ADVENT CALENDAR - CHRISTMAS COOKIES

Each year Mom would make her Christmas Cookies, happily slaving in the kitchen over each different batch.  Christmas music would be playing in the background, setting the mood, while she sang along.

Her favorites recipes were the "Original Toll House Cookies," also known as chocolate chip cookies, Snickerdoodles, peanut butter cookies (for my brother Kerry), and Mexican Wedding Cake cookies.

Mom had an old, spiral-bound recipe book with the "original Toll House Cookies" recipe in it.  I think she got the recipe book for a wedding present in 1952.  Either it was well used, or I'm mistaken about how old it was.  It could have been Grandma's!


Original NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Chocolate Chip Cookies


Photo:  Nestle website

 

Prep: 15 mins

Cooking:  9 mins

Cooling: 15 mins

Yields: 60

This famous classic American cookie is a treat no matter what the age or occasion. Enjoy it with a glass of cold milk.

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
• 1 cup chopped nuts

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 375° F.


COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.


BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.


PAN COOKIE VARIATION: Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Prepare dough as above. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack. Makes 4 dozen bars.


SLICE AND BAKE COOKIE VARIATION:
PREPARE dough as above. Divide in half; wrap in waxed paper. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. Shape each half into 15-inch log; wrap in wax paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.* Preheat oven to 375° F. Cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices; place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 5 dozen cookies.


* May be stored in refrigerator for up to 1 week or in freezer for up to 8 weeks.


FOR HIGH ALTITUDE BAKING (5,200 feet): Increase flour to 2 1/2 cups. Add 2 teaspoons water with flour and reduce both granulated sugar and brown sugar to 2/3 cup each. Bake drop cookies for 8 to 10 minutes and pan cookie for 17 to 19 minutes.

The Snickerdoodles were always good!  Mom would roll the balls of dough in cinnamon sugar, some in red sugar crystals, and some in green.  The aroma while these were baking was amazing!

 

Snickerdoodles

Photo: McCormick website

These classic cookies are crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside and full of cinnamon flavor.


Makes 5 dozen or 30 (2 cookie) servings.
Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 9 to 11 minutes per batch

Refrigerate Time: 1 hour

2 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons McCormick® Cream of Tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
2 teaspoons McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract
1 tablespoon McCormick® Cinnamon, Ground

1. Mix flour, cream of tartar and baking soda in large bowl. Set aside. Beat 1 1/2 cups of the sugar, butter and shortening in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. Refrigerate 1 hour.


2. Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in cinnamon sugar mixture to coat. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheets.


3. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets 1 minute. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.

Raspberry Roads "Christmas Thyme"

I didn't care for the peanut butter cookies that much.  These and the chocolate chip cookies always seemed a little too crisp for me.  I prefer softer cookies.  But, remember, these were mainly for my brother.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Photo: Betty Crocker website

Packed with great peanut butter taste, these Betty's Best peanut butter cookies are sure to please.

Prep Time 25 Minutes

Total Time 2 Hrs 35 Mins

Makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies

1/2

cup granulated sugar

1/2

cup packed brown sugar

1/2

cup peanut butter (Mom always used Jif creamy style)

1/4

cup shortening

1/4

cup butter or margarine, softened

1

egg

1 1/4

cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

3/4

teaspoon baking soda

1/2

teaspoon baking powder

1/4

teaspoon salt

Mix sugars, peanut butter, shortening, butter and egg in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours or until firm.

1. Heat oven to 375ºF.
2. Shape dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Place about 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten in crisscross pattern with fork dipped into sugar.
3. Bake 9 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 5 minutes; remove from cookie sheet. Cool on wire rack.

Makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies 

Raspberry Roads "Christmas Thyme"

When Mom started making the Mexican Wedding Cake cookies around 1970, those became my favorite!  The recipe isn't that difficult, and always seemed to melt in your mouth.

Mexican Wedding Cakes



photo: christmas-cookies.com

 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups all-pupose flour
1 cup finely chopped almonds or pecans (Mom used pecan meal)
1/4 teaspoon salt
powdered sugar

Pre-heat oven to 325 F. In a large bowl combine 1/2 cup powdered sugar, butter and vanilla. Blend well. Stir in flour, nuts and salt until dough holds together. Shape into 1-inch balls. Place inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 15-20 minutes until set but not brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheets. Cool slightly and roll in powdered sugar. Cool completely and reroll in powdered sugar.


Servings: 48
Country of Origin: Mexico 

Raspberry Roads "Christmas Thyme"

Once all the cookies were completely cooled, Mom would get a shirt box out (preferably with a pretty design on it), line the box with crisp, clean, colorful tissue paper, and add cupcake papers.  Each of the papers would be filled with beautifully tempting cookies to give to relatives as Christmas gifts.  Once we kids left home, we all got one of those boxes of cookies, too.

Raspberry Roads "Christmas Thyme"

This was Mom's way of showing us all her love for us at Christmas!

XoXoXo