Share your favorite cookie recipes for the holidays here!

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Permalink Reply by Jessie Voigts on November 29, 2008 at 9:06am

Here's a recipe for Venetians, a gloriously colored layer cookie that is sort of like a mini-cake, or a petit fours. My mom has made them for years, and they are *everyone's* favorites!

Venetians
8 oz almond paste
3 sticks soft butter
1 c sugar
4 eggs, separated
1 T almond extract
2 c flour
1/4 t salt
apricot jam
6 oz chocolate chips (dark if you love them)

Beat together the almond paste, almond extract, butter, sugar, flour, and egg yolks - for about 5 minutes. add in the salt, mix it up.

Separately beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, then fold into batter.

Separate dough into 3 equal amounts (appx 1.5 cups each). add ten drops of green food coloring to one; 8 drops of red to another; leave the 3rd dough plain.

spread each dough into a separate well-greased and wax-papered 13x9"pan. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes (cakes are very thin, only about 1/4" thick). Cool enough to handle easily. When cool enough, turn out green layer long enough to remove wax paper, and return to the pan. Spread green layer with warmed apricot jam. slide yellow (plain) layer on top, and remove wax paper. spread more warm jam on this layer. Top the other layers with the pink layer, remove the wax paper. press from the top with some kind of gentle weight, overnight. We use a cutting board and several cans. Refrigerate overnight.

The next day, melt the chocolate and spread evenly atop the pink layer. Let dry, and cut into small squares. Let mellow in a cookie tin for a few days - IF YOU CAN! - the flavor improves with age.

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Permalink Reply by Jessie Voigts on December 13, 2008 at 4:10pm

Here's a recipe for very easy Coconut Fingers - my dad makes these every year, as a quadruple batch!! and, they are all gone at the end of the holidays. they are perfect for little helpers to make, too!

Coconut Fingers
preheat oven to 300.

1/2 c butter
1/2 c chopped pecans
1/2 c sweetened flaked coconut
1 c flour
1 t vanilla
2 T pwd sugar

soften butter and mix all together by hand. shape pieces of dough by hand about the size of a finger - grab a chunk of dough and close your hand, making it a finger shape. roll smooth.

place on ungreased cookie sheet - they will NOT expand much - and bake at 300 degrees for 45 min or until very lightly browned.

cool, then roll in additional powdered sugar. store in a cookie tin or sealed container. watch them disappear quickly!

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Permalink Reply by Jessie Voigts on December 13, 2008 at 4:14pm

Here's another very easy recipe, this is a bar cookie - Rocky Road Squares!

12 oz chocolate chips (i love dark)
1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
2 T butter
2 c dry roasted peanuts
1 10.5 oz pkg mini marshmallows

melt the chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and butter very carefully in a large bowl in the microwave, or in a double boiler atop the stove.

in a separate bowl, combine the nuts and marshmallows. fold in the melted chocolate mixture. spread in a wax-paper-lined 13x9 pan. chill, pop out, remove the waxed paper, and cut into squares. store in a cookie tin or covered container.

additions: different mixed nuts. dried cranberries (craisins). candied ginger. shredded coconut. make it how you like it!

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Permalink Reply by Cindy Schultz on December 13, 2008 at 4:34pm

Toffee Bars
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup all purpose flour
1 14oz can (1 1/4 cups) sweetened condensed milk
2 TBS margarine or butter
2 tsp vanilla
6oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees
* In a mixing bowl beat the 1/2 cup of margarine or butter, sugar, and salt with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until thoroughly combined.
* Stir in flour.
* Press into the bottom of an ungreased 13x9x2 inch baking pan.
* Bake in a 350 degree oven about 15 minutes or until edges are slightly brown

* In a medium saucepan heat the sweetened condensed milk and the 2TBS margarine or butter over medium heat till bubbly, stirring constantly. Continue to cook and stir for 5 minutes more (mixture will thicken and become smooth).
* Stir in the 2 tsp vanilla
* Spread over baked layer
* Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden

* Sprinkle chocolate chips over the cookie immediately after removing from the oven. Let stand 2-3 minutes or until softened.
* Spread evenly over top
* Cool, chill 5-10 minutes until chocolate is set.
* Cut into bars

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Permalink Reply by Sandie Garrett on December 28, 2008 at 5:32pm

My Gram's Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup peanut butter
2 eggs
1-1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2-1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Form into ball and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Press down with fork to flatten. Bake 15 minutes at 375.

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Permalink Reply by Jessie Voigts on December 29, 2008 at 9:36am

oh, sandie - these sound yummy! thank you!

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