Christmas Cookies

Our Christmas Tree this year, which is full of ornaments given to us from Family & Friends, each a treasure and memory of someone dear to us.

We go out to State Forest Road 5 and bring our sleds, at this time of year it's a great place to go sledding on the mountain slopes.

The following recipes are from my Mom and my Grandmother, I hope you enjoy them.

Candy Cane Cookies

½ Cup Shortening

½ Cup Butter

1 Cup Powdered Sugar

1 Egg

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

Cream this together and add

2 ½ Cups Flour

Mix this together and half the dough

Add a bit of Red Food Coloring to one half

roll out the dough into long snakes

about ½” or smaller in width

Cut these snakes into 4” sections you’ll then

twist the white and red dough together

and bend it into a ‘Candy Cane’ shape

Bake at 375 up to 9 Minutes

While still hot sprinkle this mixture over the top and bottom of your cookies

Combine 4 real Sugar Candy Canes crushed and mixed with ½ Cup of Powdered Sugar

This makes about 4 dozen cookies!

Greek Half Moon Cookies

2/3 Cup Ground Almonds

1/3 Cup Sugar

1 ½ Sticks Butter

1 Egg White

Cream this together and add

1 ½ Cups Flour

¼ Teaspoon Clove

small pinch of Salt

Mix this together and shape into Crescents

Bake at 325 for 15-20 Minutes

Hot out of the oven dust top and bottom with

Powdered Sugar that you’ve added

½ Teaspoon Cinnamon into

ToTo’s Chocolate Spice Cookies

3/4 Cup Sugar

1/4 Cup Shortening

1/4 Cup Butter

Cream this together and add

1 Egg

½ Cup Milk

Mix this together and add

2 Tablespoons Baking Cocoa Powder

3 Cups Flour

1 Tablespoon Cinnamon

½ Teaspoon Clove

½ Teaspoon Allspice

½ Cup Walnuts

Mix this together and roll into balls the size of half an egg

Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes

When cool frost them with a chocolate frosting

½ Teaspoon of Meringue Powder

1 Cup Powdered Sugar

2 Tablespoons water

¼ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Above are my Gingerbread Cookies, I made the Keith Haring style Barking Dog and the Snoopy Cookie Cutter myself.

The recipe for the Gingerbread Cookies had been posted in a blog much earlier, simply type into the search engine at the top left Gingerbread Cookies and that recipe will show up, 

thank you and Merry Christmas.

Just in case you need more cookies here's one more recipe, sorry I don't have a picture of these.

Sesame Seed Cookies

¼ Cup Shortening

½ Cup Sugar

2 Eggs

Cream this together and add

2 ½ Tablespoons Orange Juice

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

2 Teaspoons Baking Powder

2 Cups Flour

Mix this together and form into ovals smaller than an egg

Roll these into a bowl of sesame seeds

Bake at 400 for 10 – 15 Minutes