Monday, December 19, 2011

Celebrations of the Christmas Cookie


Christmas cookies are a favorite tradition in our family.  The boys have all said it is one of their favorite things about this season.  My mom started it.  She is the BEST cookie maker in this little-big world!  I started baking cookies with my Mom when I was little and I'm still placing tray after tray after tray in the oven! 
 
image via Kate Spade



So I got my cookie-crazy superwoman on,
tied up an apron
and worked some magic.



Stacked with recipes 
and ready to roll some dough...




So, my kitchen looked like this forever...

But we finally made it worth it with a table full of this...


The boys helped me bake and decorate cookies this year.





I made all of our traditional favorites 
and tried a couple new recipes too!

These  cinnamon roll COOKIES
are just too cute and absolutely delicious.
I found this recipe on one of my top favorite blogs 
for creative desserts, Picky Palate.


This cookie idea is brilliant! 
Roll your favorite sugar cookie dough out,
spread with butter, add cinnamon and brown sugar 
and roll up just like SWEET ROLLS! 


I'm pretty sure Santa will just eat them all up!




The other NEW cookies recipe I tried was from
the always amazing, Whipperberry
These Red Velvet white chocolate chip cookies
are so SUPER easy! 
They are made with a cake mix and you can't even tell! 
These are just perfect if you're in a rush.


By the way, I found this absolutely adorable reindeer printable
from one of my favorite spots to find printables: EatDrinkChic.



Shhhh, this year Kotah had the sweetest idea to surprise Chris with his own special box of cookies.  Chris always gets mad (like grrr!) when we give all the cookies away and there isn't a lot left for him.  Kotah thought it would be fun to put a box of cookies under the surprise tree we made this year on Chris' nightstand.  The box we used was one Chris has had since he was little.  It has always been used to store his childhood ornaments in.




 Traditions are comfort, 
they're like having 
a well-loved family quilt 
wrapped around your heart.

I enjoy keeping tradition in our home sweet home
and adding in sprinkles of new things too.  

Each year, I try a couple new cookie recipes
but of course,  still make our "tried and trues".




Christmas Cookie Archives
click on any to be taken to that post:








 2 of our family favorite recipes to scratch into your recipe books:

Maple Frosties
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup shortening
1 teaspoon maple extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda

FROSTING:
2 cups powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons milk
2 Tablespoons butter softened
1 teaspoon maple extract


Heat oven to 350. In large bowl combine brown sugar, shortening, maple, vanilla, and egg. Blend well. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cups. Level off. Mix flour and soda together in small bowl. Add to wet mixture. Mix until well blended. Drop by teaspoons, 2 in apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Don't overbake. Let rest for 1 minute before removing from sheets. Cool. Mix all frosting ingredients spread over cooled cookies. 




Cherry Chocolate Kisses
1 cup butter softened
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons maraschino cherry juice
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
few drops of red food coloring
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup maraschino cherries, drained and chopped
48 chocolate kisses unwrapped

Heat oven to 350 F.  In large bowl combine butter, powdered sugar, cherry juice, almond extract, and food coloring; blend well.  Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off.  Stir in flour and salt.  Add cherries, mix well.  Form dough into 1 inch balls.  Place on ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.  Immediately top each cookie with a chocolate kiss.  Remove from cookie sheets.







Our traditional gingerbread kitchen

So, we flour our hands, noses, shirts, and floor,
fill the sink with dishes,
pile the counters with butter and eggs,
and create a Christmas cookie wonderland...
because it only comes once a year.

"while vision of sugarplums

danced in their heads..."



This post is linked to: Centsational Girl Cookies, Simply Sweet Home Inspired Room HomeStories Mantels, Holiday Home Link Parties TLCUnder the Table & Dreamin, Think Pink Sundays, Seasonal SundaysMet Monday, Making the World Cuter, Tuesday Tutorials and Tips, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy, Tip Junkie, Get Your Craft On, DIY Design, Works for Me Wednesday, Blue Cricket Design, Transformation Thursday, House of H, Tablescape Thursday, Show off Your Stuff, Strut Your Stuff,   Show and Share Day, Foodie Friday, Frugal Friday, I'm Lovin It, Tickled Pink, Friday Flair, Design Dazzle, Be Different Act Normal, Funky Junk Interiors, Weekend Wrap Up  DIY by Design

7 comments:

Jane said...

These cookies look amazing!!!
I had marked that cinnamon roll cookie recipe to try...

I so miss baking with the boys. It was always an experience! And as they grew older, I LOVED watching them create their own recipes. (I think we still have the remnants of Adam's Christmas mousse that wouldn't thicken on the overhead lights.Temper, temper!)

My baking will truly begin at the end of the week...cinnamon rolls for all my sibs and neighbors and cookies galore. I'm already smelling the cinnamon...
Have a merry Christmas!
J

Jenny said...

Oh wonderful! I am printing out these recipes right now! Our cookie baking is on Friday morning!

Happy Holidays, lovely Lisa.

Anonymous said...

Your cookies look amazing..Thank you for the recipes..

Blondie's Journal said...

Oh Yum...cookies are love!

XO,
Jane

. said...

LOVED this post! Cookies look delicious and too pretty to eat. Every picture is sooo pretty! Love the festivities that come spilling out of your Christmastime posts! Can't wait to make those cinnamon roll cookies!

KimMalk said...

Everything looks so good, Lisa! I like the new recipes--the cinnamon rolls and red velvet. Blessings this holiday season! (My kitchen will look like yours for the next couple of days.)

annies home said...

what a sweet collection of goodies I will be trying them soon