworkers one year. Also see the Christmas Candy Ornaments, and rolled cookie cutter cookies.
Here's some Christmas songs to sing while you are making cookies.
Peppermint Wreaths Cookies
1 1/4 cups softened
butter
3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
2 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon peppermint extract (I used vanilla)
red food coloring
green
food coloring
crushed peppermint candies (I left these out)
Preheat
oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl beat together the butter and powdered
sugar. Add the flavoring. Slowly add the flour and mix well. Divide the dough
in half and place in two separate bowls. Tint one bowl green and one bowl red
with the food coloring.
Take some green dough about the size of a walnut, and roll it on the table to make a rope about 4 inches long. Take a small piece of red dough and make a thinner rope (the red rope will be sort of a ribbon for the wreath).
So what you'll do next is wrap the red rope around the green and form a circle. Lay the circle on the cookie sheet. Take little pieces of red dough and make little balls to be the ornaments on the wreath.
Take
a small piece of red dough and form a bow (by smashing each end with your thumb
and forefinger) and place it at the ends where the wreath comes together. You
can see on some I just used green dough and put red for the berries and bow.
After you make them all, bake for 6-8 minutes or until firm. Do not overcook
them, they will turn brown which is not a pleasing color for the wreaths, but
they still taste good. Let cool for a few minutes on the pan and then remove to
cool completely. Store in an airtight container, or freeze them. Try to save some
for the holidays!
Candy Cane Cookies: Another design I did was, I split the dough into 2 batches, and colored one red, and left the other batch the natural color. Using the method above of rolling, you can make cookies that look like candy canes. The kids love to get involved in the "rolling" It reminds them of Play Dough, but this, they can eat. Here's another recipe for Edible play dough
Christmas Cookie
Tree Ornaments
for a Kids Tree Trimming Party
2
1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground
nutmeg (optional)
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2
tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
In a small mixing bowl stir together flour, baking powder, and if desired nutmeg. Set flour mixture aside. In a large mixing bowl beat butter or margarine with an electric mixer on medium speed till softened (about 30 seconds) Add sugar and beat till fluffy.
Add egg, milk, and vanilla, then beat well. Gradually add flour mixture and beat till well blended. Cover and chill dough about 1 hour. Roll dough, half at a time, on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters or knife, rerolling dough as necessary. Transfer cookies to ungreased sheets. With a plastic drinking straw, make a hole at the top of each cookie.
Bake in a 375 oven for 8 to 10 minutes or till cookies are light brown around the edges. While cookies are hot, if necessary reopen the holes with a toothpick. Remove cookies from sheet to a wire rack, then cool completely.
Put decorations in individual small plastic bowls. Tie a piece of ribbon in the hole of each cookie for hanging. Let guests decorate the cookies by attaching some decorations with some frosting. Let cookies stand 30 minutes or until frosting is slightly dry. Makes 36 cookies.
While the cookies are drying, keep the kids busy making other ornaments for your holiday tree. They can string popcorn, make paper chains, or cut out paper tree ornaments or see these easy Christmas Kids Crafts, also they might enjoy making Christmas Candy Ornaments and Chocolate Teddy Bear Ornament Cookies.
Note: If you would rather not frost, then mix drops of food coloring in the dough. You can also use this recipe at other times of the year. Make cookie ornaments for your Easter tree, Valentine tree, pumpkin tree etc.
Childhood Thumbprint Cookies
I
make these every Christmas, but they're not just for Christmas.
1 cup
butter soft
2/3 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2
tsp salt
Cream butter and gradually add the sugar. Beat till light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla, salt, then flour. Mix well. Chill dough. Roll dough in 1 inch balls, place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press thumb in center of each ball, leaving an indentation. Bake at 300 for about 20 minutes. Fill each indentation with chocolate frosting.
Also see Aunt Elle's Peanutbutter Thumbprints
Christmas Cookies (Recipe from 1953)
1 cup
butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tblsp milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
Cream butter, gradually add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, milk and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add to creamed mixture. Chill for ease in handling.
Roll out dough to 1/8" thickness on lightly floured surface. Cut with floured cookie cutters into desired Christmas shapes. Bake on a cookie sheet in preheated 350 oven 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Makes about 4 dozen. Holiday Icing
Poinsetta Cookies (Recipe from 1974)
2
cups confectioners sugar
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
1
teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon rum extract
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon
salt
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup butterscotch chips
Granulated sugar
1/2
cup candied cherries, cut in wedges
Cream confectioners sugar and butter; add eggs and extracts. Sift together flour and salt; stir into butter mixture. Stir in coconut and 3/4 cup of the butterscotch chips. Chill dough until firm. Roll into 1 inch balls. Place on ungreased baking sheets.
Flatten cookie with the bottom of a glass dipped in granulated sugar. Place a butterscotch chip in the center of each cookie. Place cherry wedges in a circle to resemble a Poinsetta. Bake at 375 for about 12 minutes.
Santa's Whiskers Cookies
1
cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 tabsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2
1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup finely chopped red candied cherries
1/2 cup finely
chopped pecans
3/4 cup flaked coconut
Cream butter and sugar in bowl until light and fluffy. Add milk and vanilla; mix well. Stir in flour, cherries, and pecans. Shape into two 8 inch rolls. Cover with coconut, wrap in waxed paper. Chill until firm. Cut into 1/4 inch slices. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes or until edges are golden. Cool on wire rack. Yield 3 dozen
Christmas Balls (Recipe from 1963)
1 cup butter or margarine
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/3
cup sugar
2 teaspoons water
2 cups sifted all purpose flour
1 cup chopped
pecans
Red and green sugar
Cream butter and vanilla; add sugar, creaming the mixture until light and fluffy. Blend in water. Stir in flour mixing well. Add pecans. Shape in 1 inch balls. Roll in colored sugar. Bake 1 inch apart on ungreased cooky sheets in slow oven 325. for 20 minutes or until firm to the touch. Cool before removing from pan. Makes 3 dozen.
Holiday Hideaways are a cute little Christmas cookie that you might want to try. It's from a 1992 Cookie Cookbook
Kris "Kringla" Cookies
1 1/4 cups
granulated sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 large eggs
1
tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
5 cups Pioneer
Biscuit & Baking Mix
1 cup sour cream
-In large mixer
bowl, beat sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla on high speed until light and fluffy,
about 3 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add buttermilk, beating to combine.
-Add Pioneer Biscuit & Baking Mix alternately with sour cream, beating
until well mixed. Chill at least 4 hours (dough will be very soft).
-Work
with a samll amount of dough at a time and keep remaining dough chilled. On a
floured surface, roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into pencil-like strips about
8 inches long and 1/2-inch thick. Shape into a figure-8, pretzel or letter.
-Place
2 inches apart on a ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350°F for 10 to 12
minutes or until edges are just beginning to brown. Remove cookies to wire rack
to cool.
Nutmeg Logs
1
cup soft butter (two sticks)
2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
3 cup sifted flour
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
Cream
softened butter with the flavoring. Beat in the sugar, then mix in the egg.
In a separate bowl, stir the flour, nutmeg, and salt. Mix with the butter/sugar
mixture. Shape the resulting dough into snakes about 1/2 inch in diameter, and
cut the pieces to 3 inches in length. Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 350 for
12-15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.
When cooled, frost with nutmeg frosting.
Make grooves in the frosting with a fork, and sprinkle powdered nutmeg on the
logs while the frosting is still moist. Combine icing ingredients and spread on
cooled cookies.
Nutmeg Frosting
1 cup powdered sugar - 1
tbsp. margarine, melted - 1/2 tsp. vanilla - dash nutmeg - 1 tbsp. milk
Other Cookie Pages
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Bulk
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Cake
Mix Cookies - Easy way to make cookies
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Cookies - Chocolate rolled cookie recipes and macaroons.
Chocolate
Chip Cookies - All types, giant chocolate chip cookies too.
Cookies
In A Jar - Great for gift giving.
Easter
Cookies - Cute and colorful cookies for Easter
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Cookies - Gingersnaps, and more
Gingerbread
Men - Here's how you make them
No Bake Cookies
- Cookies and candy you don't bake
Pan and
Bar Cookies - A new page where all the pan and bar cookies will go
Peanut
butter Cookies - Cookies and other things to make with peanut butter
Pioneer
Brand Cookies - Made with Pioneer Brand Biscuit Mix
Pumpkin
Cookies - Perfect for a Halloween treat
Sugar
Cookies Recipes - cookies that you press with a glass
Also see Aunt Elle's Ultimate Christmas Sugar Cookie
___________________________________________
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