Easy Christmas Cookie Recipes - One Recipe with Many Variations

Easy Christmas Cookie Recipes - One Recipe with Many Variations

There are so many Christmas cookie recipes around but often so diminutive time to bake during the busy holiday season.

The solution? A grand tasting basic cookie recipe that rapid and easily turns into such a variety of easy to gain Christmas treats, friends and family will assume you poured over all your popular Christmas cookie recipes.

Let's initiate with the basics.

Basic Cookie Dough Recipe

1/2 cup (or 1 stick) butter (or margarine) at room temperature

1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 great egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

In a substantial bowl, combine all the ingredients except the flour. Beat with an electric mixer, scraping the sides of the bowl several times, until the mixture is light and fluffy. With mixer at a shameful race, add the flour gradually, beating impartial until everything is well blended.

space the mixture on a baking sheet using a tablespoon measure and press down with a spoon to flatten a bit. Or roll our and slice into shapes with a cookie cutter. Bake at 350ºF for about 12 to 15 minutes, until golden.

This basic cookie mixture is also the defective for the following cookie recipes (all baked in a preheated oven at 350ºF) .

Orange Cookies

(Makes about 32)

Add 1 tablespoon of grated orange zest to the recipe. Shape into a log that is about 1 1/2" in diameter and refrigerate for 4 hours.

lop dough into 1/4" thick slices. region on cookie sheet. Cookies can be decorated with candies, rolled in colored sugar, or slash into radiant holiday shapes before baking. Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned.

Cherry Coconut Chocolate Squares

(Makes about 54 squares)

In addition to the basic dough you will need:

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3 great eggs

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3 cups flaked coconut

1/2 cup maraschino cherries, well drained and coarsely chopped

Line a 13"x9" baking pan with foil.

spin cocoa powder into basic dough mixture. Press evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the crust looks dry.

In a medium bowl paddle together eggs, sugar, almond extract and baking powder until well blended. swagger in coconut and cherries. Pour over the baked crust.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until top unprejudiced begins to brown and a toothpick inserted arrive the center comes out well-kept. chilly in the pan on a wire rack. seize it out on to a cutting board using the foil ends and reduce into 1 1/2" squares. Squares can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Coconut Pineapple Cookies

(Makes about 36)

In addition to the basic dough you will need:

1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

1/3 cup pineapple preserves (expend raspberry or apricot if you assume)

Add 1 cup of the flaked coconut to the basic dough mixture and mix well. Shape the dough into 1 1/2" balls and roll in the remaining coconut to coat them. dwelling the balls 1" apart on lightly greased cookie sheets. execute a deep indentation in the center of each cookie with your fingertip.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until the cookie is firm and the coconut is lightly toasted. When cooled, possess each hole in the center of the cookies with the preserves.

You can vary this basic dough to compose a wide variety of Christmas cookie recipes. Add other flavorings like maple, ginger or cinnamon. Add chopped dried fruits like apricots or dates. Or bake them unimaginative in holiday shapes and decorate with colored icing.

Christmas is such a astonishing time of year. Here's hoping these fleet and easy Christmas cookie recipes relieve support the pressure off the cook.