Nancie McDermott - Holiday Cookies You Can Make

Copyright 2013 Nancie McDermott

Smashwords Edition 2013

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Holiday Cookies You Can Make

Copyright 2013 Nancie McDermott

Smashwords Edition 2013

Interior Design by Angela McLaurin, FictionalFormats

All rights reserved. No part of this book maybe used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, ormechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by anyinformation storage retrieval system without the written permissionof the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied incritical articles and reviews.

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As far back as I can remember, I have lovedholiday cookies: seeing them, baking them, receiving them, andsharing them on cookie plates for neighbors and friends. What apleasure to pull out a few ingredients some butter, an egg, smallmountains of sugar and flour, vanilla extract and cocoa, walnutsand powdered sugar and stir up a tempting and lovely array ofcookies to eat and to share.

Whatever you bring to the kitchen, whether itsbaking expertise or just the hunger for something good to eat, youhave what it takes to make great cookies that add sweetness and joyto the holiday season. This little book is an invitation to thekitchen, a map guiding you through ten recipes for wonderfulcookies that you can make with pleasure and share with pride. Youdont need a lot of culinary knowledge or specialty equipment tomake the ten kinds of cookies in this book. All you need are a fewpieces of equipment: mixing bowls, spoons, measuring cups andcookie sheets or pans for baking, and a can-do approach to mixingup some cookie dough and baking up some sweet treats.

If you love projects on your own, get in thereand make cookies yourself. If you love spending time in with familyand friends in the kitchen, gather a group and have a cookie-bakingsession with lots of helping hands, flour drifts on thecountertops, and dozens of cookies to take home, along with sweetmemories that last long after the crumbs have been swept away.

These ten recipes are ones I love and use often,and not just at holiday time. I hope you find some that you lovemaking and enjoy sharing, and that your holiday kitchen is a sweetand happy place, full of cookies and laughter and love.

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Buttery, nutty and rolled in a sweet cloud ofpowdered sugar, these delightful cookies provide a wintry accent toa plate of holiday cookies. You could use pecans instead ofwalnuts, and roll them into the size you like: big blusterysnowballs or petite snowy sweets. For maximum snowy appearance,roll the cookies in powdered sugar a second time, once they havecompletely cooled.

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup powdered sugar/confectionerssugar

teaspoon salt

1 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cups chopped walnuts

2 cups confectioners sugar, for rollingcookies after baking

Heat the oven to 325 degrees F. In a large bowl,combine the flour, confectioners sugar and salt. Use a fork or awhisk to mix everything together evenly and well.

Add the softened butter and vanilla and use amixer on medium high speed to combine ingredients into a thick softdough, about 2 minutes. Add the chopped nuts and beat at mediumspeed to mix them evenly into the dough.

Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place them2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 9 to 11minutes, until cookies are firm and their bottoms are goldenbrown.

While cookies are baking, pour the 2 cups ofconfectioners sugar in a large shallow bowl. When cookies are done,carefully transfer them, 2 or 3 at a time to the bowl ofconfectioners sugar. Roll them in the sugar until they aregenerously coated with a snowy covering of sugar. Set aside to coolcompletely.

Makes about 48 cookies (4 dozen)

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Make a batch of these crisp colorful cookies andkeep it in your refrigerator or freezer throughout the holidayseason. I love green candied cherries, but you could use red ones,or red and green together. Add walnuts instead of pecans if youlike.

2 cups all-purpose flour

teaspoon salt

1 cup butter, softened

cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

cup chopped candied green cherries, or redcherries, or red and green

cup chopped pecans or walnuts

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa andsalt. Stir together to mix everything well, using a fork or awhisk.

In a large bowl, combine the butter and thesugar. Using a mixer at medium high speed, beat until they areevenly combined about 2 to 3 minutes.. Add the egg and vanilla andbeat well, 1 minute more. Add in the flour mixture and beat at lowspeed, until everything comes together into a smooth dough.

Add the candied cherries and pecans and mix themin, using a wooden spoon or your hands to distribute them evenlythrough the dough.

Place two large squares of wax paper or bakingparchment on the counter. (each about 12 inches by 12 inches).Divide the cookie dough in half, and place half on each piece ofpaper. Shape each half into a log about 10 inches long, and roll itup into the baking parchment paper. Chill for 2 hours; longer isfine.

To bake the cookies, heat the oven to 325degrees F. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and slice it intoindividual cookies, about inch to inch thick. Place on anungreased baking sheet/cookie sheet, about 1 inch apart. Bake at325 degrees F for 12 to 14 minutes, until firm and dry.

Transfer cookies to a wire rack to coolcompletely.

Makes about 60 cookies (5 dozen)

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