Ingredients: |
Ingredients: This recipe makes 8 cookies with one dough: Sugar Glaze Cookies, Ribbons (quick Kieflies), Pistachio Trees, Candy Cane Cookies, Chocolate-Covered Cherry Cookies, Cheesecake Tarts, Pecan Tarts, and Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Basic Dough:
2 cups butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
4 1/2 cups self-rising flour
Sugar Glaze
2 c. 10x sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp milk
Fillings and Toppings:
Ribbons:
any flavor of jam or jelly
Snowballs:
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
10x sugar
Pistachio Trees:
1/2 cup finely chopped pistachios
green food coloring
small pretzel sticks
Candy Cane:
1/2 tsp. peppermint flavoring (optional)
red food coloring
green food coloring
crushed candy canes for decoration
Chocolate-Covered Cherry Cookies:
cherries (can of premium pie filling or maraschino cherries)
baking chocolate or baking chips
Cheesecake Tarts:
4 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
one egg white (reserve yolk for another filling)
strawberry jam or cherry pie filling
Pecan Tarts:
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/4 c packed brown sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 c finely chopped pecans
Peanut Butter Cup:
2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tsp. water
mini-peanut butter cups
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Directions: |
Directions:Start by making the Basic Dough. Cream together butter & sugar; stir in eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Stir in self-rising flour until thoroughly mixed. Divide dough into 8 equal portion. Make fillings and toppings (below) and prepare each type of cookies, making 1 dozen of each. Each type of cookie should be baked on greased pans at 400 degrees for 15-25 min. (depending on shape and thickness) until lightly browned.
Sugar Glaze and Sugar Glaze Cookies
Mix all ingredients until smooth; yields about 1 cup 10x sugar glaze.
Use one portion of dough to create sugar cookies - these can be round, sliced from a 12" long log, or shaped by rolling the dough and cutting with cookie cutters. Some of the glaze will be used on other cookies.
Ribbons (quick Kieflies)
Shape one portion of dough into a 12" long log. Make a ½ " deep depression with the handle of a wooden spoon: fill depression with any flavor of jam or jelly. Bake and cool slightly. Slice into 12 cookies, then drizzle with 10x sugar glaze.
Snowballs
Add ½ cup finely chopped walnuts to one portion of dough. Roll into 12 balls. Bake and roll still-warm cookies in 10x sugar. Re-roll when completely cooled.
Pistachio Trees
Add ½ cup finely chopped pistachios and green food coloring to one portion. Separate and roll into 2 balls. With a rolling pin, roll each ball into a circle, 1/8" thick. Place circles on prepared pans then cut each into 8 wedges with a pizza cutter. Press ½ pretzel stick into bottom of each "tree" to form trunk. Bake. Drizzle warm cookies with 10x sugar glaze (it can be tinted green if desired) then sprinkle with additional chopped pistachios while glaze is still wet.
Candy Cane
Add peppermint flavoring to one portion (optional); separate into three portions, tinting one red, one green, and leaving the third plain. Roll each portion into a 12" rope, then twist all three and roll lightly together. Slice into 1" portions, shape and flatten each slightly. Bake, then drizzle warm cookies with glaze and sprinkle wet glaze with crushed candy canes.
Chocolate-Covered Cherry Cookies
Roll one portion of dough into a 12" long log, cut the log into 12 pieces, then make a depression in each with your thumb. Place a cherry (from a can of premium pie filling or use maraschino cherries) in each depression. Bake and cool. Drizzle cooled cookies with melted baking chocolate or baking chips (this can be mixed with a little shortening to keep the chocolate from hardening too much).
Cheesecake Tarts
Roll one portion of dough into a 12" long log, cut the log into 12 pieces, then make a depression in each with your thumb. Microwave 4 ounces of cream cheese for 30-40 seconds, until very warm, but not hot. Stir in ¼ cup sugar and one egg white (reserve yolk for another filling). Fill depressions with cream cheese mixture and bake. Drizzle with some heated strawberry jam or top with cherry pie filling.
Pecan Tarts
Roll one portion of dough into a 12" long log, cut the log into 12 pieces, then make a depression in each with your thumb. Combine 2 Tbsp. melted butter with ¼ cup packed brown sugar, 1 egg yolk, and ½ cup finely chopped pecans. Fill depressions with pecan mixture. Bake.
Peanut Butter Cup
Add 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder and 1 tsp. water to one portion of dough. Roll into a 12" long log, then cut the log into 12 pieces. Press a mini-peanut butter cup into each portion and bake. Cool completely before handling. |
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