Cookies have been part of festive holiday rituals long before Christmas. Ancient cooks prepared sweet baked good to celebrate significant celebrations of the year. Many recipe ingredients such as cinnamon, black pepper, ginger, cardamom, almond and dried fruits, were prevalent in the middle ages of Europe. These ingredients were highly prized. Christmas cookies, as we know them today trace their roots back to medieval European recipes. German and Dutch settlers crafted special cookie cutters as well as decorative molds and festive holiday decorations and passed these traditions on to America. German Lebkuchen otherwise known as gingerbread was most likely the very first cookie associated with Christmas time. In many homes the decorating of a gingerbread house is essential to a proper holiday experience. Sugar cookies are probably the most popular Christmas cookie and they come from English descent. Every preschooler loves animal crackers, but did you know they they were created as ornaments to hang on Christmas trees?
Around the 1500's, holiday cookies caught on all over Europe, and it was made easy with inexpensive imports of goods from Germany, giving every family the opportunity to partake in the cookie making experience. As early as the 1st century, sweet bread, cakes and one bite nibbles that resemble cookies were written down in Parisian royal kitchens. During that same time in Rome a man named Marcus Gavius Apicius designed a book just about festival sweet in the 4th century. Christmas cookie recipes made their debut for the very first time in America in a book published in 1796, it's called "Christmas Cookery" by Amelia Simmons. We know that the Puritans had many sweet cake and cookie recipes that they shared and passed down. Recipes like Spritz, Lebkuchen, Pepparkakor, and Krumkake because popular in every home. Now, with all the many cookie recipes and cutters, sprinkling sugars, frosting's and decorating techniques, Christmas cookies have endless possibilities.
Baking Christmas cookies has been a fun experience for our little family for the past couple of years. I've never liked baking much, but the grocery store has made cookie making even easier and what would the Holiday's be without little hands, cookie cutters, frosting squirted everywhere and sparkling sugars and sprinkles.
Swedish Almond Stars
You will need:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup almond paste, crumbled (I used Solo brand)
1 T. butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
3 T. canola oil
Icing:
2 cups powdered sugar
3 T. milk
1/8-1/4 tsp. vanilla or almond extract (it's all about taste)
Prep:
To prepare cookies, sift flour, measure and level off with knife. Combine flour, 1 cup sugar, baking soda, cardamom, and salt in your food processor or mixer and process until blended. Add almond paste and butter; process until blended. Combine juice and oil. With process on, slowly pour juice mixture through food chute; process until it starts to form balls.
Divide dough in half. Working with 1 portion, gently press dough into a 4-inch square on heavy wax paper or plastic and chill 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 375*
You want the dough to remain very cold so only work with 1 portion at a time. Lay out a sheet of wax paper and cut your star shapes with a 2 1/2 inch star shaped cookie cutter. You should be able to get 24 stars out of your prepared dough. Place them 1 1/2 inches apart on parchment paper and bake for 8 minutes. They shouldn't be brown. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes on cooling racks.
Prepare your icing by mixing the sugar and milk and extract until it's smooth. Drizzle the icing on the cookies and let them sit and set. Recipe & photo courtesy of Cooking Light
Our little family has been invited to the chabad center near our home to partake in the first night of lighting the menorah. They will be having a cookie and dessert exchange and I have found a traditional and very tasty cookie recipe that I'll be taking. I found the recipe here
Chocolate Filled Hamantaschen (Hamans hats)
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, cold
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tube of grocery store sugar cookie dough or you could use this recipe Vanilla Sugar Cookies
2 cookie sheets lined with parchment paper
3 inch round cookie cutter
Melt the butter with the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set directly in a wide skillet of barely simmering water. Stir frequently until the mixture is melted and smooth.
Remove the chocolate from the heat. Stir in the sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring in the first until incorporated before adding the second. Stir in the flour and beat with a spoon until the mixture is smooth and glossy and comes away from the sides of the pan, about 1 minute.
Scrape into a small bowl, cover, and refrigerate until needed.
Roll out your sugar cookie dough and cut out your round cookies, placing them 1/2 inch apart on the lined cookie sheets.
Scoop and place a level teaspoonful of filling in the center of each cookie. Bring 3 sides of each cookie up to partially cover
the filling. If the dough gets too soft to handle, slide the pans into the refrigerator for a few minutes
to firm it up. Pinch the edges of the cookie to seal the corners.
the filling. If the dough gets too soft to handle, slide the pans into the refrigerator for a few minutes
to firm it up. Pinch the edges of the cookie to seal the corners.
Bake for 12 minutes, or until pale golden at the edges. Rotate the cookie sheets from top to bottom
and from front to back halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking. Repeat until all of the cookies are baked.
and from front to back halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking. Repeat until all of the cookies are baked.
Set the pans or just the liners on racks to cool. Cool the cookies completely before stacking or storing. Although best on the day they are made, the cookies keep for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container.
This next recipe came out of my Betty Crocker cookie book and it's the first time I've ever made them. They taste very buttery and each flavor is distinct. If you love Pistachios, you're going to love these. The recipe originally called for some green food coloring which I didn't use, but if you feel up to it, do it!
Gluten Free Lemon and Rosemary Buttermilk Cookies
Gluten Free Lemon and Rosemary Buttermilk Cookies
recipe/photo courtesy of Black Bird Bakery ( I love them so much)
1/4 cup millet flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup fine brown rice flour
1/4 cup glutinous rice flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon guar gum
Zest of 1 lemon, plus more for garnish
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary, plus more for garnish
7 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1 large egg
1/2 cup organic buttermilk
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup fine brown rice flour
1/4 cup glutinous rice flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon guar gum
Zest of 1 lemon, plus more for garnish
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary, plus more for garnish
7 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1 large egg
1/2 cup organic buttermilk
1. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the dry ingredients. Add the grated zest of 1 lemon and the rosemary and mix on low speed to blend. Add the butter and mix on low speed for about 3 minutes, or until blended. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat in the egg, then immediately add the buttermilk and beat till light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. The dough will seem thin, but fear not, this is exactly what you want. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. To bake: Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 °F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
3. Using a 1 ½-inch-diameter ice cream scoop, place balls of dough 1 ½ inches apart on the prepared pans. You should have about 24.
4. Bake one pan at a time for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned on the edges.
Remove from the oven and leave the cookies on the pan for 5 minutes to set, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
To ice: Using a small off-set spatula, apply the icing to each cookie in a circle. This icing sets fast, so immediately decorate each cookie with a pinch each of rosemary and lemon zest.
5. Store in an airtight container in one layer for up to 3 days.
2. To bake: Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 °F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
3. Using a 1 ½-inch-diameter ice cream scoop, place balls of dough 1 ½ inches apart on the prepared pans. You should have about 24.
4. Bake one pan at a time for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned on the edges.
Remove from the oven and leave the cookies on the pan for 5 minutes to set, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
To ice: Using a small off-set spatula, apply the icing to each cookie in a circle. This icing sets fast, so immediately decorate each cookie with a pinch each of rosemary and lemon zest.
5. Store in an airtight container in one layer for up to 3 days.
Lemon Icing:
Makes 1 cup
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 cups confectioners′ sugar, sifted
2 cups confectioners′ sugar, sifted
In a medium bowl, whisk the lemon juice into the sugar until smooth. If the icing is too thick, add a few more drops of lemon juice and whisk to incorporate. Repeat until you have the consistency you desire.
*Note: I replaced sorghum flour for the brown rice flour. I like it better, but you choose.
Pistachio & Cranberry Squares
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh orange zest
1/2 cup shelled pistachios (2 1/4 oz; not dyed red)
1/3 cup dried cranberries (1 1/4 oz)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup decorative sugar (I used multi colored course sugar from Micheal's Crafts)
Stir together flour, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl.
Beat together butter, granulated sugar, and zest in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 batches, mixing until dough just comes together in clumps, then mix in pistachios and cranberries. Gather and press dough together, then divide into 2 equal pieces. Using a sheet of plastic wrap or wax paper as an aid, form each piece of dough into a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Square off long sides of each log to form a bar, then chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until very firm, at least 2 hours.
Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Brush egg over all 4 long sides of bars (but not ends). Sprinkle decorative sugar on a separate sheet of parchment or wax paper and press bars into sugar, coating well.
Cut each bar crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices, rotating bar after cutting each slice to help keep square shape. (If dough gets too soft to slice, freeze bars briefly until firm.) Arrange cookies about 1/2 inch apart on lined baking sheets.
Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until edges are pale golden, 15 to 18 minutes total. Transfer cookies from parchment to racks using a slotted spatula and cool completely.
These next cookie/treats are iconic. They are so tasty and they disappear so fast.
Traditional Rugelach
For the dough:2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pats
4 cups all-purpose flour (For Gluten Free, Use Better Batter)
1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
1 pound cream cheese, chilled
1/4 cup sour cream
For the cherry-almond filling:2 cups dried tart cherries
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Pinch of Diamond Crystal kosher salt
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 cups blanched and lightly toasted almonds
For the chocolate-hazelnut filling:2 cups coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate
1 cup hazelnuts
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose f lour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
For the apricot filling:2 cups dried apricots
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
For finishing:Decorative coarse sugar, for sprinkling
1 large egg, beaten, for the egg wash
These next cookie/treats are iconic. They are so tasty and they disappear so fast.
Traditional Rugelach
For the dough:2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pats
4 cups all-purpose flour (For Gluten Free, Use Better Batter)
1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
1 pound cream cheese, chilled
1/4 cup sour cream
For the cherry-almond filling:2 cups dried tart cherries1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Pinch of Diamond Crystal kosher salt
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 cups blanched and lightly toasted almonds
For the chocolate-hazelnut filling:2 cups coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate
1 cup hazelnuts
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose f lour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
For the apricot filling:2 cups dried apricots
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
For finishing:Decorative coarse sugar, for sprinkling
1 large egg, beaten, for the egg wash
Make the dough:
Combine the butter and flour in the bowl of a food processor and process until the chunks of butter are broken up and the mixture has taken on the consistency of wet sand, about 30 seconds.
Combine the butter and flour in the bowl of a food processor and process until the chunks of butter are broken up and the mixture has taken on the consistency of wet sand, about 30 seconds.
Transfer the butter-flour mixture to a large mixing bowl and add the salt, cream cheese, and sour cream. Mix the ingredients together vigorously with your hands, breaking up the cream cheese and working it into the f lour with your fingers until the mixture is crumbly and only pea-size chunks of the cream cheese remain.
Turn out the dough onto a sheet of aluminum foil, press it down slightly into a thick disk, and wrap it very tightly in the foil. Refrigerate it for at least 20 minutes or overnight. Meanwhile, make the filling.
Make the cherry-almond filling:
Combine the cherries, sugar, water, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce the heat and simmer until syrupy, about 5 minutes.
Combine the cherries, sugar, water, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce the heat and simmer until syrupy, about 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat and add the almond extract. Let the mixture rest until it's cool enough to handle. Place the almonds in the bowl of a food processor and process until crushed, about 10 seconds. Transfer the almonds to a bowl and add the reserved cherry mixture to the food processor; process until the mixture has a jam-like consistency, scraping down the sides of the machine as necessary. Add the almonds back in and process for a few seconds, until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined. The filling can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Make the chocolate-hazelnut filling:
Combine all the filling ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process until crumbly. The filling can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Combine all the filling ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process until crumbly. The filling can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Make the apricot filling:
Combine all the filling ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring them to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Set the mixture aside until it is just cool enough to handle, then transfer it to the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Refrigerate the filling until it's completely cooled before using. The filling can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Combine all the filling ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring them to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Set the mixture aside until it is just cool enough to handle, then transfer it to the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Refrigerate the filling until it's completely cooled before using. The filling can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Shape, fill, and bake the rugelach:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 10-by-15-inch baking sheet with parchment paper, grease it with oil or cooking spray, and sprinkle it with a small handful of decorative sugar.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 10-by-15-inch baking sheet with parchment paper, grease it with oil or cooking spray, and sprinkle it with a small handful of decorative sugar.
Unwrap the dough and divide it into 2 equal-size portions. On a well-floured surface, press and work one of the dough portions into a ball, then press the ball into a disk that's about 3/4 inch thick. The dough will be very firm at first and may crack around the edges, so keep working it and bringing the cracks together until you have a smooth-sided disk, adding more flour as needed to keep your hands from sticking to the dough.
Roll out the dough into a 10- to 12-inch circle of even thickness. Fold the circle into a half moon and use a knife or dough cutter to trim away any uneven or protruding edges, then unfold the dough so it's a circle again.
If you're using the chocolate-hazelnut filling, brush a little of the egg wash over the dough. Use a spatula to spread a heaping cup of the filling of your choice evenly over the dough. Then use a dough cutter or pizza cutter to cut the circle into 16 equal-size wedges, just as you would a pizza.
Then, working with one wedge at a time, roll a wedge up to make the rugelach, starting with the wide end and rolling toward the pointy end. Transfer the rugelach to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
Brush the tops of the rugelach with the egg wash, sprinkle lightly with more decorative sugar, and bake, rotating the tray 180 degrees halfway through cooking, until the pastries are light golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
Pepparkakor (Ginger Crisps)
You'll Need:
1/3 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
2 T. Milk
1 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
2 tsp. vanilla extract
(optional: 1 cup currants, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans)
Cream shortening and sugar thoroughly. Stir in eggs, molasses, and milk; blend well. Measure flour by dipping and sifting. Blend dry ingredients before adding them to wet ingredients. Then add vanilla extract and any additional mix ins you choose. Wrap dough in plastic wrap for 30 minutes and then drop a precise cookie scoopful on a greased parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350* for 15minutes. You want them to be a little bit pliable. I baked mine in a perfect circle, but you can roll the dough out and use cookie cutters. I found these really cute cut cookies that were made in to ornaments. They are chewier than you would think and stay fresh in a plastic container for up to 3 weeks, but they'll be gone before that.
I adapted this next recipe to be gluten free, both versions are listed.
I adapted this next recipe to be gluten free, both versions are listed.
JØDEKAGER
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| Recipe and Photo Here |
Cookie dough
1 stick +1 T butter
1 cup all-purpose flour (1 cup gluten free flour containing xanthan gum)
1 cup sugar (1 cup splenda)
1 egg
1 stick +1 T butter
1 cup all-purpose flour (1 cup gluten free flour containing xanthan gum)
1 cup sugar (1 cup splenda)
1 egg
Garnish
1 egg
2 oz almonds, chopped
3 tbsp sugar (you can use monkfruit in the raw or splenda in the raw)
2 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
2 oz almonds, chopped
3 tbsp sugar (you can use monkfruit in the raw or splenda in the raw)
2 tsp cinnamon
Pour the flour and the butter into a large bowl. Use your hands to crumble/mix the butter with the flour. Add the sugar and mix. Add one egg and knead the dough. Cover the bowl with some plastic foil and place it in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Roll out the dough into a sheet with a thickness of about 2-3 cm (~1 inch). Use a small glass with a diameter of about 5-6 cm (~2 inch) to cutout the cookies. Place the cookies on an oven tray lined with parchment/baking paper. Brush the cookies with a beaten egg. For the garnish. Chop the almonds and mix them with sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle the mixture over the cookies. Bake the cookies at 200 C (400 F) for about 6-8 minutes. Keep the cookies in a glass or cookie jar with some baking paper at the bottom so that they stay crisp.
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