Christmas Cookies

Night Before Christmas Mice

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring not even a mouse.



3 cups of all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup unsalted butter softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg

Sm. bag almond slivers

10 feet of black licorice laces
6 ounces of semisweet chocolate melted and kept slightly warm.

Whisk flour and salt together in a small bowl. In large bowl beat butter until creamy, gradually add sugar and beat until fluffy, add vanilla and egg, then beat. Mix in about a third of the flour at low speed. Gradually add remaining flour until well blended. Scrape dough onto large piece of plastic wrap, and cover completely, and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight. Needs to be firm enough to roll into balls. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper, and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough to 1/4 inch ovals, pinch one end to make appearance of the face, eye sockets, and nose of a mouse. Gently add two almond slivers just behind eye sockets as in the photo. Place the mice two inches apart on the cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes until light golden brown on bottom edges. Remove from oven, and quickly pierce rear end with tooth pick and insert a 3/4 inch piece of licorice lace for tail. After they cool, pipe eyes and nose using melted chocolate, you may make a parchment or wax paper cone* or use a decorator bag with smallest writing tip.





 
Merry Cheese Cakes

Filling:

16 oz. softened cream cheese
1 tbsp. lemon juice
3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla



Beat all ingredients until fluffy.
In mini muffin pans, place cup-cake liners (silver or holiday ones are very festive). Drop tsp of graham cracker crust mixture into each lined cup, and press down with thumb, then fill 2/3 way full with cheesecake mixture,top tsp. with cherry pie filling..
Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Allow mini cakes to cool, before storing. Keep refrigerated until transported or served.


Crust:



1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers


1/4 cup sugar


1/3 cup butter, melted

In a small bowl, combine the crumbs and sugar; add butter and blend well



Cookie Cutter Sugar Cookies


5 cups all-purpose flour


1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder


1 1/2 teaspoon salt


1 1/2 cups butter, softened to room temperature


2 1/4 cups sugar


4 eggs


1 tablespoon vanilla extract



In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until well blended. Set aside.


In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.


Beat in eggs and vanilla. Scrape down bowl with a rubber spatula.


Stir in the flour mixture until incorporated.


Cover the bowl, and chill the dough for at least one hour (or overnight).


When you are ready to bake the cookies, make sure one of your oven racks is in the center of your oven and preheat oven to 400F degrees.


Line your cookie sheets with silicone liners or parchment paper. Alternatively use ungreased cookie sheets.


Scoop out about 1/3 of the dough onto a lightly floured surface and return the rest of your dough to the refrigerator until you are ready for it.


Roll out dough on floured surface or parchment paper to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick, getting it as even as you can.


Cut into desired shapes with your favorite cookie cutters.


Place cookies 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheets.


Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven for thin cookies and 8 to 10 minutes for thicker cookies.


Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheets before transferring the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

This recipe makes about 4 to 5 dozen sugar cookies, depending on size and shape of the cookie cutter used.

Some tips:




Chill the dough thoroughly, when instructed to do so.


Roll only a portion of the dough at a time and keep the rest in the refrigerator.


If the dough seems sticky, you can roll the dough between parchment paper to avoid sticking.


Roll the dough to an even thickness so your cookies will cook at the same rate.


The thinner you roll the dough the crisper your cookies will be. Thicker dough will result in a softer cookie.


Only place cookie dough on cool cookie sheets.


Dust your cookie cutters with flour between cuttings.


For best results bake your cut out cookies one sheet at a time in the center of your oven.


To decorate, simply sprinkle your sugar cookies with colored sugar before baking.


Plain cookies can be painted using clean good artist or model painting brushes with your favorite sugar icing once baked and cooled.


I have also beaten an egg yolk, separate to make different colors, add food coloring paint unbaked cookie as you like it, then bake. This stains the cookie and adds no extra sugar or changed flavor.

Egg yolk paint:

5 egg yolks
2 tsp. water
Food color

Frosting for painting cookies:



1 egg white, room temperature
1 c. powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
Food coloring

Beat egg white until frothy. Add sugar; beat until stiff. Add cream of tartar until thick. Dilute with food coloring and water. Paint on cookies with paint brush.







Nut Tossies or Nut Cups

1 cup flour
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 lb butter or margarine, softened
1/2 brown sugar, packed
1 egg, beaten
1 cup chopped nuts (pecans or English walnuts)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Mix softened butter and cream cheese. 2. Add flour to butter mixture. 3. Divide into 24 balls. 4. Press into tossie or mini muffin tins. 5. Mix brown sugar, vanilla, and nuts together then add beaten egg, mix well. 6. Fill crust about 3/4 full. 7. Bake for 20 mins until crust is brown.

Delicious Appetizers: I have also used this recipe for delicious appetizers, just make the cups and bake them empty until lightly golden brown about 10 minutes, take out and allow to cool.

Spinach Cream Cheese Filling: Mix one package of cream cheese, with 1/4 cup grated onion, 1 tsp. chopped garlic, 1 box of thoroughly drained and patted dry frozen chopped spinach, pinch of seasoned salt or soul seasoning, and dash of pepper, spoon into cups.

Liverwurst Cream Cheese Filling: Beat one package of cream cheese, with one tube package of Oscar Meyer Liverwurst until smooth, you may add onion if you wish, spoon into cups.

Chudder Filling: Beat one package of cream cheese with one container of Wispride Cheddar Cheese, spoon into cups.