Christmas is closing in on us, but there is still plenty of time to bake cookies. Here at Grandma’s Kitchen Recipes we have been busier than Santa’s elves, baking cookies and freezing them in my daughter’s freezer. To date I have made Sugar Plums (a confectionary covered cherry), Cranberry Oatmeal Bars, red and green Snickerdoodles, and White Chocolate Macadamia Nut cookies. I also have finished decorating the sugar cookies, with the help of my grandchildren. I have more fun decorating cookies with others. My daughter has helped me in years past, but was unable to this year. The grandkids did a super job and were very creative. Yet to come are Brownie Bars with Christmas M&M’s, Date Pinwheel Cookies and Spritz Cookies.
I want to share my favorite Christmas cookie recipe with you. This is an old recipe and came from the Old Bedford Church Cookbook in west central Illinois. Is there anything more reliable than a church cookbook? I think not. I have been making this recipe since my children were little and we like it so well I have never even tried another for making Christmas cookies. Make the dough a day ahead and refrigerate it. This makes cutting and rolling the cookies much easier. These cookies freeze very well, too, so you can get them out of the way in early December.
Old Fashioned Soft Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
4 cups flour-use unbleached
1 ½ cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
A pinch of salt
1 cup sour cream
1 cup butter (or margarine)
2 teaspoons vanilla
Using a mixer, combine the sour cream, butter, sugar and vanilla until very well blended. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Mix well. Chill dough. Roll dough on a well floured surface and cut out cookie shapes. Bake on a cookie sheet pan (sprayed with vegetable spray) in a 350 degree oven until the cookies start to brown on the edges. Remove from cookie sheet and cool on waxed or parchment paper. Cool completely before frosting. This recipe makes several dozen cookies, depending on how large your cookie cutters are.
Our family loves these. If you are making your frosting, don’t be afraid to make bold colors. The more vibrant the colors, the prettier your cookie platter will be. I make these cookies and give them away as boxed gifts to friends and family.
Some Festive Cookie Tips
1. Make your favorite Snickerdoodle recipe and instead of rolling them in cinnamon sugar, put the cinnamon in the cookie dough and roll them in red and green sugar. You just made them festive!
2. Want to make some festive Rice Krispie Treats? Put red food coloring in the melted marshmellows and you have Christmas Krispie Treats.
3. Or color the melted marshmellows green and use a Christmas Tree cookie cutter and decorate the Rice Krispie trees. Grandma’s Kitchen Recipes says, be creative.
4. Put the red and green M&M’s on top of your favorite bownie mix.
5. Substitute red and green M&M’s for chocolate chips in your chocolate chip cookies.
6. Don’t just dip your pretty pretzels in almond bark, sprinkle colored sugar on them before the almond bark sets up.
7. Or buy the big pretzel sticks, dip one end in melted chocolate chips, or white chocolate chips, then roll them in crushed candy canes.
Fun stuff, huh? I love Christmas baking. Some of you might not. But you can see that you can turn something as simple as a brownie mix or Krispie treats into holiday cookies. And, if you have little ones, make sure they can help, and their cookies can be the “eating” plate. So, until next time, have fun with Christmas and, enjoy life!
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