Tis’ the Season to be baking….

Fa la la la la la, la la la la!

Something about this time of year, I get the uncontrollable urge to don an apron, blast some Bing Crosby, and bake cookies until I drop.  It’s usually the most daylight my mixing bowls have seen in a year.  Birthdays? Heck you’ll get a store bought cake from me (or if I’m feeling ambitious a cake made from a box mix) - but Christmas cookies… now those they just can’t make right in the store-bought versions.   I must have the home-made!  Now because my husband and I could (re-phrase “should”) only eat a dozen or so, every year I satisfy my baking pangs by making several dozen for he and his fellow workers at the car dealership where he works.  This past Sunday was my designated “Cookie Day”, and just last night, the three full boxes I sent with him Monday morning came back empty.  Evidently tis’ also the season for eating.  Here’s three of my favorite recipes, enjoy!

Jam Thumbprints and Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

For the Thumbprints:

3/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup white sugar

2 egg yolks

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup fruit preserves (I like apricot and raspberry)

Preheat the oven to 375.  In a medium bowl, cream the butter, white sugar, and egg yolks.  Mix in the flour a little bit at a time until a soft dough forms (if it seems too soft, refrigerate for 15 minutes or so).  Roll into 1 inch balls, and place them about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet (or cover the baking sheet in parchment paper, works great).  Make a well in the center of each cookie with your thumb (or I use a melon baller) and fill with 1/2 teaspoon of preserves*.  Bake for 8-10 minutes in the pre-heated oven or until golden brown on the bottom.  Remove from cookie sheets and cool on wire racks.  This recipe makes just about 36 cookies.

*A little tip:  To fill the cookies, I spoon the preserves into a Ziploc baggie, and cut off just the tiniest tip of one corner.  Then I use it as a make-shift pastry bag, squeezing just a bit into the center of each cookie.  It will melt and spread as they bake.

For the Peanut Butter Cup Cookies:

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter (reduced fat works fine – pretend they’re better for you that way)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons milk

40 miniature peanut butter cups, unwrapped

Preheat the oven to 375.  Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.  Cream together the butter, white sugar, peanut butter, and brown sugar until fluffy.  Then beat in the egg, vanilla, and milk.  Add the flour mixture and mix well.  Shape into 40 balls and place each into one cup of a mini muffin pan.  (If you don’t have a mini-muffin pan, this recipe is well worth the $15 to pick one up, even if you use it only once per year as I do – I promise).  Bake at 375 for about 8 minutes.  Remove from oven and immediately press an unwrapped mini peanut butter cup into each ball.  cool, and carefully remove from pan. 

Russian Tea Cakes

1 cup butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup chopped walnuts (finely)

1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar for decoration

(nope – no eggs!)

Preheat the oven to 350.  In a medium bowl, cream butter and vanilla until smooth.  Combine the 6 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar and flour, and stir into the butter mixture until just blended.  Mix in the chopped walnuts.  Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place them about two inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet (or parchment paper covered).  Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven.  When cool, roll in remaining confectioner’s sugar as many times as you dare.  This makes about 36 cookies, I’ve doubled all the ingredients at once and had no problems.