Christmas Cookie Bake!

Almond blossoms (with kisses) (recipe below)
Spitz cookies (recipe below)
Swedish Butter cookies w jelly (recipe below)
Coconut Macaroons
Chocolate Chip Tea Cakes (recipe below)
Kringla



Almond Blossoms

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 3 cups flour
• Sugar
• Almond Hershey kisses, peeled

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer.  Beat in egg and almond extract.  Add flour, one cup at a time, mixing after each addition.  The dough will be stiff; blend last flour in by hand.  Do not chill dough.  Roll dough into smooth 1 inch balls and roll in additional sugar.

Bake for 10 minutes.  Press one kiss into each cookie, and return to oven for 2-3 more minutes.


SPRITZ COOKIES

• 1 1/2 C. butter (3 sticks), softened
• 4 C. flour
• 1 C. sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. almond flavoring
• 1 egg
• 2 T. milk
• (OPTIONAL) food coloring, colored sugar or chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cream butter and sugar till fluffy;
Add flavorings, egg, and milk and stir till well mixed.  If you wish to color the dough, add color now and mix well.  Sift or mix flour and baking powder together, then add to dough (this is more easily done in two or three parts), Mix with hands if necessary. (Dough will be very stiff).Push dough into spritzer gun and press shapes onto ungreased cookie sheet. You can press decorations into the cookies before baking.

Bake at 400 degrees for 6 minutes, no longer!

Swedish Butter Cookies x2
Sift: 

• 2 c. flour
• 2/3 c. sugar
• ½ t. baking powder

Blend in to form a soft dough:

• ¾ c. soft butter
• 1 egg
• 2 t. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.

Divide into 4 parts.  Shape, on a floured board, into rolls 13” long, ¾” thick. Place onto ungreased baking sheets, 4” apart, 2” from edge. Make a depression, ¼” deep, lengthwise down the center of each with a knife handle.  Fill depressions with red jelly or jam (approx. 1/3 cup in all).

Bake at 350, 15-20 minutes. Cut into bars while warm.  Cool on rack.

Coconut Macaroons x3 recipe online

• 42 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
• 42 ounces sweetened condensed milk
• 3 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 6 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Combine the coconut, condensed milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whip the egg whites and salt on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until they make medium-firm peaks. Carefully fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture.

Drop the batter onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper using either a 1 3/4-inch diameter ice cream scoop, or 2 teaspoons. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and serve

Chocolate Chip Tea Cakes (x2 Cheryl's recipe)

• 2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sifted powdered sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 4 cups flour
• 1 1/3 cup finely chopped nuts (I use pecans)
• 4 cups chocolate chips (I use minis)

Preheat oven to 350.

Beat butter and powdered sugar in large bowl until creamy.  Beat in vanilla.  Gradually beat in flour and nuts.  Stir in 1 ½ cups chocolate chips.  Roll dough into 1-inch balls; place on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes or until set and light golden brown on bottom.  Cool for 2 minutes on baking sheets; transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Microwave remaining chocolate chips in a heavy plastic bag for 30 seconds; knead.  Microwave at additional 10-20 second intervals, kneading until smooth.  Cut tiny corner from bag; squeeze to drizzle over cookies.   Chill cookies for about 5 minutes or until chocolate is set.  Store at room temperature in airtight containers.

OR To make reindeer-shaped cookies, before cookies, pinch the bottom of the ball slightly to form a point, then gently flatten with your hand. Once they come out of the oven, press two mini pretzels into the tops of the cookies for the reindeer’s antlers. Press two mini brown M&Ms in for the eyes and one red M&M for the nose (or any other color… some of mine ended up with green noses. They might be South Pole reindeer.).

Kringla

• 1 ¼ stick Margarine
• 1 ¼ c. sugar … cream these 2 ingredients together
• 1 egg -  add  and beat well
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• ½ tsp pure almond flavoring….add these 2 ingredients
• 1 c. buttermilk – add  - can alternately add with the following dry ingredients:
• 3 ½ c. flour
• 2 ½ tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. soda
• ¼ tsp. salt…..mix well

Preheat oven to 400. 

Chill the dough overnight, or several  hours in the frig.  Or, in the freezer for a few hours.

Take out a small amount of dough, e.g. in a fruit dish,  at a time.  Last time, I kept the dough in 3 smaller Tupperware bowls in the freezer (watched, so not frozen).  It has to be cold.

Take about a rounded tsp. full of dough, and roll it out on a floured board, the shape and size of a pencil.  Shape into a figure 8.  Transfer to cooky sheet, lightly greased. 

Bake at 400 degrees about 10-11 minutes.

Bob’s  mother taught me to put them in a the large Tupperware bowl, as I take them out of the oven, and separate them with towels, then cover tightly, to keep them moist, as they cool.

When storing them in a tight container, I put waxed paper between the layers.

Ingredients

• 5 1/4 c. soft butter (10.5 sticks)
• 1 ¼ stick margarine
• 10 eggs (4 eggs; 6 extra-large egg whites)
• 2 T. milk
• 1 cup buttermilk or sour milk (see note)
• 13.5 cups flour
• 4 c. sugar
• 1 cup sifted powdered sugar
• 9 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 42 ounces sweetened condensed milk [check]
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tsp. almond flavoring
• 42 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
• 1 1/3 cup finely chopped nuts (I use pecans)
• 4 cups chocolate chips (I use minis)
• Almond Hershey kisses, peeled

Costco shopping list

• 5 1/4 c. soft butter (10.5 sticks)
• 10 eggs (4 eggs; 6 extra-large egg whites)
• 13.5 cups flour
• 28 ounces sweetened condensed milk
• 34 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
• Olive oil
• Trash bags
• Dishwasher detergent 
• Beer (if they have good stuff) 

Other Shopping List

• 1 ¼ stick margarine
• 1 cup buttermilk or sour milk (see note)
• 4 c. sugar
• 9 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 4 cups chocolate chips (I use minis)
• Almond Hershey kisses, peeled
• 28 ounces sweetened condensed milk (if not Costco)
• 34 ounces sweetened shredded coconut (if not Costco)