There are so many Christmas cookie recipes around but often so
little time to bake during the busy holiday season.
The solution? A great tasting basic cookie recipe that
quickly and easily turns into such a variety of easy to make
Christmas treats, friends and family will think you poured over
all your favorite Christmas cookie recipes.
Let's start
with the basics.
Basic Cookie Dough Recipe
1/2 cup (or 1 stick) butter (or margarine) at room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
In a large bowl,
combine all the ingredients except the flour. Beat with an
electric mixer, scraping the sides of the bowl several times,
until the mixture is light and fluffy. With mixer at a low
speed, add the flour gradually, beating just until everything is
well blended.
Place the mixture on a baking sheet using a
tablespoon measure and press down with a spoon to flatten a bit.
Or roll our and cut into shapes with a cookie cutter. Bake at
350ºF for about 12 to 15 minutes, until golden.
This
basic cookie mixture is also the base for the following cookie
recipes (all baked in a preheated oven at 350ºF).
Orange Cookies
(Makes about 32)
Add 1
tablespoon of grated orange zest to the recipe. Shape into a log
that is about 1 1/2" in diameter and refrigerate for 4 hours.
Slice dough into 1/4" thick slices. Place on cookie sheet.
Cookies can be decorated with candies, rolled in colored sugar,
or cut into pretty holiday shapes before baking. Bake in
preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned.
Cherry Coconut Chocolate Squares
(Makes about 54
squares)
In addition to the basic dough you will need:
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups
granulated sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon
baking powder
3 cups flaked coconut
1/2 cup maraschino
cherries, well drained and coarsely chopped
Line a 13"x9"
baking pan with foil.
Stir cocoa powder into basic dough
mixture. Press evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 10-15
minutes or until the crust looks dry.
In a medium bowl
whisk together eggs, sugar, almond extract and baking powder
until well blended. Stir in coconut and cherries. Pour over the
baked crust.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, until top just
begins to brown and a toothpick inserted near the center comes
out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Lift it out on to a
cutting board using the foil ends and cut into 1 1/2" squares.
Squares can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3
weeks.
Coconut Pineapple Cookies
(Makes
about 36)
In addition to the basic dough you will need:
1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1/3 cup pineapple
preserves (use raspberry or apricot if you prefer)
Add 1
cup of the flaked coconut to the basic dough mixture and mix
well. Shape the dough into 1 1/2" balls and roll in the
remaining coconut to coat them. Place the balls 1" apart on
lightly greased cookie sheets. Make a deep indentation in the
center of each cookie with your fingertip.
Bake for 12-15
minutes until the cookie is firm and the coconut is lightly
toasted. When cooled, fill each hole in the center of the
cookies with the preserves.
You can vary this basic dough
to make a wide variety of Christmas cookie recipes. Add other
flavorings like maple, ginger or cinnamon. Add chopped dried
fruits like apricots or dates. Or bake them plain in holiday
shapes and decorate with colored icing.
Christmas is such a wonderful time of year. Here's hoping
these quick and easy Christmas cookie recipes help keep the
pressure off the cook.
About the Author:
Karen Ciancio is a cook and lover of all things food and cooking
related. Her website
http://www.cookingnook.com
contains easy dessert recipes, plus lots of other recipes,
cooking tips, measurement conversions and kitchen ideas.
