Mundie Moms

Sunday, December 24, 2017

Mundie Moms 2017 Favorites: HOLIDAY COOKIE RECIPES #MMs17Favs


Happy Christmas Eve! It's our favorite time of the year. Our yearly MUNDIE MOMS FAVORITES COUNTDOWN has begun. We've already shared a few of our posts here, and will be having a week full of favorite posts starting on 12/26 and wrapping up on 12/31. One of the favorites lists we wanted to share with you is our Favorite Holiday Recipes. If you're scrambling for some last minute holiday cookie recipes, we've got two for you today. 


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Sophie's Favorite Holiday Cookie Recipe

I specialize in stress baking. The holidays bring on so much of both -- stress and baking -- that I don't come up for air until the last cookie platter is delivered. Thirteen years ago, we moved away from our family, and we started a tradition of bringing a plate of cookies to our neighbors and friends. Last year, I baked 22 varieties of cookies. Yeah, it's gotten out of hand. I'm going to streamline it all somehow this year. Or at least that's what I'm telling myself.

A cookie that has to make the platter every year is one that has many names -- Russian Tea Cakes, Mexican Wedding Cookies, Snowballs. In my house, we call them Baka's cookies. "Baka" means granny in Serbian, and these were always included my Mama's many Christmas Eve parties. 

The recipe is super simple. But, remember to roll the cookies in sugar twice, so they're picture perfect. 



BAKA'S CHRISTMAS COOKIES

1 cup butter, softened
 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla (no artificial vanilla, get the good stuff)
2 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts (powder fine!)
1/4 tsp salt
powdered sugar for coating

1. Heat oven to 400F.
2. Mix butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and the vanilla in a large bowl. Stir in flour, nuts and salt until dough holds together. 
3. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. 
4. Bake 10-12 minutes until set but not brown. Remove from cookie sheet. Cool slightly on wire rack. 
5. Roll warm cookies in powdered sugar, cool on wire rack. Roll in powdered sugar again. 

Katie's Favorite Holiday Cookie Recipe

This is our favorite holiday cookie making recipe. We make it every year, and have done so since my kids were little. This is the kind of recipe that calls for cookie cutters (the metal ones work best), and plenty of things to decorate the cookies with. This recipe is an old school, traditional sugar cookie/cookie decorating recipe. I found it years ago on the back of a Wilton metal cookie cutter package, I purchased. It is the best recipe out there. It beats the one I used to use, which had me refrigerating the cookie dough for an hour or more. It's also great to use if you have kids. Mine loved picking out the cookie cutters, and cutting out their shapes in the dough and then decorating them after they baked. 

Roll-Out Cookies:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat over to 400 degrees
2. In a mixing bowl; cream butter with sugar until light and fluffy
3. Beat egg and extracts into mixture.
4. Mix flower, baking powers and salt in a separate bowl, add to the butter mixture 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition 
5. Do not chill; divide dough into 2 balls. 
6. On a flour surface roll each ball into a circle approximately 12 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch thick. 
7. Dip cookie cutters into flour, and press into dough. 
8. Make cookies on uncreased cookie sheet for 6-7 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned.
9. Cool before decorating

Makes about 2 dozen cookies 

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We're wishing all who celebrate a very Merry Christmas & a Happy Holiday season! We hope you have a wonderful holiday time. 

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