Butter BallsMom always called these cookies butter balls, because butter is the main ingredient. That was a nasty little trick she played on me - because when I found her recipe for them, they were labeled "Rolled Pecan Cookies!!
All along I thought I'd lost the recipe!
Its really worth making a double batch of this rolled cookie recipe, as they will not last long once they are out of the oven - sometimes they don't even get to the sugar coating...
These are my second-favorite cookie of all time. They are light, flavorful, and elegant - and they are just right for popping into my mouth!! This is one of the easiest and fastest rolled cookie recipes, and all the cookies will bake at the same time. Best of all, once dusted with the powdered sugar, these little tidbits look like little snow balls!
Ingredients:7 ounces butter (scant cup)
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons confectioner's sugar
2 cups pecans, chopped
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 tablespoon ice water
1/8 teaspoon salt
Cream together the butter and sugar. Blend in flour, salt and liquids. Add pecans, and mix until dough forms a stiff ball that doesn't stick to fingers.
Roll into quarter to walnut-sized balls, and place on a GREASED cookie sheet, flattening the bottom slightly.
These cookies will not expand much, so about ¾ of an inch apart will be fine. Bake at 350° for about 15 minutes, or until just starting to brown. (Bottoms will be much darker - don't over bake!)
Let cookies cool on a rack with just a bit of space between them. Dust with powdered sugar once thoroughly cooled. (If this is done when they are warm, the cookies will absorb most of the sugar, and what is left will get very sticky!!)
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks. Keep cool. (They never last that long at our house - I get to be the one who "stole the cookies from the cookie jar!!"
Ginger Snaps
What would my Christmas Sweets section be without a ginger cookie recipe? I've made these for several years, ever since I found out they are one of the few cookies my husband will actually eat. It is a very old recipe, dating to the late 1800's, and one I used extensively for sales at Civil War events.
This is one of the rolled cookie recipes I have updated, but it has been updated only in method and terminology - otherwise, it is the exact same cookie that our Great-great-great-great grandmother's would have used. And, best of all, it will taste the same because all of the ingredients are essentially the same now as they were then!
So, savor a bit of Christmas history this year, and make some for your family!
Ingredients:
¾ cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
4 tablespoons full flavored molasses
½ cup raisins (optional)
½ cup pecans, chopped (optional)
2 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
Mix all ingredients together thoroughly. Roll into balls and place about 2 inches apart on a GREASED cookie sheet. Press slightly with the bottom of a glass to flatten a bit. Cookies should be about ¼ inch thick.
Bake at 350° for 12 to 15 minutes or until the begin to crack slightly and are golden brown.
A nice step to add to this is to sprinkle with either table sugar or coarse sugar before baking. It gives them a sparkly top, and a bit more crunch.
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Peanut Blossoms
Many of you have heard of this delicious cookie. This is one of my most requested of rolled cookie recipes. Mom made a couple changes to the one you'll find plastered all over the web, and I think they are simply wonderful. She simplified and really brought out the flavors!
A short note - Mom always mixed up cookie dough with her hands, as do I. She passed on before we got cable, but if you watch Paula Dean, you know even the professionals know that there just is no better way!
Ingredients:
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter
½ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup sugar
½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg, unbeaten
Sift the first three ingredients together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, cream together the sugars and butter. Mix in the egg, and then blend in the dry ingredients until there is a thick, smooth batter.
It should be the consistency of ice-cold peanut butter. The dough should not stick too much to the fingers, but will melt slightly in the palm of your hand.
Pinch off sections of dough and roll in your hands to make walnut-sized balls. These cookies will expand to at least double, so place at least 2 inches apart. Press onto a GREASED cookie sheet just slightly to avoid rolling, and bake at 375° for 8 minutes.
Remove from oven, and press an unwrapped Hershey's® chocolate kiss firmly into the center of each cookie. Return to the oven and bake for another 2 to 5 minutes, or until the cracks start to widen and they are golden brown.
These cookies will store for several weeks in an airtight container. However, I do recommend they be kept cold.
If the cookies become stale, simply place a damp paper towel in the container, reseal, and set aside for a few hours.
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Peanut Butter Cookies
Everyone has made these or similar rolled cookie recipes. They have been around forever, and with good reason... they are wonderful!
Nowadays, many of the holiday cooking shows are doing variations of this recipe with sugar sprinkles and all sorts of other goodies added in, but I prefer the plain, old-fashioned peanut butter cookie.
So, with that said, here is the most popular of the rolled cookie recipes from Mom's Christmas Sweets Cookbook:
Ingredients:
2½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 cup butter
½ cup sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
Put all of the ingredients in a very large bowl and mix well. Wash hands, then roll into walnut-sized balls.
Place 3 inches apart on an UNGREASED cookie sheet. With a floured fork, press cookie with a 'criss-cross' pattern.
Bake at 350° for about 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
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SnickerdoodlesThis is another one of my really old rolled cookie recipes. Snickerdoodles have been with us since the late 1700's!! Many historic venues sell these wonderful butter cookies to raise funds. It is a family favorite in this house, and was discovered at Old Bedford Village Historic Site.
When I sold these at events and farmer's markets, I found about half the people I talked to knew what they were, and half didn't. Of those who did, it seems that the recipe was hard to find, and they remembered the cookies from when they were kids.
I always loved talking to people about these cookies - the reaction to them has been absolutely wonderful!
This is surely one of the rolled cookie recipes that deserves a center spot on your holiday table. Bring a little nostalgia, and a bit of holiday flavor back from cobwebs, and enjoy!
Ingredients:4½ cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1½ cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon cream of tartar
1½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Mix all dough ingredients together and roll into walnut-sized balls. Roll the balls in the cinnamon & sugar mixture.
Place balls about 2 inches apart on a GREASED cookie sheet, and flatten with a glass. Bake at 350° for 12 to 15 minutes, or until nicely golden brown.
A nice touch to add to this rolled cookie recipe is to replace the sugar in the cinnamon & sugar mixture with green or red holiday sugar. I usually do some of each color - makes for a very festive cookie tray!
