Whether you’re going to a cookie exchange or just baking holiday cookies for your family, you’ll like this tried & true sugar cookie recipe. Make sure that you’re using natural ingredients, as the imitation stuff just isn’t the same.
Sanding Sugar Shorties
These slice and bake shortbread cookies, topped with sanding sugar, are crisp, and have a sandy texture that brings “home for the holidays” right out of your oven. I love these cookies and by the way the dough is really good to nibble on too.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 Cup Sugar
12 Tablespoons Softened Butter
1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 Cups Unbleached Flour
1/4 Cup Cornstarch
1/2 Cup Sanding Sugar (Color Of Your Choice)
In a large-size bowl cream together butter, sugar, kosher salt and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Add flour and cornstarch. Stir until mixture comes together into a nice dough. Place dough onto a large piece of parchment paper and form into a 2 1/2 inch diameter log. Wrap and twist ends to secure, then place into fridge for 1 hour until almost firm. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Place sanding sugar into shallow bowl. Slice dough into 1/4-inch thick rounds. Press into sanding sugar, and place on pan about 2 inches apart. Place into oven and bake for 15 minutes until light golden around edges. Remember every oven heats differently. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on pans for 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 14 cookies.
Scandinavian Christmas Cookies
It’s not too late to make Christmas cookies! If you’re looking for an easy recipe here is one that it both traditional and delicious. You can leave them plain or coat them in powdered sugar. I left mine plain, but it’s your call.
INGREDIENTS
1 Cup Powdered Sugar (Plus More For Dredging)
1 Cup Softened Unsalted Butter
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
2 Cups Unbleached Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
2 Cups Finely Chopped Toasted Walnuts
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large-size bowl combine sugar, butter, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until smooth and combined. Add flour, nuts, and salt. Beat until just combined. Using a teaspoon, portion and shape dough into balls. Place 2 inches apart on parchment paper lined baking sheets. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until lightly golden. Remember that each oven has a mind of its own and heats differently. Remove from oven and place warm cookies in a bowl of powdered sugar and toss until evenly coated. Transfer to wire rack to let cool completely. Makes about 5 dozen depending on what size you make the cookies.
Victoria's Walnut Peach Apricot Thumbprint Cookies
Finely chopped walnuts add a deep, nutty flavor to classic buttery thumbprint cookies. I used a mixture of peach and apricot jam, but you can use any jam you like. Just don’t use jelly.
INGREDIENTS
6 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1/2 Cup Sugar
2 Egg Yolks
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 Cups Unbleached Flour
1 Cup Finely Chopped Walnuts
1/3 Cup Peach Apricot Jam
In a large-size bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg yolks and vanilla and beat until combined. Slowly add flour and chopped nuts. Cover and place in fridge for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Place cookies 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Using your finger or end of a wooden spoon, press into balls to create a deep well. Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes until light brown. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Fill center of each cookie with jam before serving. Makes about 20 cookies.
Italian Christmas Cookies
My mother made these crumbly powdered sugar coated cookies every Christmas. They are easy to make and I am thrilled to be able to share a few of my family’s holiday recipes with you.
INGREDIENTS
16 Tablespoons Softened Unsalted Butter
1 Cup Plus 6 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar
1 3/4 Cups Unbleached Flour
2 Cups Finely Chopped Pecans
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Preheat your oven to 275 degrees. In large-size bowl combine butter and 6 tablespoons powdered sugar. Beat until fluffy. Slowly add flour and beat until combined. Stir in pecans and vanilla. Shape dough into 3/4 inch balls. Place on parchment paper lined baking sheets. Place in oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Rotate baking sheets halfway through baking. Remove from oven and transfer cookies to wire rack. Let cool completely. Pour remaining powdered sugar in a shallow dish. Roll cookies in powdered sugar until completely coated. Transfer to serving plate. Makes about 4 dozen.
Frosted Holiday Shortbread Cookies
These cookies are cute, delicious, and fun to make either by yourself or with the kids. No Christmas season is complete with old-fashioned frosted cut-out cookies.
INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 Cup Unbleached Flour
1/3 Cup Ground Almond Flour
3 Tablespoons Whole Wheat Flour
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Cup Unsalted Butter
1/3 Cup Packed Light Brown Sugar
1/3 Cup Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Frosting:
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
1 Tablespoon Heavy Whipping Cream (Plus More as Needed)
Gel or Paste Organic Food Coloring (If Desired)
In a medium-size bowl combine unbleached flour, almond flour, and whole wheat flour. In a separate large-size bowl beat butter until creamy. Add sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Add flour mixture to butter mixture and beat until well blended. Form dough into two disks and place in plastic wrap. Place into fridge and chill for 1 hour or up to 1 week. When ready to bake preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove dough from fridge and remove plastic wrap. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Using cookie cutters dipped in flour, cut out cookies. Place cookies on large parchment paper lined baking sheets. Place cookies sheets into fridge and chill cookies for 10 minutes before baking. Remove from fridge and place into preheated oven. Bake chilled cookies for 10 to 12 minutes until cookie edges begin to brown slightly. The centers should be light in color. Remove from oven and place cookie sheets on wire racks. Cool completely. How many cookies you get out of this recipe depends on the size of your cookie cutters.
Frosting:
In a small-size bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon cream and powdered sugar until sugar dissolves and thickens. Continue adding cream 1 teaspoon at a time to achieve desired spreading consistency. If you choose to, add organic food coloring. If you are making several colors divide the icing into several bowls and mix various colors. When ready frost your cookies and the frosting harden.
Grandmother Libby’s Spiced Oatmeal Cookies
My great grandmother used to make these cookies for the holidays. One year I asked her for the recipe, which I am delighted to share with you. They are easy to make. You can add raisins or leave them out.
INGREDIENTS
1 Cup Shortening
2 Cups Brown Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 Room Temperature Eggs
2 Tablespoons Whole Milk
2 1/2 Cups Unbleached Flour
2 Cups Old-Fashioned Oats
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
Additional Sugar
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a large-size bowl cream shortening, vanilla and brown sugar. Add eggs and milk. Mix well. In a medium-size bowl combine flour, oats, baking soda, kosher salt and cinnamon. Add to the creamed mixture. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls onto baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Sprinkle tops with additional sugar. Place into oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Remember that all ovens heat differently. I like to remove my cookies just a tad underdone because they will continue to cook a bit when out of the oven. Remove from oven and let sit on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing. Remove cookies and let cool on wire racks. Makes about 4 dozen.
Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies
I was having a dinner party last night and I knew that my guest is a huge peanut butter lover. These cookies are easy to make and will bring a big smile to a peanut butter lover’s face. These cookies are easy holiday cookies as well. I used mini-kisses because that’s what I had in my pantry. You can use either the regular size kisses or the mini-size kisses made by Hershey’s Chocolate. If you want to make these cookies a bit healthier then use only one cup of unbleached flour and add 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 Cup Shortening (Look In The Natural Food Section)
1/2 Cup Peanut Butter
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/8 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Large Egg (Room Temperature)
2 Tablespoons Milk
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
1 3/4 Cups Unbleached Flour
1/4 Cup Sugar (For Rolling Cookies In)
1/2 to 3/4 Cup Milk Chocolate Kisses
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a large-size bowl beat together shortening and peanut butter with electric mixer for 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Beat just until combined. Beat in egg, milk, vanilla extract just until combined. Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll cookie balls in 1/4 cup sugar. Place two inches apart on parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Press chocolate kiss into each cookies center. Place in oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until edges are firm and bottoms are light brown. Remember that each oven has a mind of it’s own and heats differently. Remove from oven and transfer to wire racks to cool. Makes about 4 1/2 dozen cookies.
Smoocharoo Cookies
Give your cookies a cuddle and a kiss. These cookies are great holiday or anytime cookies. I like these cookies soft, but if you like a crisp cookie then keep them in the oven a minute or two longer.
INGREDIENTS
3/4 Cup Shortening (I found a good shortening in the natural foods section)
1 1/4 Cups Light Brown Sugar (Firmly Packed)
2 Tablespoons Milk
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
1 Large Egg (Room Temperature)
1 3/4 Cup Unbleached Flour
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
10 Ounces Mini Kisses (I used Hershey’s Brand)
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. In a large-size bowl beat together the shortening and brown sugar with an electric mixer on a medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in milk, vanilla and egg. Stir in flour, kosher salt and baking soda. Blend in mini kisses. Drop by rounded tablespoonful two inches apart onto parchment paper lined baking sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes for chewy cookies or 11 to 13 minutes for crisp cookies. Remove from oven and cool for 2 minutes on baking sheets. Transfer cookies to cooling racks. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies
November is here which, in my book, is the official start of cookie baking season. You’ll like these cookies so much that you will want to pass the recipe on to your children.
INGREDIENTS
1 Cup Shortening
2 Cups Packed Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
2 Tablespoons Milk
2 1/2 Cups Unbleached Flour
2 Cups Old-Fashioned Oats
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Tablespoon Ground Cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large-size bowl, cream shortening and brown sugar. Add eggs and milk. Mix Well. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add to brown sugar mixture. Drop by rounded teaspoonful about 2 inches apart onto parchment paper lined baking sheets. Place into oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Remember that all ovens are not created equal. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes on baking sheets. Remove from baking sheets and let cool on wire racks. Makes about 4 dozen.
