Tag Archives: homemaking. baking

Christmas cookies #2 – Shortbread cookies! 

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These tender, buttery delights contain zero leavening. They would even pass, Passover muster!

1 cup softened butter

3/4 cups sifted, powdered sugar

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/3 cup oats, quick or old-fashioned, not instant

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup 2% milk

Sprinkles, jimmies, or colored sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Mix butter, sugar, and vanilla till well combined and fluffy.

In seperate bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and oats. Add the flour mixture to the butter and combine well.

With fingers, take about a half tablespoon of dough, and shape into a semblance of an ornament. You do not want round balls, so don’t roll the dough. Just shape it. Because of the oats, they will not be perfectly smooth. But that is part of real shortbread! 

Here you see my shaped cookies on an insulated cookied sheet lined with parchment paper. This method gives the most beautiful cooky bottoms you will ever see! 

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until just the lightest golden brown at the edges. Be careful!  These can overbake very easily!  Remove from oven, cool on sheet for 4 minutes, then to wire rack to cool completely.

While cookies are cooling, assemble the fixings. I like to use a “Little Dipper,” that came with a big Crock Pot from Costco. I just put my chocolate in there, plug it is, and soon the chocolate is melted and stays warm the whole time! 

sage

Once the chocolate is melted, stir in the milk.

Dip the tops of the cookies into the warm chocolate, then into your choice of toppings. Return to wire rack and leave undisturbed till chocolate dries, about 1 hour.

These are completely delicious, melt in your mouth, buttery goodness, Christmas cookies! 

Happy homemaking!

Christmas Cookie #1 – Fruit Drops!

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These are old fashioned cookies that store well, much as a fruitcake does. They are not difficult to make, but do get a comfortable seat for all the chopping! 

1/2 cup butter flavored Crisco

1/2 cup softened butter

2 cups packed brown sugar

2 room temp. eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk or sour milk

3 & 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 & 1/2 cup broken, not chopped, pecans

1 cup chopped red candied cherries

1 cup chopped green candied cherries

2 cups, chopped, pitted, dates

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the Crisco, butter, suger, and eggs well. Stir in the buttermilk. 

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, soda, and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the sugar mixture.

Next, add pecans, dates, and cherries. This is better accomplished with a large, sturdy spoon or spatula.

Next important step!  CHILL!  Do not skip chilling for this very soft cooky dough. My favorite method of chilling is the ice bowl method.

Fill a very large bowl half way with ice, and nestle the dough bowl inside it. Even the softest cooky doughs will stay chilled and workable with this method.

Use a cooky scoop, and drop onto parchment paper lined cooky sheets. My preferred sheets are insulated, covered with parchment. This makes for a perfect cooky bottom.

A dozen cookies per sheet, and bake about 8-10 minutes, until lightly golden brown as shown in the picture. Cool on the sheet for 4 minutes, then remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Happy homemaking!

sage