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Holiday bakers, rev your mixers. It's time to bake some memories. Like many, I'll be baking the traditional family favorites that I grew up on; chocolate chip, peanut butter crisscross and buttermilk cookies sprinkled with festive sugars.
The no-roll drop Sugar Cookies are big and soft and remind me of my grandmother who baked these nutmeg-scented cookies and kept them in a special tin for all her favorite grandchildren.
As a teenager, I helped my mother with the cookie baking and introduced some new recipes to the cookie tray. A favorite was Chocolate-Covered Cherry Cookies, fudgy frosted delights with a maraschino cherry in the middle. Reminiscent of the popular candy, these little cookies are so delicious.
A fan of powdered sugar-coated Russian Teacakes, I was delighted to find a recipe for a molasses version that has become a new favorite. These lovely little cookies are perfect with a cup of hot coffee or tea while relaxing around the Christmas tree.
Happy holiday baking!
Drop Sugar Cookies
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 tsps. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda, stirred into a little hot water
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. ground nutmeg, optional
3 1/2 to 4 cups flour (enough to stiffen the dough)
Directions: With electric mixer, cream together sugars and shortening until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and flour and add alternately with buttermilk to the creamed mixture.
Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls on lightly greased baking sheets. Sprinkle tops with sugar (white or colored) and bake in 400-degree F. oven for 10 minutes or until no indentation remains when touched in the center. Cool on wire racks. Makes 4 dozen.
Molasses Butterballs
1 cup butter
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups finely chopped walnuts
Confectioners' sugar for coating
Directions: Cream butter till fluffy; add molasses. Combine flour, salt and nuts in medium bowl. Add to butter mixture, blend well.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place about 1-inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake in preheated 350-degree F. oven 25 minutes, or till lightly browned. Roll in powdered sugar while warm. Cool on wire racks. Makes about 4 dozen.
Chocolate-Covered Cherry Cookies
Cookies:
1 1/4 cups butter, softened
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 T. vanilla
3 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 (6-ounce) jars maraschino cherries, well-drained and halved
Frosting:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
Directions: In large mixer bowl, beat butter and sugar till fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. In medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Stir into butter mixture (dough will be stiff.)
Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 1-inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Press cherry half into center of each cookie. Bake in 350-degree F. oven, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on wire racks.
In heavy saucepan, over medium heat, melt chocolate chips with sweetened condensed milk. Cook till mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Frost each cookie, covering cherry. Store loosely covered at room temperature. Makes about 10 dozen cookies.