Cookie Countdown - Cookie Variety

Here are just a few other cookies we've made over the years. Some of them are more labor intensive than others, so we don't do every recipe every year!

Christmas Balls

1 cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
1 cup finely chopped nuts
red and/or green colored sugar

Cream butter and sugar with vanilla. Blend in flour and nuts. Shape into 1" balls. Roll in colored sugar and bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Cool well before removing from pan.
Note: This is basically the Snowball recipe, but the cookies are rolled in colored sugar instead of powdered sugar.

Pastel Cookies

3/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 (3 oz) package jello, any flavor
2 3/4 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder

Cream shortening and sugar. Beat in vanilla and eggs. Add remaining ingredients. Drop by teaspoonful on cookie sheet. Press down with a glass dipped in sugar. Bake at 375° for 8 minutes. Makes 4 dozen.
Note: Usually this is a spring-time treat, but if we need an extra bit of "green" for the cookie platter, this is an easy cookie to make.
Snow Covered Almond Crescents

1 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 3/4 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup oats
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
powdered sugar

Cream butter and sugar with almond extract. Mix in flour and salt. Add oats and almonds. Using level measuring tablespoonsfuls, shape dough into crescents. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 14-17 minutes at 350­°. Remove to wire rack. Sift powdered sugar generously over warm cookies. Cool completely. Makes about 3 dozen.
Note: Oatmeal adds interesting texture. It's easier to dip the tops of the cookies in a bowl of sugar than to sprinkle them.
Cinnamon Stars

1 cup butter or margarine
2 cups brown sugar
2 tablespoons milk
2 eggs
1 cup finely chopped filberts or walnuts
4 cups flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cream butter and sugar. Add milk, eggs and nuts and beat hard one minute.  Sift the dry ingredients and add in fourths. Cover and chill the dough until firm. Roll dough out to 1/8" and cut with star-shaped cutter. Transfer to lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes. Cool on wire racks. Makes about 7 dozen cookies.

Thank you, Google, for the pictures.

Oh, and we can't forget regular sugar cookies!

Our Favorite Sugar Cookie (aka Santa Claus Cookies)

4 cups sifted flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Cream butter until smooth. Gradually add and beat in the sugar and continue beating until light. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Sift and add the dry ingredients in fourths and stir after each addition to blend well. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours.

Set the oven to 350°. Grease the cookie sheets lightly. Roll out the dough, a little at a time, on a lightly floured pastry cloth or board, to a thickness of ¼ inch. Cut with a floured cookie cutter. Carefully transfer cut-outs to the cookie sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Remove and cool, then decorate with frosting. About 4 dozen.

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