On the Third Day of Christmas, My Mom Gave to Me...

awesome recipes for our Christmas cook-ies!

I remember my mom baking Christmas cookies for DAYS when I was younger.  She'd bake enough trays for almost everyone in the neighborhood. Spritz, candy canes, Russian tea cakes, peanut butter blossoms...plates and plates of cookies.  All of them wonderfully delicious, even for a kid who really wasn't a sweets fan. (That's me).


The spritz cookies have always been my favorites; wreaths dotted with maraschino cherries in the middle, Christmas trees, camels, logs with chocolate dipped in nuts on each end and pinwheel swirls all decorated with sprinkles.  My mom uses the cookie press she received as a wedding present in the late '60s.  I always loved finding the right amount of twist to give the press to make the cookies come out just right.  I never thought the new cookie presses with the "trigger" would get it quite right.  I was delighted to find an authentic old-school, twist cookie press at an estate sale over 10 years ago in MINT condition, which included two disks my mom's doesn't. (I also love that cookie is spelled "cooky" in the old school stuff!) So now when we have "Cookie Day" at my house, my mom and I are double barreled spritz makers!

SPRITZ COOKIE RECIPE

Snowflake/Starburst cookie die.
Dough dyed with blue food coloring.
Edible white pearls for deco.
Move over, Martha Stewart!

*Taken directly from my Mirro Cooky Press recipe booklet*
1 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 1/4 cup sifted flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
*various food colorings*

Pre-heat oven to 375*

1. Cream the butter using a stand mixer, or hand mixer. 2. Gradually add sugar and cream well. 3. Beat in egg and extract. 4. Gradually add the flour, sifted with the salt and baking powder. 4a. At this point, if you plan on dividing and/or coloring dough, do it now. 5.  Spoon dough into cookie press and squeeze dough out on cookie sheets.
6. Decorate cookies with sprinkles, edible balls, etc.
7. Bake in oven for 10-12 mins, or edges of cookies just begin to brown.

These are the infamous candy cane cookies,
passed down to my mom from
my grandma.  They are PITA to make,
but so worth it. Delicious!!

                                       

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