Christmas 2016

This year we are keeping it very simple. Will be making snowball cookies, shortbread cookies, and Christmas crack.

Christmas 2015

This year, we opted for simplicity. We made our usual Snowball cookies using crushed almonds inside, then we added the new three ingredient shortbread cookie, some M&M cookies, and finally a chocolate Hershey kiss Snowball cookies that Nana found several months ago. The shortbread cookies are amazing! And we need to make sure that we can bake them every year. The M&M cookies should not be made with parchment paper underneath them.

Cookie Day 2014

This year's cookies were limited to four: sugar cookies (we used Martha Stewart's recipe), Oreo Truffle Balls, Snowball cookies, and the potato chip cookies. The potato chip cookies were okay, but we probably won't make them again. Nana has decided that we need to go back to buying a tub of premade sugar cookies. Martha's were fine, but not fast. We did not make Chocolate Crack, but because I love Nana, I made it for her the day after.

Thoughts for next year: no kids. Just the female adults and margaritas for Cookie Day.

Pillsbury's Thumbprint Cookies - Daddy's Favorite

Of all the cookies in the world, Daddy's favorite are the Thumbprint Cookies.  He likes them best with fruit preserves.  He could eat a million of them!

Thumbprint Cookies

3 1/2 dzn cookies (unless Jennifer makes the cookies and then it is like 30 cookies)

Ingredients
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup margarine or butter softened
1 tsp vanilla
2 egg yolks
2 1/4 cups All-Purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup jam

1. Beat sugar, margarine, vanilla, and egg yolks until light and fluffy.
2. Gradually add flour and baking powder and mix well.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes for easier handling.
4. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. 
5. Shape dough into 1 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. With thumb, make imprint in the center of each cookie. 
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 11-14 minutes or until light golden brown around edges.
7. Top with jelly and allow to cool completely.

Potato Chip Shortbread Cookies

Carla Kelly shared this recipe on Wendy William's show the other day.  Because I am panicky about it disappearing, I'm recording it here!

Potato Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 cup crushed potato chips
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cup all-purpose flour
Confection sugar for dusting
1 cup chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 deg

Direction:
With a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add 3/4 C of the potato chips and mix until incorporated. Add the vanilla and mix until thoroughly combined. Add the flour and mix until just combined – do not overmix the dough

Use a spoon to scoop small 1-inch balls of dough onto a lightly greased sheet pan, spacing them at least 2 inches apart. Dust each of the cookies with a bit of confectioner sugar, and press flat

Cook for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown, and cool.

Heat the chocolate chips in the microwave or a double boiler until melted, stirring often. Dip each of the cookies in melted chocolate. While the chocolate is still soft, roll the cookies in the remaining crushed potato chips. Allow to set before serving

NOTE: You can mix it up and use pretzels, tortilla chips etc. It’s a spin on the traditional black & white cookie

Cookie Day 2012

Nana and I have decided that we are going to carry on the Cookie Day tradition.  Everyone has gotten super busy, but this is something that we really would like to do.  We planned the day and invited all of the grandchildren to come over whenever they could.

Bianca was he greatest helper today.  I gave her a lot of tasks and she loved being in charge of measuring things and reading the recipes.  Emmy was the perfect snowball cookie powderer and will have that job for the rest of her life! Everyone had a chance to put ingredients into the bowls and some stayed around longer than others, but in the end, it was Bianca, Nana, and me making most of the cookies.

This year, we made:

1. Cranberry Breakfast Cookies (premade dough purchased through Gracie and Lukie's fundraiser)
2. Shortbread Sprinkle Cookies (also from G and L's fundraiser)
3. Snowball Cookies 
4. Mint Chocolate M&Ms cookies (the dough from Nestle's chocolate chip cookies with mint chocolate M&Ms instead of chocolate chips)
5. Chocolate Crack (toffee, peppermint, plain)

We also have sugar cookie dough in the refrigerator for Nana's Christmas Eve Eve Party. We plan to decorate cookies with the kiddos.  Should be fun!

Chocolate Crack

Courtesy of Monica Hernandez

Ingredients:

2 sticks salted butter

1/2 box Graham crackers

1 cup brown sugar

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 10 by 15 cookie sheet with foil and turn up the edges to form sides. Or use a jellyroll pan. Spray foil with Pam or nonstick spray.

Line tray with graham crackers. I used about 1/2 a box of Nabisco Honey Maid. Cover the entire tray even if u have to break crackers to fill sheet.

Melt 2 sticks of salted butter and 1 cup of brown sugar in a sauce pan. Boil on medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir constantly while boiling the sugar and butter. Then spread evenly over the graham crackers. I smoothed mine out with a spatula.

Then slide pan in oven for 10 minutes.

Remove pan from oven and sprinkle 2 cups of semisweet chocolate chips over the top. Give it a minute or two to melt. Then spread chocolate out evenly with a heat resistant spatula or frosting knife.
Slide pan in refrigerator to chill. I let mine chill over night.

When its cool, remove foil from the cookies and break into random size pieces.

Optional: Sprinkle chopped almonds or crushed candy canes over the chocolate before placing tray in fridge.