This is an extremely easy shortbread to make and absolutely delicious when served with drinks.
- 1/2 lb. Imperial Cheese (red plastic round container)
- 1/2 lb. butter
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Mix ingredients and knead about 4-5 times. Form into a log and place in the refrigerator for about one hour or until it becomes cold.
Slice thin and lay out on a parchment lined cookie sheet, Bake for one hour.Watch carefully to ensure it doesn’t burn. There is only one word to descrive these….yummy!
A glass of wine, snacks abound but THESE will be the star of the party (after you, of course.)
You really should make two recipes for this. I have to make one for my daughter and one for us. She loves them.
Red and Green Frosted Balls
Makes about 3 dozen cookies
- 1 cup softened butter
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1 tbsp. water
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1 1/4 cups chopped pecans
- 1 cup sifted icing sugar
- Red and green coloured sugar or sprinkles (your choice)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter for about 30 seconds, add the sugar and beat until well blended, scraping the bowl often. Now beat in the water and vanilla until well combined. With the mixer, beat in as much of the flour as you can. By hand, add the pecans and balance of any flour remaining.
Shape the dough into 1 inch balls and place on parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Bake for about 20 minutes until the bottoms become lightly browned.
Cool on a rack. In 3 separate bowls, add one-third cup of icing sugar, another bowl add green sugar, and the third, add the red sugar. Roll the cooled cookies in the desired mix. If using sparkles, roll in icing sugar first, then the sparkles.
Another ‘goodie’ to add to your holiday baking.
Santa’s Christmas Balls
Gotcha! You thought it was going to be dirty…..ye of little faith! It is a fun recipe and a perfect snack for Santa’s snack. You do leave a snack, don’t you? He always leaves crumbs on the plate you know. That way the little ones know he visited. (do I have to tell you all the secrets?)
This makes about three dozen cookies.
- 2 2/3 cups flour
- 1 cup butter
- 2 tsp. cream of tartar
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 tsp. sugar
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, mix all but the last two ingredients on low speed until well blended. Now for the fun part: if you cover this dough in plastic, it can be kept in the fridge for 4-5 days before baking , giving you breathing space, if you need it.
In small bowl, mix the nutmeg and sugar. Take the dough and roll into one inch balls. Roll in the sugar and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for about ten to twelve minutes until lightly browned. Do not burn these.
Pecan Shortbread Cookies
I posted this last year but it is a real keeper for holiday baking. Here it is again.
Makes 2 doz. cookies
- 1 cup flour
- pinch of ground cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup room temperature butter
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp. pure clear vanilla
- 1/2-3/4 up toasted and chopped pecans
Prep: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Sift together the flour, cinnamon and salt and set aside. In the mixer beat butter, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl until very fluffy ( about 4 minutes). Stir in flour then the pecans to make a stiff dough.
On a floured surface, roll the dough into a log about ten inches long. Wrap tightly in parchment paper and refrigerate until firm. (three hours or better yet, overnight).
Unwrap dough and slice into 1/4 inch slices. Bake until edges start to brown. This should be about 12-15 minutes. Check, if they are starting to turn brown around the edges, remove from the oven. Do not burn. Cool and transfer to a rack.
Anise Sugar Cookies
These are a pretty cookie and really nice flavour.
You will need:
- 1 cup softened butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. Anise flavouring
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine butter, sugar, and flavouring until creamy and fluffy (maybe 2 minutes). Reduce speed to low and add remaining ingredients. Again, beat until well mixed (2 minutes).
Roll dough into one inch balls and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet about two inches apart. Flatten the balls with a buttered glass bottom that has been dipped in sugar.
Bake for 8-9 minutes until the edges are lightly browned. Cool one minute before removing to a cooling rack.
Icing
- 1 1/2 cup icing sugar
- 1 tsp. Anise flavouring
- 4-6 tsp. water
- sliced almonds, lightly toasted
Beat the ingredients together except almonds. Put a little icing in the center of the cookies and add a few sliced almonds for decoration.
This makes 3 1/2 dozen cookies.
Lemon Shortbread Cookies
One of the recipes I make each year for my ‘give away’ trays. To start, go put on a Christmas CD and go for it.
It makes 48 cookies
You will need:
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1/3 cup icing sugar
- 3/4 cup room temperature butter
- 2 tbsp. white Berry sugar
- 1 tsp, grated lemon peel
- 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a mixing bowl combine flour, cornstarch, icing sugar, butter, sugar, lemon peel and juice. Beat at low speed until really well mixed, about 5 minutes. Shape the dough into a 14″ x 1″ roll. Spread more Berry sugar on a flat surface and roll the dough in it to cover. You could use red or green powdered food colouring to make it festive. Wrap up and refrigerate for about 2 hours.
With a sharp knife, cut into 1/4″ pieces and place on cookie sheets covered with parchment paper. Bake 10-12 minutes. These cookies do not brown. Cool, then store in an airtight container. I now freeze mine until the day of the party.
Superb flavour and it is another melt-in-your-mouth shortbread. Aren’t they all?
Enjoy, if you sample, you just may have to double this one.
Sour Cream Cookies
These are a tasty little treat instead of the same old, same old.
You will need:
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/8 tsp. baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/8 cup packed brown sugar (dark)
- 1 egg beaten
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla flavouring
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- grated peel from 1 lime
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and grated lime peel.
Cream butter, add sugars and beat until creamy. Add the egg and flavoring, mixing well.
Add the flour, alternating with the sour cream. Set aside to chill.
Divide into rolls, wrap in wax paper and chill for an hour. Cut into slices 1/8 inch thick and bake for 8-10 minutes on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
I have had this recipe in my recipe box for about 22 years. I have no idea where it came from but it is sure tasty.
Lacy Citrus Delights
These can easily become your very favourite cookie first time you make them. They are soooo good and easy to make. My grandchildren just love them.
You will need:
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 tbsp. flour
- 1/4 tsp. baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 1 egg
- 1 cup rolled oats (not the instant kind)
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla
- grated lemon, orange and lime
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a small bowl, mix the first four ingredients and set aside. In a medium bowl, beat egg and add rolled oats, melted butter and vanilla. Combine the dry ingredients into the wet and mix thoroughly. Add the citrus zest and stir in.
Line cookie sheets with tin foil, shiny side up. Drop 6 tsp. of batter, one tsp. per cookie, onto each sheet. They will spread out during cooking time and become very thin and lacy. Bake for 8-12 minutes, watching carefully. They are cooked only to a golden brown stage.
Now for the big secret: DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT REMOVING THESE COOKIES FOR AT LEAST FIVE MINUTES. If you do, they will NOT release. Cool on a rack. Peel the tin foil off the cookie. Your cookies will have a mirror-like finish on the bottom. Now, try one. Taste the freshness of the citrus and the light crunch of the cookie. Ummmmmm.
Now, am I right? Are these now your favourite cookie? Enjoy
I’ll Share-Chocolate Chip Cookies
I am going to share with you a recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies. I know everyone has the recipe but I’ll bet none of your recipe cards look like this one. This is what the original card looks like after about 45 years of being there for me. Don wants to frame it. Who knows?
- 1/3 cup soft butter, not margarine
- 1/3 cup shortening
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 cup Chocolate Chips
- 1/4 – 1/3 cup chopped white Chocolate (melting chocolate disks are best
- 1/2 cup Chopped pecans
Beat together 1/3 cup soft butter and 1/3 cup shortening until well blended, then add 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar.
Beat in 1 large egg, 1 tsp. pure vanilla until all is light and fluffy. Add 1 1/4 cups sifted flour, 1/2 tsp. baking soda and a pinch of salt. Blend well.
Now stir in 1/2 cup chocolate chips, 1/2-1 cup chopped pecans, 1/2 cup white chocolate wafers: this will be a stiff batter. Drop by tbsp. onto parchment lined cookie sheets and in a 375 degree oven, bake for 10-12 minutes.
If, after a few days should there be leftovers, just warm them up for about 10 seconds in the microwave and presto! Just out of the oven cookies.
Whomever you give these to will always want more. Here is where keeping it tasty is key.
Taste Rating: 9.8
French Madeleines
I published this recipe last year but thought it needed to come back again to be used for the holidays. These really are awsome. These are little cakes that are eaten like a cookie.
It makes 20-24 cookies and you will need:
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp. grated lemon, lime or orange rind (fresh)
- 3/4 tsp. pure almond flavouring
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- pinch of salt
- icing sugar
A Madeleine pan is a must and is available through cooking or specialty stores.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter and flour the pan(s) making sure to get into the crevices or it won’t release when baked.
In a bowl, beat eggs, almond flavouring and salt at high speed until light. Continue beating and add the sugar and whip until thick, pale and will form ribbons when beaters are lifted (about 6-9 minutes)
Sift the flour into the egg mixture, dividing into thirds, GENTLY folding after each addition. Add the lemon zest and pour the melted but cooled butter around the edge of the bowl and quickly and gently fold the butter in.
Spoon the batter into the pans Madeleine Pan. Bake for about 14-17 minutes until golden brown. Loosen with a knife and invert on a rack to cool. Sprinkle with sifted icing sugar or dip one end into melted chocolate. Enjoy!
The French really knew what they were doing when they made this one.
Everyone will love these and you will make them often.
Biscotti
This is a great ‘dunker’ for coffee or a sweet dessert wine.
- 1/2 cup soft butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 3 cups flour, sifted
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp. liquid anise flavouring
- grated zest from1 lemon and 1 lime
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup white chocolate pieces, chopped
Preheat oven to 350F. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well, now add the vanilla. Combine the sifted flour, baking powder and salt and add slowly until mixed.
Add remaining ingredients and blend well.
Divide dough into 4 parts and shape into rolls about 1 1/2″ in diameter. Place each roll on a separate parchment lined cookie sheet, flatten top slightly and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cut each roll in 3/4″ diagonal pieces.
Place cut side down and return to the oven for 15-20 minutes. You want them cooked through.
I have a convection oven so I am able to put all the trays in at once. Be sure to move the trays around half way through the cooking times and on the second timing, turn the slices over.
They won’t be the really crisp biscotti until the second day, but trust me they are soooo good you will sample a few. I’ll bet you can’t wait, we couldn’t.
Taste Rating: 8.5