Christmas Cookies

[cherry64]

I was wondering what are some of peoples favorite Christmas cookies?

I normally make 6 or so differnent types on one weekend and plate them up for my work, DH's work neighbors and such. I am looking for some new ideas or maybe some old favorites. Feel free to post recipes.

Thanks!

 

[stephanie]

Oh, I bet you'll get a lot of fun answers from this group!
I made iced gingerbread people this past weekend that were DELISH, and a bunch of petits fours earlier this week--almond tuiles (roof-tile shaped lace cookies), chocolate macaroons (meringue sandwich cookies), chocolate-dipped lemon cookies, cat's tongues, hazelnut financiers, and little chocolate-vanilla swirl cookies. It was so much fun and I love seeing all the little cookies all lined up!
I guess that's not very seasonal, though.
I made peppermint chocolate bark and toffee bark for coworker gifts a couple of years ago--super easy and keeps for a long time.

 

[Penelope]

Let me start by saying that I HATE making cookies. I only do it during the holiday season because I know some of my family will pitch a fit if I don't have cookies for our get-togethers and parties! I would rather do cakes, fun brownies, squares, breads,... that sort of thing
I don't mind making date pinwheels. I got the recipe from my grandmother and only make them at Christmas time. They havebeen a tradition in my family for over 50 years. The recipe was passed to me before she died and I am the one who makes them for the family now. My daughter will be working with me this year on them. She is very excited. She asked me 2 weeks ago if we could get started... She's 10 and a blast in the kitchen.
I enjoy dipping things in melted chocolate. I like to make fudge. I think my favorite (if I must) cookie to make is a peanut butter-chocolate chip cookie that is a one bowl wonder. Mix it all in one bowl, put on sheets and bake. Easy-peasy

 

[Morticia]

I'm starting today, if I get a chance...we've been decorating today. (Altho, nowhere near as much as that one innkeeper! WOW!)
So, what I'll make for Saturday's open house (and I've been emailing the local chambers to get it on their email blasts) are:

• peanut butter cookies (they're just so dang easy)
• peanut butter with Hershey's kisses (hoping they're just as dang easy)
• chocolate pinwheels
• chocolate-dipped pecan logs (that recipe was in 'Parade' magazine yesterday)
• chocolate chip

I do mostly drop style cookies as my rolled cookies never come out right. I will mix up the batter for them, tho, for when the g-kids are here. THEY can make the fun cookies!

 

[Penelope]

I'm starting today, if I get a chance...we've been decorating today. (Altho, nowhere near as much as that one innkeeper! WOW!)
So, what I'll make for Saturday's open house (and I've been emailing the local chambers to get it on their email blasts) are:

• peanut butter cookies (they're just so dang easy)
• peanut butter with Hershey's kisses (hoping they're just as dang easy)
• chocolate pinwheels
• chocolate-dipped pecan logs (that recipe was in 'Parade' magazine yesterday)
• chocolate chip

I do mostly drop style cookies as my rolled cookies never come out right. I will mix up the batter for them, tho, for when the g-kids are here. THEY can make the fun cookies!.

• chocolate pinwheels

Care to share a recipe??

 

[Morticia]

I'm starting today, if I get a chance...we've been decorating today. (Altho, nowhere near as much as that one innkeeper! WOW!)
So, what I'll make for Saturday's open house (and I've been emailing the local chambers to get it on their email blasts) are:

• peanut butter cookies (they're just so dang easy)
• peanut butter with Hershey's kisses (hoping they're just as dang easy)
• chocolate pinwheels
• chocolate-dipped pecan logs (that recipe was in 'Parade' magazine yesterday)
• chocolate chip

I do mostly drop style cookies as my rolled cookies never come out right. I will mix up the batter for them, tho, for when the g-kids are here. THEY can make the fun cookies!.

• chocolate pinwheels

Care to share a recipe??
.

• chocolate pinwheels

Care to share a recipe??

I'll write up a recipe when I get back...in the meantime...try this

 

[cherry64]

Oh, I bet you'll get a lot of fun answers from this group!
I made iced gingerbread people this past weekend that were DELISH, and a bunch of petits fours earlier this week--almond tuiles (roof-tile shaped lace cookies), chocolate macaroons (meringue sandwich cookies), chocolate-dipped lemon cookies, cat's tongues, hazelnut financiers, and little chocolate-vanilla swirl cookies. It was so much fun and I love seeing all the little cookies all lined up!
I guess that's not very seasonal, though.
I made peppermint chocolate bark and toffee bark for coworker gifts a couple of years ago--super easy and keeps for a long time..

Some of those sound pretty cool. What are cat's tongues?

 

[hawley]

My family doesn't think it is xmas unless we have sugar cookies.
I only bake cookies at xmas. Prefer other baking. Just don't have the patience.

 

[stephanie]

Oh, I bet you'll get a lot of fun answers from this group!
I made iced gingerbread people this past weekend that were DELISH, and a bunch of petits fours earlier this week--almond tuiles (roof-tile shaped lace cookies), chocolate macaroons (meringue sandwich cookies), chocolate-dipped lemon cookies, cat's tongues, hazelnut financiers, and little chocolate-vanilla swirl cookies. It was so much fun and I love seeing all the little cookies all lined up!
I guess that's not very seasonal, though.
I made peppermint chocolate bark and toffee bark for coworker gifts a couple of years ago--super easy and keeps for a long time..

Some of those sound pretty cool. What are cat's tongues?
.

Langue de chat. Doesn't everything sound better in French? They look like very thin, flat ladyfingers, and are crisp, light and buttery. They almost dissolve when you eat them.

I learned that one of the goals of petits fours is to get a variety of shapes and colors on the plate, all the same size, and alternate stripes of them. Looks like a little parade when it's all done! Next I'm learning how to make the mini cakes. Yummm.

 

[gillumhouse]

My Mother made 15 to 20 different cookies at Christmas. Leckerli, Berliner Kranz, Neapolitans, Candy Cane cookies, Little Butter Ses, pecan ball, 8-Day Honey Cookies, Leibkuchen.....and never less than 6 to 8 dozen of each. Some of them were tooth-breakers (aaahhhh those German cookies) and she could not keep up with us on the pecan balls, Neapolitans, and the Little Butter S...... Since DH cannot (and WILL NOT) eat sugar or fat, I have not made cookies in years and yes, I do miss it. I actually LIKE to sit down with a plate of cookies and a good book.......

 

[user 26]

stained glass window cookies.
basically, they are sugar cookies we cut out parts of and put in broken pieces of hard candy (yellow, red and green pieces look great) the broken candy bits melt while the cookie bakes and look like stained glass.
the most elaborate ones we made in the shape of little churches - a square topped with a low triangle topped with what we thought looked like a steeple. cut out two squares from the 'church' and one from the steeple of the cookie dough, and insert pieces of broken candy. i put parchment paper on the cookie sheets before baking because the 'windows' may not come off the sheet. let the cookies cool on the sheet for a while so the candy windows harden.
i love to make gingerbread houses. we don't ever eat them.
the last few years, i copied the gingerbread lighthouse idea from llbean. i am still trying to perfect the lighthouse shape.
and for little pine trees, i use upside down, triangular shaped ice cream cones ... frosted with green icing.

 

[Morticia]

stained glass window cookies.
basically, they are sugar cookies we cut out parts of and put in broken pieces of hard candy (yellow, red and green pieces look great) the broken candy bits melt while the cookie bakes and look like stained glass.
the most elaborate ones we made in the shape of little churches - a square topped with a low triangle topped with what we thought looked like a steeple. cut out two squares from the 'church' and one from the steeple of the cookie dough, and insert pieces of broken candy. i put parchment paper on the cookie sheets before baking because the 'windows' may not come off the sheet. let the cookies cool on the sheet for a while so the candy windows harden.
i love to make gingerbread houses. we don't ever eat them.
the last few years, i copied the gingerbread lighthouse idea from llbean. i am still trying to perfect the lighthouse shape.
and for little pine trees, i use upside down, triangular shaped ice cream cones ... frosted with green icing..

I like the stained glass cookie idea! No time to get candy, but I'll keep it in mind for when the kids come. Embarassed to say that I don't know what the lighthouse gingerbread house is.

But it sounds great and the ice cream cones with green icing is terrific!

 

[user 26]

here's a picture of their gingerbread lighthouse

 

[Willowpondgj]

Let me start by saying that I HATE making cookies. I only do it during the holiday season because I know some of my family will pitch a fit if I don't have cookies for our get-togethers and parties! I would rather do cakes, fun brownies, squares, breads,... that sort of thing
I don't mind making date pinwheels. I got the recipe from my grandmother and only make them at Christmas time. They havebeen a tradition in my family for over 50 years. The recipe was passed to me before she died and I am the one who makes them for the family now. My daughter will be working with me this year on them. She is very excited. She asked me 2 weeks ago if we could get started... She's 10 and a blast in the kitchen.
I enjoy dipping things in melted chocolate. I like to make fudge. I think my favorite (if I must) cookie to make is a peanut butter-chocolate chip cookie that is a one bowl wonder. Mix it all in one bowl, put on sheets and bake. Easy-peasy.

I'm with you on this one, I hate making cookies too, the clean up especially!
That said, I love to eat them!

The special ones for the holidays...I usually make rosettes, krumkake, Fatigman... (Norwegian cookies)
My favorite are snickerdoodles, but I have yet to get a good recipe for a big soft snickerdoodle...
I have trouble getting cookies and baked goods to come out well, I think the altitude here is just high enough to mess up recipes and I don't have enough time to sit here and figure out all the adaptations! Waaah!
The kids are old enough to make brownies, sugar, PB & chocolate chip, so I recruit them for the stand by's.

 

[Morticia]

here's a picture of their gingerbread lighthouse.

here's a picture of their gingerbread lighthouse

Cute as can be! Wonder if they have any in the 'outlet' store?! NO! I am DONE decorating. Well, outside...

 

[Samster]

I used to bake holiday cookies for days...even when I had a hellish corporate job. Now, I bake cookies every day! haha! So, I'm not sure how much effort I want to put into it this year with guests in the house. I actually love these date nut cookies that my Mom used to make. I have gotten into a rut of making chocolate toffee and fudge during the holidays. I only make about 4 different kinds of cookies now...

 

[EmptyNest]

I used to bake holiday cookies for days...even when I had a hellish corporate job. Now, I bake cookies every day! haha! So, I'm not sure how much effort I want to put into it this year with guests in the house. I actually love these date nut cookies that my Mom used to make. I have gotten into a rut of making chocolate toffee and fudge during the holidays. I only make about 4 different kinds of cookies now....

I used to LOVE making cookies...part of our annual Christmas ritual...we made at least 24 different kinds. But years ago, when I find I was eating more than I should, I stopped. I just can't get back to making them any more. I will do a few batches here and there for DH, but again if they are around, I am the one without will power:-(

 

[cherry64]

I used to bake holiday cookies for days...even when I had a hellish corporate job. Now, I bake cookies every day! haha! So, I'm not sure how much effort I want to put into it this year with guests in the house. I actually love these date nut cookies that my Mom used to make. I have gotten into a rut of making chocolate toffee and fudge during the holidays. I only make about 4 different kinds of cookies now....

Could you please share the date-nut cookies recipe? My dad loves date cookies and I am always looking for a good date recipe.
*edit to say: i ment to reply to Samster. Sorry!

 

[Samster]

I used to bake holiday cookies for days...even when I had a hellish corporate job. Now, I bake cookies every day! haha! So, I'm not sure how much effort I want to put into it this year with guests in the house. I actually love these date nut cookies that my Mom used to make. I have gotten into a rut of making chocolate toffee and fudge during the holidays. I only make about 4 different kinds of cookies now....

Could you please share the date-nut cookies recipe? My dad loves date cookies and I am always looking for a good date recipe.
*edit to say: i ment to reply to Samster. Sorry!
.

I will try to do that too when I get to cookie baking! We're still trying to get holiday decorations up