The holidays are among us and while we are all running around like crazy checking off our lists of presents to buy and things to do, I like to get a bit nostalgic. I do that by baking, baking and more baking!
Christmas cookie baking is one of my favorite holiday traditions. It reminds me of my grandmother, Christmases in Chicago and luminaria lined streets with snow falling. You see I got my love of cookie baking from my grandmother. Every year she would make several different kinds of cookies and keep them in metal tins on her back porch. I have so many fond memories of going out on that porch completely snowed in and freezing quickly lifting the lids of the tins to try to find my favorite cookie. It became a fun game for me and my cousins with the cookies being the prize.
I like to think of the tradition that she unknowingly started in her kitchen on Forest Ave and the recipes that have been passed down from her to my mother, my mother to me, and now I will pass them down to my daughter.
Every year I bake around 10 different kinds of cookies and make up plates to give to neighbors and co-workers. It is something that I like to give that is personal and has special meaning. Now I can’t post every cookie recipe I make or you would get sick from the sugar overload posts. So I decided to choose my two favorites, Sugar Cookies and Spritz that my grandmother made every year.
For the Spritz cookies you do need a specialty kitchen tool such as the OXO Cookie Press. It is less than $30, super easy to use and comes with several disks to make shapes from hearts to Christmas Trees.
I hope you all enjoy your holidays have a very Happy New Year and I will post more in 2016!
Sugar Cookie Ingredients:
- 1 Cup Powdered Sugar
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 1 Cup Butter softened
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
- 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 5 Cups Flour
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Cup Vegetable oil
- Colored Sugar or sprinkles
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl cream sugars, butter and salt.
Add the eggs one by one until they are both incorporated then add vegetable oil, vanilla, baking soda, cream of tartar and flour.
Drop by rounded teaspoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet.
Spray the bottom of a glass with cooking spray (or you can use butter) dip the bottom of the glass in the colored sugar and flatten out the cookies.
Be careful not to press too hard and make the cookies too thin. That will cause them to cook too much and come out too crispy.
Bake for 10-12 minutes. I bake mine for 10 minutes as like my cookies to have a softer, chewier texture.
Spritz Cookie Ingredients:
- 1 ½ Cups Butter Softened
- 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 teaspoon Almond Extract
- 4 Cups Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- Food coloring of your choice
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl thoroughly cream butter and sugar.
Add the egg, vanilla and almond extract, beat well.
Gradually add flour and baking powder to the creamed mixture. Mixing to a smooth dough.
Force cookie dough through your cookie press onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 7-8 minutes. I actually bake mine for 6 minutes to ensure that they have a softer consistency.