Rum Balls

Another regular on our Christmas Cookie Trays!



Rum Balls
2 1/2 C crushed Nilla Wafers
1 C powdered sugar (plus some for rolling)
1 C ground nuts (walnuts or pecans)
2 Tbls powdered cocoa
1/4 C rum
3 Tbls corn syrup

Mix all ingredients. Form into 1 inch balls. Roll in powdered sugar. Serve or refrigerate. These freeze really well too!

Variations:
Bourbon Balls - replace rum with bourbon
Coconut Brandy Balls - replace rum with brandy and replace 1 C nuts with 1 C shredded coconut
Orange/Chocolate Balls - replace rum with orange juice and add 2 Tbls grated orange peel

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Crush Nilla Wafers






Add cocoa, powdered sugar and corn syrup.


And rum! (The Captain of course at my house!)


Mix well.. this is a sticky dough!


Roll into 1 inch balls.


Roll in powdered sugar and enjoy!

Thumbprint Cookies

I think these are my favorite Christmas cookies. I'm not big on chocolate, so I tend to avoid the chocolaty cookies. These are buttery and nutty filled with raspberry jam. YUM



Thumbprint Cookies
1 C butter
1/2 C brown sugar
2 eggs (separated)
2 C flour
1 1/2 C chopped nuts
your favorite jam (my favorite is raspberry)

Cream together butter and sugar, add egg yolks and flour.
Chill dough 1 hour or over night. Roll dough into small balls, dip into lightly beaten egg whites, roll in nuts.
When on cookie sheet, press a well in the center of each ball prior to baking.
Bake at 325 degrees for 8 minutes, re-press wells and continue baking another 8 minutes until golden.
Remove from oven. While cookies are still on cookie sheets, fill center with your favorite jam and remove cookies to cool on a wire rack. Using different types of jams, you can make it look like a tray full of jewels.

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Cream together butter and sugar, add egg yolks and flour.

Chill dough 1 hour or over night.


Preheat oven to 325F.

When dough is chilled, roll into small balls






Dip into lightly beaten egg whites


Then roll in chopped nuts


Place on parchment paper lined cookie tray, 1 inch apart.


With your finger or a spoon, gently press a well into the center of each ball.




Bake 8 minutes at 325F. Quickly (and carefully) repress wells in cookies.


Bake 8 more minutes or until cookies are lightly golden; remove from oven. Repress and wells that have risen. While still warm on the tray, fill the wells with your favorite jam/preserves/jelly.




Enjoy!

Peppermint Kisses

These were always on my mom's Christmas Cookie Trays growing up. She calls them Surprise Kisses... but I think lots of people don't necessarily like to be surprised with their food. So I'm calling them Peppermint Kisses. =)



Peppermint Kisses
2 egg whites
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp cream of tarter
1/2 C sugar
1 C chopped nuts (I like walnuts or pecans)
1 handful peppermint hard candies (or candy canes) - crushed

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
In a cold bowl, beat egg whites until stiff, beat in salt and cream of tarter, gradually beat in sugar. Gently fold in chopped nuts and crushed candies.
Drop by spoonfuls onto parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
Bake at 300 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes. Cool on 5 - 10 minutes on tray.

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Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

In a cold bowl, beat egg whites until stiff, beat in salt and cream of tarter, gradually beat in sugar. (this came out so good I wanted to use if for Lemon Meringue Pie!)


I crushed my candy canes with bottom of a glass and wasn't thrilled with the texture (plus the bag was ripping everywhere)




So I tossed them into my Oster Beehive Blender (which I LOVE) and they came out great!


Gently fold in chopped nuts and crushed candies.




Drop by spoonfuls onto parchment paper lined cookie sheet. I can't stress enough, that your cookie sheet MUST be lined with parchment paper. If you try to get these off of an unlined cookie sheet, you'll probably never try to make them again.


Bake at 300 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes. Cool on 5 - 10 minutes on tray.


Finish cooling on wire rack.


Enjoy!

Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

These aren't in my Christmas lineup, but I made them a couple of weeks ago, just because I felt like making cookies. They were a HUGE hit! My husband prefers his cookies crispy & crunchy and these were perfect for him.



I wanted to make cookies. They had to be quick and I needed to have everything on hand. I adapted this from a recipe on allrecipes.com. The original recipe is Best Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie. My cookies are more crispy and my changes are listed below.

2 C flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 C butter, melted
1 C packed brown sugar
1/2 C white sugar
1 TBLS vanilla extract
1 egg
2 C toffee chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325F.
Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the whisked ingredients until just blended. Stir in the toffee chocolate chips. Drop by heaping tablespoon onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets, approx 2 inches apart.
Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly golden.
Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

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Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended.

Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy.


Mix in the whisked ingredients until just blended.


Stir in the toffee chocolate chips. (I always keep these on hand!)




Drop by heaping tablespoon onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets, approx 2 inches apart.


Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly golden.

Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.


Enjoy!!

Swedish Tea Cakes

It's that time of year again! Time to bake Christmas cookies!

I got this recipe from my high school boyfriend's mother. I have since learned that they go by many names... Swedish Tea Cakes, Russian Tea Cakes, Mexican Wedding Cakes. But whatever you call them... they are a delicate delicious cookie that always please. They also happen to be my mom's favorite cookie and she requests them from me often. I hope you like them!



Swedish Tea Cakes
1 C butter (softened)
1/2 C powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 C flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 C ground pecans or almonds
Additional powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 325F degrees.
Cream together, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla blend blend in remaining ingredients.
Form dough into 1 in balls.
Place 1 inch apart on cookie sheet lined with Reynolds Parchment Paper.
Bake 15 - 20 minutes, until set, but not browned.
Cool slightly on cookie sheet and roll in powdered sugar.
Cool completely on wire rack.
When totally cool, roll in powdered sugar again.

These cookies also freeze great. After the first roll in powdered sugar, when cookies are completely cooled, place cookies in a freezer container with a piece of Reynolds Parchment Paper between each layer. That will prevent the cookies from sticking together.

Straight from the freezer, roll the cookies in powdered sugar again and cookies should thaw & be ready to eat in 20 or 30 minutes.

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Ok... I made a double batch to take to mom. I only see her a couple times a year, so she can freeze them and just take out a few at a time.

Put softened butter into a mixing bowl.


Add confectioners sugar


Cream together sugar & butter & vanilla.




Add ground almonds and flour






Roll into 1 inch balls and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, 1 inch apart.


Bake 15 - 20 minutes until set, but not browned.


While still warm, roll in additional powdered sugar.




Cool completely on wire rack.


Roll in powdered sugar again and they're ready to serve!


Enjoy!