Christmas Cookies and Other Treats

Blog Title: Holiday Treats
Written on: Sunday, December 9, 2007
While listening to: Arcade Fire: Neon Bible

It’s just past the middle of Hanukah and getting closer to Christmas. We celebrate both in our house, and while the desserts for Hanukah are mainly jelly donuts and Hanukah geld (chocolate coins) the desserts I’m beginning to anticipate for Christmas come from a much larger list. The list is compiled from an incredible array of cookies that my mother-in-law is known for (in fact, my wife has often remarked that somebody in the family needs to create a Christmas Cookie Book so that they can keep track of them all – hmm, perhaps a project for her, since she’s the only one to bring it up….). Of course, my mother made lots of Christmas cookies too, so now the list of cookies made in our house has grown to include the favorites of both households.

At the beginning of this week the kids had a snow day and my wife and kids made the first batch of Christmas cookies (which we’ve nearly finished eating). I’ve included the recipe below, the Aunt Fanny’s Cookies. I’m not too sure who Aunt Fanny was, I think my mother-in-law’s Aunt. And the cookies themselves were apparently unpopular within the family when she was a child but have since become a household staple. These are made at Christmas, Valentine’s Day and whenever a bunch of yummy, pretty cookies are needed.

This morning we have already chopped 4 cups of pecans for a different cookie – mocha pecan balls – and gone through the recipes looking for the peppermint brownies we make every year.

I noticed that the Portland Press Herald is collecting candy recipes from folks for a holiday story (Send in your family's favorites with your phone number to Staff Writer Meredith Goad at: mgoad@pressherald.com).

I’d love to hear about some of your holiday favorite cookies. That first bite into a cookie that I had as a child at Christmas always brings back lots of memories. The great thing about traditional foods like this is that we can share them with friends, our kids – and create new cookie memories.

Because the holidays made me think of dessert treats from my childhood, I want to share a couple simple recipes with you. I also want to share one that’s a little more complex, but is as easy as, well, cake.

"Aunt Fanny’s Cookies"

1C Butter (room temp = soft)
1 ½ C Sugar
2 Eggs
2 ½ - 3 ½ T Sour Cream
1 ½ tsp Vanilla
2 Tsp Baking Powder, sifted with 3 C Flour
(Approx 4 cups flour total)
Cream butter and sugar in mixer, add eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Mix to a smooth consistency. Gradually mix in three cups of flour. Add as much flour as needed to make dough manageable. Roll dough on floured surface to ¼ inch thickness and cut shapes with cookie cutters. Lay cookies on cookie sheets lined with parchment (or spray with pan release). Bake for approx 12 minutes – or until cookies are lightly browned at350 degrees.

Ice cooled cookies with a mixture of butter, powder sugar and milk. (1/2 C butter, 2 Cups powdered sugar, and enough milk to make it smooth, which will be just a table spoon, or so.) Separate icing into smaller blows and add coloring. Ice cookies and add decorate with sprinkles.

"Mom’s Molasses Cookies"
¾ C Shortening (Mom always uses Crisco)
1 C Sugar
¼ C Molasses
1 Egg
2 tsp Baking soda
2 C Sifted all purpose flour
½ tsp Ground cloves
½ tsp Ground ginger
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
½ tsp Salt
Melt shortening in a 3-4 qt. saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat, let cool. Add sugar, molasses, and egg. Beat well. Sift together flour, baking soda, cloves, ginger, cinnamon and salt. Add to first mixture. Mix well; chill. Roll into one inch balls, roll in granulated sugar and place on greased baking sheets 2 inches apart. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.

Jim’s Warm Chocolate Cake
(6 servings)
1 C Unsalted butter
8 Oz Bittersweet chocolate
4 Eggs
4 Egg yolks
½ Cup sugar
4 T Flour
Melt chocolate and butter using a double boiler. Allow melted butter and chocolate to cool. Blend eggs and egg yolks with sugar, whip until fluffy. Whip in cooled chocolate mixture. Add flour. Bake in tall ramekins. To prevent sticking, butter sides and bottom of ramekins and dust with cocoa powder. Pour in batter, filling to about 1/3 to 1/2. Bake at 450 for about eight minutes -- cakes will of course be soft in the center. Unmold directly from the oven to serving plates. (Unmold by holding ramekin bottoms with pot holders and flipping to the plate, allowing ramekin contact with the plate to release cakes.) Dust cakes with a little confectioners’ sugar or cocoa powder and serve.