Tag: xmas

XMAS Cookies II ~ Sugar Cookies

On By lukephillaryhIn ClassicoLeave a comment
Christmas sugar cookies
Classic cookies, just in time for Xmas

Jam cookies are a traditional Christmas cookie for Luke’s family, passed down from his Baka (i.e. Croatian grandmother) to his mother and now to us. The other cookies you will likely find at Luke’s home during the holidays (according to Luke): the “half moons,” the “cutouts,” and the “chocolate ones.” In my household, the cookies have bit more specific names. In addition to the ubiquitous cutout cookies, we also make gingersnaps, wonder bars, and sugar cookies. Sugar cookies is a vaguer name. It probably brings to mind those frosted cookies you find in every single supermarket. That’s what Luke initially thought we were making when I suggested baking sugar cookies. Fortunately, my mother’s sugar cookies are of a different variety. These classic crowdpleasers are easy to make, festive for holiday parties and office potlucks, and are a perfect 12:01am Christmas Eve snack.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 lb unsalted butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup vegetable or canola oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 4 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cream of tartar (or 2 tsp lemon juice)
  • Red + green sugar sprinkles

Directions:

  1. Cream together butter and sugar, until pale and a bit fluffy.  Add eggs and beat.  Add remaining ingredients – oil, salt, vanilla, flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar.  Mix together until smooth.  Chill overnight or for several hours.
  2. After chilled, remove dough from fridge and preheat oven to 325°F.
  3. Roll dough into small balls (a bit smaller than golf ball size) and put on a cookie sheet, evenly spaced.
  4. Prepare to small plates with sprinkles – 1 green, 1 red.  Dip the bottom of a circular glass into sugar then use to flatten dough balls down.
  5. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until light brown at the edges.

Details: Makes about 3 dozen cookies

To print the recipe, click here: Sugar Cookies

Jam Cookies for XMAS

On By lukephillaryhIn Classico1 Comment

 

Jam cookies Christmas
~ * ~* * Little Jewels ~ * ~* *

Impress your friends and Instagram followers with these jam cookies, or as they’re formally referred to, Linzer cookies. Post a pic of a platter of these beauties on your Insta and you’ll have people thinking you’re the millennial Martha Stewart (pro tip: they look even better with a sprinkling of powder sugar). They require some concentration and patience to make, but are simpler than you may think. Just make sure you have the proper tools and plenty of jams for an assortment of colors. With these cookies you’ll be celebrating XMAS in style!

Ingredients:

  • 6 TBS unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • a variety of jams + powdered sugar (the latter is optional)

Directions:

  1. In a medium sized bowl, cream together butter and sugar until pale then beat in egg and vanilla.
  2. In another bowl, mix together dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt). Add the dry ingredients to the butter and eggs, mixing in the dry in three batches. It’s ok if the dough is a wee bit crumbly, better crumbly than sticky.  You can add more flour (sparingly) if too sticky.
  3. Divide the dough into two balls and then flatten the balls into disks.  Wrap the disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
  4. Meanwhile…Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper (or use non-stick sheets). Prepare a lightly floured surface to roll out dough.
  5. Take one dough disk, place on your floured surface and roll out.  You are aiming for an even 1/4 inch thickness. Use your Linzer cookie cutters to cut the bottom circles.  Collect the remaining scraps of dough, re-roll, and cut out more bottom circles.  You’re aiming to make around 25 bottoms.  Transfer to your baking sheet as you go along.  Once you’ve sufficiently used up your first disk of dough, bake the bottoms for 8-10 minutes, until the edges begin to brown.
  6. Repeat the above with your second disk, this time using the Linzer cookie cutters with the cut-out shapes to make the top circles.*
  7. When the tops and bottoms are cool, assemble!  Take your circle cookies (these have no cut out shape) and spread jam (a little more than 1/2 tsp) on the bottom of the cookie (the “bottom” is the smoother, more even underside of the cookie).  Then, take the circle cut-out cookies and gently place on top.
  8. Dress with powdered sugar or not – they’ll look beautiful either way. Enjoy with a cup of tea and make sure to snap a pic.

Details: Makes about 2 dozen cookies

*Note 1: Luke and I find that dipping our Linzer cookie cutters in flour makes it easier to keep the cut-out shapes intact.

*Note 2: If you don’t have or don’t want to buy special Linzer cookie cutters, you can use different sized circle cookie cutters.  A 3-inch circle cookie cutter can be used for the bottom and you can use a 3-inch and 1-inch cookie cutter to create the cut-out top.  You’ll have lack the variety of shapes, but still have very classy cookies.

To print the recipe, click here: Jam Cookies