As I promised last week, I'm going to be sharing my Christmas cookie recipes for my Carnival of the Recipes posts. Every year I try one or two new recipes. There are also some recipes that I will make once every few years. They're all good recipes but I can't make them all every year so I select the ones that will balance out the rest of my choices. (I try to get an assortment of types - bar, shaped, drop, rolled - and flavors.)
There are also some recipes that I make every year. The first two of these are Childhood Thumbprint Cookies and Forgotten Cookies. Not only are these two of my family's favorites, they also work well together because one recipe uses two egg yolks and the other recipe uses two egg whites. The thumbprint cookies are a shortbread-like cookie filled with fudge. The forgotten cookies are chocolate chip filled meringue cookies that I make at the end of the day since they need to sit in a warm oven overnight.
This recipe came from Southern Living magazine, December 1985.
1 c. butter
2/3 c. sugar
2 egg yolks
1/2 t. vanilla extract
2 1/4 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
Cream butter; gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla.
Combine flour and salt; add to creamed mixture, mixing well. Chill.
Roll dough into 1" balls; place balls about 2" apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Press thumb in each ball of dough, leaving an indentation. Bake at 300 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes; do not brown. Allow to cool on wire racks. Place about 1/2 t. chocolate frosting in each cookie indentation.
Chocolate Frosting:
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. cocoa
1/4 c. milk
1/4 c. butter
1/2 t. vanilla extract
Combine sugar, cocoa, and milk in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, and boil 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla. Beat until mixture is of spreading consistency.
I won a ribbon at the Kentucky State Fair one year with this recipe.
2 egg whites
pinch of salt
2/3 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
1 c. mini chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat egg whites until foamy. Add salt and continue beating until they stand in soft peaks. Gradually add sugar, beating thoroughly until mixture form stiff peaks.
Sprinkle vanilla and chocolate chips over the top; fold in.
Drop by small teaspoons onto lightly buttered cookie sheet (or cover cookie sheet with parchment). The cookies may be close together since they will not spread.
Place in hot oven and turn the oven off immediately. Let the cookies dry overnight in the oven.
Posted by marybeth at November 17, 2004 09:48 AM Christmas Cookies , Food