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Christmas Cookie Recipes
Easy Christmas Cookie Recipes - One Recipe with Many Variations
by Karen Ciancio
There are so many Christmas cookie recipes around but often so
little time to bake during the busy holiday season.
The solution? A great tasting basic Christmas cookie recipe that quickly and easily turns into such a variety of easy to make Christmas cookie treats, friends and family will think you pored over all your favorite Christmas cookie recipes.
Let's start with the basics.
Basic Christmas Cookie Dough Recipe
1/2 cup (or 1 stick) butter (or margarine) at room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the flour.
Beat with an electric mixer, scraping the sides of the bowl
several times, until the mixture is light and fluffy. With mixer
at a low speed, add the flour gradually, beating just until
everything is well blended.
Place the mixture on a baking sheet using a tablespoon measure
and press down with a spoon to flatten a bit. Or roll our and cut
into shapes with a cookie cutter. Bake at 350ºF for about 12 to
15 minutes, until golden.
This basic Christmas cookie mixture is also the base for the following Christmas cookie recipes (all baked in a preheated oven at 350ºF).
Orange Christmas Cookies
(Makes about 32)
Add 1 tablespoon of grated orange zest to the recipe. Shape into
a log that is about 1 1/2" in diameter and refrigerate for 4
hours.
Slice dough into 1/4" thick slices. Place on cookie sheet.
Cookies can be decorated with candies, rolled in colored sugar,
or cut into pretty holiday shapes before baking. Bake in
preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned.
Christmas Cookie Cherry Coconut Chocolate Squares
(Makes about 54 squares)
In addition to the basic Christmas cookie dough you will need:
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups flaked coconut
1/2 cup maraschino cherries, well drained and coarsely chopped
Line a 13"x9" baking pan with foil.
Stir cocoa powder into basic Christmas cookie dough mixture. Press evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the crust looks dry.
In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, sugar, almond extract and baking powder until well blended. Stir in coconut and cherries. Pour over the baked crust.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, until top just begins to brown and a
toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in the
pan on a wire rack. Lift it out on to a cutting board using the
foil ends and cut into 1 1/2" squares. Squares can be stored in
an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.
Coconut Pineapple Christmas Cookies
(Makes about 36)
In addition to the basic Christmas cookie dough you will need:
1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1/3 cup pineapple preserves (use raspberry or apricot if you
prefer)
Add 1 cup of the flaked coconut to the basic Christmas cookie dough mixture and mix well. Shape the dough into 1 1/2" balls and roll in the remaining coconut to coat them. Place the balls 1" apart on
lightly greased cookie sheets. Make a deep indentation in the
center of each cookie with your fingertip.
Bake for 12-15 minutes until the cookie is firm and the coconut
is lightly toasted. When cooled, fill each hole in the center of
the cookies with the preserves.
You can vary this basic dough to make a wide variety of Christmas cookie recipes. Add other flavorings like maple, ginger or
cinnamon. Add chopped dried fruits like apricots or dates. Or
bake them plain in holiday shapes and decorate with colored
icing.
Christmas is such a wonderful time of year. Here's hoping these
quick and easy Christmas cookie recipes help keep the pressure
off the cook.
Karen Ciancio is a cook and lover of all things food and cooking
related. Her website www.cookingnook.com contains easy dessert recipes, plus lots of other recipes, cooking tips, measurement
conversions and kitchen ideas.
And for a great collection of Christmas cookie recipes that your friends and family will love you for - you can purchase right here online the wonderful Favorite Christmas Cookie Recipes - for only $12.97.
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Click Here for a List of the Christmas Cookie Recipes You'll Receive!
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