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Christmas Cookies - Bakers, Buyers and Eaters (1 Viewer)

Eephus

Footballguy
I thought there used to be a thread about them but couldn't find one.  I started mine today in order to get some out in the mail but cookies baked now will be past peak a little by Xmas

Got any favorites?

 
The green wreaths with silver decorations that my mother makes around Christmas. Not sure what they are other than a basic butter cookie. Love 'em. 

Nothing too fancy, though. I grew up in a household where baking is purely rudimentary, but fun. 

 
I make these every year and have tweaked the recipe over time.   The anise extract is in homage to my mom's old recipe.

Pfeffernüsse Cookies

Dry ingredients
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper (can use black pepper)
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Wet ingredients
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses
2 eggs
1 teaspoon anise extract (can substitute vanilla or whiskey)
3/4 cup chopped raisins (can use dried cranberries or a mix of the two).  Sprinkling a little flour on top makes it easier to chop the dried fruit without sticking.

After baking
Powdered sugar

---------------------------------

1. Combine dry ingredients and shake to distribute the spices

2. In another bowl, beat butter, brown sugar and molasses until smooth.  Add the eggs and anise extract.  Beat for another minute

3. Add the dry ingredients and dried fruit until just combined.  Don't overmix.

4. Chill the dough in the frig for a couple of hours

5. When ready to bake, pre heat oven to 325 degrees.  Line baking sheet with parchment.

6. Roll the dough into 1/2 inch balls.  Place cookies on baking sheet with at least 1 inch of space around them

7. Bake 15 min or until golden brown

8. Cool for 5 min.  Roll cookies in powdered sugar while still slightly warm

If you want a crunchier texture, leave out the fruit and increase oven temp from 325 to 350.

 
The green wreaths with silver decorations that my mother makes around Christmas. Not sure what they are other than a basic butter cookie. Love 'em. 

Nothing too fancy, though. I grew up in a household where baking is purely rudimentary, but fun. 


I ditched the cookie cutters and press when the kids stopped helping. I remember the wreaths used to be frustrating because they would stick together when raw and break after cooking.

 
I ditched the cookie cutters and press when the kids stopped helping. I remember the wreaths used to be frustrating because they would stick together when raw and break after cooking.
Yeah, they break off. And I think they're made partially of cream cheese, now that I think about it. They're somewhat of a comfort food because they remind me of childhood. 

Your recipe looks nice. Involved and adult, but I'll guess delicious. 

Fudge is better the older I get. 

That's all I've got for you guys when it comes to cookies. Other than my favorite children's fictional character, immortalized here on these very boards by @wgoldsph

What you got for us, wgoldsph Monster? 

 
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I make these every year and have tweaked the recipe over time.   The anise extract is in homage to my mom's old recipe.

Pfeffernüsse Cookies

Dry ingredients
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper (can use black pepper)
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Wet ingredients
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses
2 eggs
1 teaspoon anise extract (can substitute vanilla or whiskey)
3/4 cup chopped raisins (can use dried cranberries or a mix of the two).  Sprinkling a little flour on top makes it easier to chop the dried fruit without sticking.

After baking
Powdered sugar

---------------------------------

1. Combine dry ingredients and shake to distribute the spices

2. In another bowl, beat butter, brown sugar and molasses until smooth.  Add the eggs and anise extract.  Beat for another minute

3. Add the dry ingredients and dried fruit until just combined.  Don't overmix.

4. Chill the dough in the frig for a couple of hours

5. When ready to bake, pre heat oven to 325 degrees.  Line baking sheet with parchment.

6. Roll the dough into 1/2 inch balls.  Place cookies on baking sheet with at least 1 inch of space around them

7. Bake 15 min or until golden brown

8. Cool for 5 min.  Roll cookies in powdered sugar while still slightly warm

If you want a crunchier texture, leave out the fruit and increase oven temp from 325 to 350.


This sounds a lot like something my grandma made, but without the fruit.  I'm in the mood for baking, though I haven't done any in years.  Just emailed my mom to see if she's doing any this year.  Usually she trots out a ton of cookies and fudge.  I'll look through my grandma's recipes and post a few tomorrow.

 
This sounds a lot like something my grandma made, but without the fruit.  I'm in the mood for baking, though I haven't done any in years.  Just emailed my mom to see if she's doing any this year.  Usually she trots out a ton of cookies and fudge.  I'll look through my grandma's recipes and post a few tomorrow.


A few years ago my crafty Lesbian cousin in Denver contacted everyone in the extended family to send in their favorite family recipes for a cookbook project.

The family cookbook has some great pictures but the old recipes were pretty pedestrian.  One of the cookie recipes was basically a graham cracker with frosting on it.

 
One of the cookie recipes was basically a graham cracker with frosting on it.


:lmao:   I have a book of recipes from each of my grandmas that a cousin put together.  One of them I thought of as a great cook (while the other was not), but I'm afraid to look at those recipes and be disabused of that notion.  I suspect it involved a lot of boxed stuff.  When I was a kid, I thought it was all amazing!

 
Wife makes a bunch of different cookies/candies every year 

might be skipping some and could go by other names…I think this is what we have this year 

Snickerdoodles

Hungarian Kifli (walnut and pineapple)

russian tea cakes 

peppermint bark

Oreo balls

magic cookie bar 

those cookie press trees and poinsettia 

fudge

toffee (it’s like a saltine with toffee and chocolate)

pretzel pecan turtles 

some peanut butter roll thing

iced oatmeal 

raspberry thumbprint 

 
magic cookie bar 


Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

14 ounces sweetened condensed milk

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped toasted nuts

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded or flaked coconut

Yum

 
Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

14 ounces sweetened condensed milk

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped toasted nuts

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded or flaked coconut

Yum
she might leave the nuts out

 
Yeah, they break off. And I think they're made partially of cream cheese, now that I think about it. They're somewhat of a comfort food because they remind me of childhood. 

Your recipe looks nice. Involved and adult, but I'll guess delicious. 

Fudge is better the older I get. 

That's all I've got for you guys when it comes to cookies. Other than my favorite children's fictional character, immortalized here on these very boards by @wgoldsph

What you got for us, wgoldsph Monster? 
I can neither cook nor bake (if it involves more than boiling water or throwing in the oven for a certain amount of time then I'm at a loss) but boy do I love to eat.

My favorite cookie has always been these soft cinnamon cookies with a Hershey's kiss pressed into the center making a lovely indent.  My neighbor brings them over every year and I have to hide them from the rest of the family.

 
Eephus said:
I make these every year and have tweaked the recipe over time.   The anise extract is in homage to my mom's old recipe.

Pfeffernüsse Cookies

Dry ingredients
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper (can use black pepper)
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Wet ingredients
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses
2 eggs
1 teaspoon anise extract (can substitute vanilla or whiskey)
3/4 cup chopped raisins (can use dried cranberries or a mix of the two).  Sprinkling a little flour on top makes it easier to chop the dried fruit without sticking.

After baking
Powdered sugar

---------------------------------

1. Combine dry ingredients and shake to distribute the spices

2. In another bowl, beat butter, brown sugar and molasses until smooth.  Add the eggs and anise extract.  Beat for another minute

3. Add the dry ingredients and dried fruit until just combined.  Don't overmix.

4. Chill the dough in the frig for a couple of hours

5. When ready to bake, pre heat oven to 325 degrees.  Line baking sheet with parchment.

6. Roll the dough into 1/2 inch balls.  Place cookies on baking sheet with at least 1 inch of space around them

7. Bake 15 min or until golden brown

8. Cool for 5 min.  Roll cookies in powdered sugar while still slightly warm

If you want a crunchier texture, leave out the fruit and increase oven temp from 325 to 350.
A family favorite!

 
Baked four dozen tonight.  I started with a basic butter cookie recipe as my base and made three variations.  Half turned into chocolate cookies with cocoa, melted semisweet chocolate and chocolate sprinkles added. The non-chocolate batches were either rolled in green sugar or mixed with red food coloring.  I kind of lost interest toward the end with the food coloring so the pink ones aren't a uniform color.

 
My mom has always been a great baker. She's been asked many times buy others to sell her wares, but she isnt interested. 

Every Christmas she makes:

Hershey's Kiss Cookies (actually dont love them like most people do)

Chocolate Crinkles

Molasses

Classic Sugar

Ginger Bread

Thumb Print

Snickerdoodle

Spritz

Krumkake

Pazelles

Shortbread

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ritz

 
made about 3 dozen christmas cookies on Saturday

big fan. got molasses cookies queued up for some time this week. maybe next weekend. 

 
Two weekends in a row were spent making cookies and such.  Though not cookies, per se, one holiday tradition for us is something we call haystacks, mostly because they don't have a name.  Very easy.  Everyone really likes them, as basic as they are, they hit all the right notes.  I know using bagged chips is not ideal (the haystacks don't melt at room temp, but they melt on your fingers as soon as you pick them up).  This is how my mom made em, and while I have improved on a few of her recipes, this one is the way it should be.  If you really want them to be a little firmer at room temperature, you could use block semi-sweet chocolate, but I don't know that i have ever seen block butterscotch before.

Anyway, if you want to try it:

2 bags semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 bag butterscotch chips

1 can SPANISH peanuts (they can be tough to locate)

1 bag chow mein noodles (these are the crispy ones you might find at a salad bar as topping) 

Melt all the chips together in a double boiler.  Mix in the peanuts and chow mein noodles.  Place tablespoons full onto wax paper and place in fridge (freezer) to harden.  We keep them in the refrigerator and then take them out about 15-20 minutes before eating.

 
Eephus said:
Baked four dozen tonight.  I started with a basic butter cookie recipe as my base and made three variations.  Half turned into chocolate cookies with cocoa, melted semisweet chocolate and chocolate sprinkles added. The non-chocolate batches were either rolled in green sugar or mixed with red food coloring.  I kind of lost interest toward the end with the food coloring so the pink ones aren't a uniform color.


I've deferred cookie-baking to my mom this year, because...well, I do every year.  Did you have trouble finding sprinkles?  She was upset on Saturday because she can't find sprinkles or plain M&Ms anywhere.

 
Also, green sprinkles on xmas cookies taste way better than red sprinkles, fyi.

 
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Caesar said:
 haystacks, mostly because they don't have a name.  Very easy.  Everyone really likes them, as basic as they are, they hit all the right notes.  I know using bagged chips is not ideal (the haystacks don't melt at room temp, but they melt on your fingers as soon as you pick them up).  This is how my mom made em, and while I have improved on a few of her recipes, this one is the way it should be.  If you really want them to be a little firmer at room temperature, you could use block semi-sweet chocolate, but I don't know that i have ever seen block butterscotch before.

Anyway, if you want to try it:

2 bags semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 bag butterscotch chips

1 can SPANISH peanuts (they can be tough to locate)

1 bag chow mein noodles (these are the crispy ones you might find at a salad bar as topping) 

Melt all the chips together in a double boiler.  Mix in the peanuts and chow mein noodles.  Place tablespoons full onto wax paper and place in fridge (freezer) to harden.  We keep them in the refrigerator and then take them out about 15-20 minutes before eating.
my mom makes these things. Outstanding. I'll tell her they're called haystacks.

She also melts butterscotch chips and mixes with mini marshmallows and sets in fridge. She doesn't bake, she melts

 
Mrs. O makes some awesome gingerbread bars (think cakey bars with raisins and a ton of brown sugar). 

She also makes peanut butter squares with a recipe out of some old retro cook(y) book from Wisconsin Electric circa 1970. Think sweet butterscotch and peanut butter covered corn flakes with dark chocolate topping. These are  :moneybag: and I am not a fan of butterscotch whatsoever.

Pic of cooky book cover for posterity

ETA: There’s a bunch of Spritz cookie recipes too. I think they suck, but whatever. 

 
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I've deferred cookie-baking to my mom this year, because...well, I do every year.  Did you have trouble finding sprinkles?  She was upset on Saturday because she can't find sprinkles or plain M&Ms anywhere.


I used vintage sprinkles. They don't go bad do they?

I should have bought green and red M&Ms when I was at the market on Thursday.  I'm not going to make a special trip back for them.

 
I used vintage sprinkles. They don't go bad do they?

I should have bought green and red M&Ms when I was at the market on Thursday.  I'm not going to make a special trip back for them.


They couldn't possibly go bad, I'd think.  :lol:   Yeah, I should have clarified my mom was looking for the holiday M&Ms and couldn't find them.  Maybe she could buy regular and strategically select only the red and green ones.

 
I'm usually good for a couple of tins of Danish Butter Cookies this time of year, the Royal Dansk ones.

Seems like supply chain issues are hitting it hard, already sold out at my local chains.  They have an inferior brand that I just picked up, marietta or something like that.  Made the mistake of buying these, they pretty much suck.

 

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