The Night Before Christmas Cookies

For almost 30 years now, I have been the Christmas Cookie Queen.  As a young mother, I wanted an inexpensive way to celebrate family and friends at the holidays. 

I discovered that people began to look forward to my christmas goodie bags.  Folks often commented they were special because 'people just don't take the time anymore'.

We  usually get together on Christmas Eve, so everyone had goodies to nibble while assembling trikes with missing parts, trying to get the 4 yr old back in bed one more time, or something festive with the first cup of coffeeChristmas morning.

My food allergies now keep me from holiday baking, even for others.  So, this year, my gift to you will be all the well loved and dog-eared recipes of Christmases past.  You don't need to make all of these to create a well loved goodie bag, choose your favorites and rotate them year by year.

Merry Christmas to all!


Drinks:  Fill canning jars with drink mix and tie with a ribbon.

Christmas Capuccino
Spicy Winter Tea
A bottle of non-alcoholic apple cider is a great addition too, especially for families/kids.

Breads:  Using small loaf pans or muffin tins make perfect snack sized quick breads.

Pumpkin Bread
Other quick breads like Banana and Zucchini go over well too!

Candy: The holy trinity of Christmas in our family has long been fudge, caramel corn and brittle.

See's Fudge (really from See's!)
Microwave Caramel Corn
Microwave Peanut Brittle
Magic Wands

Cookies: Take the time to ice and decorate your cutouts.  It doesn't have to be fancy! 

Date Pinwheels (Date Nut Bars)
Gingerbread People
Natchez Cookies
Peanut Butter Cookies
Shortbread Cutouts
Spritz

Snacks: By the handful.

Snack Mix
Puppy Chow

Spreads:  Can in smaller jars to spread the love as far as possible.  Any deep stockpot will work fine for boiling water canning.

Apple Jelly
Pumpkin Butter

Bringing Christmas dessert?  Try Jen's Pumpkin Pie.

Vegetables Even Kids Will Eat?  It's just not Christmas without Trees 'n Cheese.

Fruit juice jelly

I always loved apple jelly, but any 100% fruit juice/blend works.

4 C unsweetened apple juice
1/4 C lemon juice
1 1 3/4oz pkg powdered fruit pectin
4 1/2 C sugar

Pour juices into heavy pot.  Sprinkle with pectin and let stand for 1-2 minutes, stir to dissolve.  Bring to a full rolling boil over medium high heat, stirring frequently.  Stir in sugar and return to a full rolling boil, stirring frequently.  Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat, skim off foam with a metal spoon.

Ladle into half pint jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace.  Process in boiling water for 5 minutes, remove jars and let cool until set.

Spritz cookies

You don't have to have a cookie press to make these buttery cookies.  Just drop dough by spoonfuls and flatten slightly with a spoon.  It's important to use butter, not spreads, and to keep the dough at room temperature if you are using a press.  If the dough seems too soft for a cookie dough, it's just right.  (Trust me, broken many a press forcing dough on a cold day!)

1 1/2 C butter, softened
1 C sugar
1 t baking powder
1 egg
1 t vanilla
3 1/2 C flour

Beat butter with electric mixer for 30 seconds.  Add sugar and baking powder, beat until combined.  Beat in egg and vanilla until combined.  Beat in as much flour as you can, stir in the rest.

Force dough through cookie press onyo ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 about 8-10 minutes or until edges are firm but not brown.  Cool on wire rack.  Dip tops in icing, sprinkle with colored sugar while icing is still wet.


Powdered Sugar Icing

1 C powdered sugar
1/4 t vanilla
1 T milk, juice or water (I like lemon juice on spritz!)

Magic Wands

Don't think these are just for kids... the sweet and salty combination is highly addictive!

Pretzel Rods
Candyquik - candy coating

Melt coating according to package directions.  Dip pretzels, using a spoon to coat evenly if needed.  Set on waxed paper to cool.  If decorating with sprinkles, add them before the coating hardens.  After hardening, you can drizzle a little coating over the top - try drizzling white chocolate coating over a dark chocolate coated pretzel.  Yum.

Gingerbread Cutouts

If you are making more than one kind of cookie, make this dough first and refrigerate it while making the other kind.  Refrigeration makes the dough easier to handle.  Doubling the recipe gives you enough dough for a gingerbread house.

1/2 C shortening
1/2 C sugar
1 t baking powder
1 t ground ginger
1/2 baking soda
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground cloves
1/2 C molasses
1 egg
1 T vinegar
2 1/2 C flour

Beat shortening with an electric mixer for 30 seconds.  Add all dry ingredients except flour and beat til combined.  Beat in molasses, egg and vinegar until combined.  Beat in as much of the flour as you can, stirring in the rest.

Divide dough in half, cover and chill about 3 hours or until easy to handle.

Roll out the dough to a scant 1/2 inch for cutting.  Bake at 375 for 5-6 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.


Decorate with store bought icings or:

Powdered Sugar Icing

1 C powdered sugar
1/4 t vanilla
1 T milk, juice, water (I use milk with shortbread, and lemon juice with gingerbread and spritz)

Mix all ingredients well. Add powdered sugar or liquid to desired consistency. A thin glaze works great for dipping cookies while a thicker consistency makes it spreadable.

Shortbread Cookie Cutouts

I always liked these buttery cutouts much better than sugar cookies.  Recipe can be doubled, tripled, whatever you can work with!

2 C flour
1 C powdered sugar
1 C butter, softened to room temperature

Mix thoroughly.  Roll to 1/2 inch, cut and bake at 350 til edges lightly browned.


Decorate with store bought icings or:

Powdered Sugar Icing

1 C powdered sugar
1/4 t vanilla
1 T milk, juice, water  (I use milk with shortbread, and lemon juice with gingerbread and spritz)

Mix all ingredients well.  Add powdered sugar or liquid to desired consistency.  A thin glaze works great for dipping cookies while a thicker consistency makes it spreadable.

Pumpkin Bread

I enjoy memories of my Mom making this bread for me to give to my teachers each year.  Can be made in a regular sized loaf pan, or divided into smaller pans - just shorten your baking time accordingly.

3 C flour
1 t salt
2 t baking soda
2 t baking powder
2 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/8 t ginger or cloves
1 1/2 C vegetable oil
2 C sugar
4 eggs, beaten
2 C canned pumpkin (not pie filling)
1/2 C walnuts

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease pan.  Mix dry ingredients with wire whisk until light and completely combined.  Combine oil and sugar, mix well.  Mix dry ingredients into wet.  Add eggs, pumpkin, nuts and mix well.  Pour into greased loaf pan and bake 55 minutes.

Snack Mix

2 T Worcestershire sauce
6 T butter
1 1/2 t seasoned salt
3/4 t garlic powder
1/2 t onion powder
9 C cereal squares (mix 'em up!)
1 C mixed nuts
1 C pretzels
1 C cheese crackers, bite sized bagel chips, whatever you like

Heat oven to 250.  Melt butter in large roasting pan, stir in seasonings.  Gradually stir in remaining ingredients until evenly coated.  Bake one hour, stirring every 15 minutes.  Spread on paper towels to cool.  Store in airtight container.

Date Pinwheels (aka Date Nut Bars)

When Steve was a kid, his Mom made these great cookies at Christmas.  They were called 'date nut bars'.  I looked and looked and looked for similar recipes so I could add them to our Christmas cookie tradition.

Turns out they are actually called "Date Pinwheels" and are from the 'red & white cookbook', also known as the Better Homes & Gardens cookbook.

Filling:
1 8oz pkg pitted, whole dates, finely snipped (I cheat and buy the 'chopped' pkg!)
1/2 C water
1/3 C sugar
2 T lemon juice
1/2 t vanilla
(Optional - Steve thinks his Mom added walnuts to the filling - you can too!)

Cookie:
1/2 C shortening
1/2 C butter, softened
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 egg
3 T milk
1 t vanilla
3 C all purpose flour

For filling, combine dates, water and the 1/3C sugar.  Bring to boil, reduce heat, cook and stir until thick (about 2 minutes).  Stir in lemon juice and the 1/2 t vanilla.  Set aside to cool.

Beat shortening and butter together on high speed for 30 seconds.  Add the remaining sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, beat until combined.  Beat in the egg, milk and remaining vanilla until combined.  Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer, and stir in remaining flour by hand.  Divide dough in half, cover and chill until easy to handle (at least an hour).

Roll half the dough in between pieces of waxed paper into a 12x10 inch rectangle.  Spread with half of the filling.  Roll up dough starting with a long side, moisten edge to seal.  Wrap and chill for 2-24 hours.  Repeat with remaining dough and filling.

Grease cookie sheet.  Cut rolls* into 1/4 inch slices, place slices 1 inch apart on sheet.  Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes or edges are lightly brown.  Cool on wire rack.  Makes about 5 dozen.

*Jen's tip:  Use thread or dental floss to slice - knives will just make a mess! 
Use a 12 inch length of thread, place the center of the thread under the roll where you want to slice it.  Bring the ends up and over the top of the roll, quickly pull ends in opposite directions to tighten the loop - it will slice the dough as it tightens.