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From our Food Goddess, TaMara:
A friend asked me if I would like to spend the afternoon baking holiday cookies with her for a charity exchange. I was happy to, the colder it gets, the more I enjoy baking. She asked me if I had any good cookie recipes. I tried not to laugh. I picked out three of my favorites and realized it would be a great idea for this week’s recipe exchange.
My very favorite this time of year are Citrus Drops, because with all the sweets, the buttery tartness is welcome. Click here for the recipe.
Next up are my Fruit Pie Cookies, an idea that came to me when I had leftover pie filling and a mini-muffin tin. They are delicious, pretty, but a bit time consuming to make. Recipe is here.
And the always fun, M & M Cookies, a hit with kids of all ages. Click here.
That just scratches the surface, for all the cookie recipes on the blog (there are 78 of them), you’ll find them here, there are some gluten free options, too.
What’s on the weekend menu? What’s your favorite cookie for the holidays? Do you make cookie trays to give as gifts? Share your favorite recipes in the comments.
Tonight’s featured recipe is one that I loved when I was a kid. My best friend and I would make them when we had sleepovers. Perfect for cold New England days. It took me a while to find the recipe again. Easy and elegant.
Looking for another cookie to add to the cookie tray you give as gifts? These are very pretty. You can add chocolate drizzle to really make them look festive (I’d melt semi-sweet or cacao chocolate chips for the drizzle).
Easy to make, pretty to look at.
Coconut Lace Cookies
1 cup flour
1 cup regular oats
1 cup brown sugar, packed
½ cup shredded coconut
½ tsp baking soda
3 tbsp water
¼ cup butter
2 tbsp light corn syrup
baking sheet, bowlCombine flour, oats, sugar, coconut, & baking soda in bowl, mix well. Add water, butter & syrup and stir well. Drop by teaspoon onto baking sheet. Bake at 325° for 12 minutes until almost set, remove to rack to completely cool. Makes 2 dozen.
jl
I’ve already eaten too much Holiday goodies. But that second pic of oatmeal cookies looks so goooooood. I want one. Are those the the coconut lace cookies? I waaant one.
But I can’t bake cookies.
Curse you, Friday Recipe Exchange: Holiday Cookies!
Alison
Hmm. The first link, in the caption under the top photo…there’s no recipe at the blog, just pictures. Is there a recipe somewhere? My mom is looking for some new baking recipes.
ETA: Specifically she wants ones that don’t need a mixer.
PopeRatzy
Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies
Da Bomb
Elizabelle
Those Citrus Drop cookies sound delish and unusual. Thanks also for the coconut lace cookie recipe. Haven’t had one for ages; they are good.
We’ve got this chocolate crackle cookie; recipe came off a bag of sugar in the 1960s. Turn out fudgy with a crackle confectioners sugar coating.
Will have to dig out the recipe for you (not tonight, alas) and share. Although you might have …
TaMara (BHF)
jl – yes that is a pic of the Oatmeal Lace Cookies.
Alison, – yup, I know there’s no recipe, but I couldn’t resist the picture, you’ll have to bug JeffreyW and see if he’ll share, I hear it’s a secret.
Elizabelle – I look forward to that recipe, and if you’d even email it to me, I’d love that (whats4dinnersolutions at live dot com). And yes, the citrus drop cookies are amazing and really easy.
On my way out, but will stop back to see if what’s up later…
Laura
The Coconut lace cookies look delish and I’m betting they could be made GF by using an all purpose GF flour, straight exchange (1 cup) and–of course–using oats you’re sure are GF.
For those who don’t like to fuss or are avoiding refined sugar or you’re craving a quick cookie fix, this recipe is wonderful. It’s a reason always to freeze your (peeled) too brown to eat bananas: http://www.theburlapbag.com/2012/07/2-ingredient-cookies-plus-the-mix-ins-of-your-choice/
(I recommend a pinch of salt as a third ingredient. And chipotle powder or garam masala are fun spices instead of cinnamon or nutmeg….)
Alison
@TaMara (BHF): Haha, okay :)
Well, if anyone in comments has a good basic chocolate chip cookie recipe that can be done easily without a mixer…I mean, I know they all can but my mom is hoping for one that won’t require too much elbow grease, so to speak.
TaMara (BHF)
@Alison: The Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies at the link below are great. I never use a mixer for choco chip cookies, just mix them by hand. Melt the butter first and not even hard to mix.
Can substitute semi-chocolate chips as desired.
Cookie recipe here
Yatsuno
Seven Spice cookies:
2 sticks butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp mace
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Blend together butter and sugars and cream for two minutes. Add in eggs one at a time, then the vanilla. Sift together all the dry spices, flour, baking soda, and salt. Add into mixing bowl slowly and mix together until a stiff dough forms. Cover and refigerate for at least two hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Let the dough warm up slightly on the counter for about 15 minutes (this will make it easier to form). Roll into balls about the size of a golf ball. Place on cookie sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool on cookie sheet for five minutes before transferring to cooling rack.
ruemara
I’m right in the middle of the mass cookie production. These are for mailing but I think the office potluck will be gluten free brownies, crepe cake with whipped cream and chestnut stuffing and buttered barley and spinach side.
JordanRules
@Laura: Thank you so much for sharing this link to the 2 ingredient ‘cookie’. I can’t wait to try them! I love nanas and oats so this should be a perfect alternate when the craving come.
smintheus
Hands down, the best holiday cookies are melomakarona. I can eat these all day and never get enough.
Laura
@JordanRules: I hope you like them. I like to add a bit of chopped walnut or almonds, or a tiny amount of mini vegan chocolate chips (Enjoy Life is a great brand), or raisins or other dried fruits. The cookie is pleasingly chewy. They’re really tasty for breakfast, too.
Alison
@TaMara (BHF): Awesome, thanks!
HRA
By now I am usually deep into making my cookies for Christmas. Now I have this husband who although very helpful is on sick leave and always getting in my way. It’s after midnight here and he just finished shampooing the carpet. :(
I am hoping to be able to make pizzelles on Sunday. I try to make the family favorites in this order pineapple filled cream cheese dough cookies, cinnamon oatmeal snowballs, kifle, Macedonian star cookies, English toffee squares and maybe a few new recipes I want to try.
Let me know if you want any of these recipes.
Yatsuno
@HRA:
What time should I be over? :)
Svensker
@HRA:
You have a husband who shampoos the carpet and you’re COMPLAINING? ! ? !
We recently had house guests and my hubs’ contribution to the major cleaning of our 3 story house in preparation was to rearrange the books in his bookshelves. Given that he has about 2,000 books, it was a lot of work and took quite a while — about the same time it took me to vacuum, dust and scrub all three levels.
debbie
I make lace cookies with oatmeal and almonds, then turn them into sandwich cookies with melted chocolate as the filling. Makes for less messy fingers than drizzling chocolate over them.
Tara the Antisocial Social Worker
I like to do stained-glass window cookies. Just use your favorite sugar cookie recipe, cut a hole in the middle and melt a life saver in it. (Be sure to bake on buttered foil or you’ll never scrape it off your cookie sheets.)
We used to hang them on the Christmas tree, until we got a dog.
Sandia Blanca
@PopeRatzy: Oh my gosh, yes! These are the best, and I don’t know why more people don’t make them anymore. They’re the perfect answer for people who like oats, but don’t want raisins in their oatmeal cookies.
HRA, all of those cookies sound intriguing–please do post a recipe or two!
One of my holiday faves are these gumdrop cookies:
Beat together:
1 c. oil
1 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
Add dry ingredients and stir until blended:
1 t. baking soda
2 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. cinnamon
Add:
1-1/3 c. quick oats
1 c. flaked coconut
1 c. cut-up gum drops (use red and green for Christmas)
Drop by spoonfuls on ungreased baking sheet, and bake 10-12 minutes at 375 degrees.