I am very behind on blogging. We did this a few years ago, but we all made a bunch of different kinds of cookies and then put together plates for our neighbors using each others' cookies, so we had an amazing variety of cookies.
Here are the cookie recipes we used!
Biscotti
Ingredients:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup white sugar
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon anise extract, or 3 drops anise oil
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, beat together the oil, eggs, sugar, and anise flavoring until well blended. Combine the flour and baking powder, stir into the egg mixture to form a heavy dough. Divide dough into two pieces. Form each piece into a roll as long as your cookie sheet. Place roll onto the prepared cookie sheet, and press down to 1/2 inch thickness.
Bake for 25-30 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Remove from the baking sheet to cool on a wire rack. When the cookies are cool enough to handle, slice each one crosswise into 1/2 inch slices. Place the slices cut side up back onto the baking sheet. Bake for an additional 6-10 minutes on each side. Slices should be lightly toasted.
Source: Allrecipes, recipe by JANDEE. You can find it here.
Notes: You can substitute almond flavoring for the anise extract, if you prefer. Your rectangles should be about 4" wide and about 1/2" thick.
Watch cookies carefully, it may take less than 25 minutes to bake, depending on your oven. Remove the cookies when they are a nice golden brown color.
Do not let the cookies cool completely before slicing them. Slice them while still warm with a pizza cutter.
Peppermint Pinwheels
Ingredients:
1 cup salted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Red food coloring paste or gel
Directions:
Beat butter with a heavy-duty stand mixer on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add egg and extracts, beating until combined.
Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Gradually add to butter mixture, beating on low speed just until blended.
Divide dough in half; add desired amount of red food coloring to 1 portion, and knead until color is distributed. Shapre dough halves into disks; wrap in plastic wrap, and chill until firm, about 1 hour.
Divide each half of dough into 2 equal portions. Roll out each portion on floured wax paper into an 8-inch square, trimming edges, if necessary.
Invert 1 white dough square onto 1 red dough square; peel wax paper from white dough. Tightly roll up dough, jelly-roll fashion, peeling wax paper from red dough as you roll. Repeat with remaining dough squares. Wrap rolls in plastic wrap, and chill 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove dough from refrigerator, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices; place slices 2 inches apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. (Keep unbaked dough chilled while baking cookies.)
Bake, in batches, in preheated oven until bottoms are lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove cookies from pans to wire racks, and cool completely.
Source: Southern Living, recipe by Iain Bagwell. You can find it here.
Peppermint Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients:
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Andes peppermint crunch baking chips (or crushed peppermint candies)
Directions:
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Gradually add flour and mix on low until combined. Add Andes baking chips and continue mixing on low until fully combined.
On wax paper or parchment paper, form into a 12- to 14-inch log and freeze at lease 30 minutes, or until firm.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the shortbread dough into 1/4-inch slices and bake for 13-15 minutes on parchment lined baking sheets.
Note: if you freeze the dough for longer than 30 minutes, you may have to let it sit out at room temperature until it thaws slightly before you are able to slice it.
Source: Rachel Cooks. You can find it here.
Citrus Cornmeal Shortbread
Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons orange zest
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon coarse salt
Directions:
Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla and zest. Mix until combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low. Add flour, 2 tablespoons cornmeal, and salt; mix until well combined, about 3 minutes. Halve dough; shape each into log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 300 dwegrees. Place remaining 1/4 cup cornmeal on a sheet of parchment paper. Roll log in cornmeal to coat. Cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds, and space them 1 inch apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake until pale golden, 25-30 minutes. Cool on sheet on a wire rack.
Source: Martha Stewart Living. You can find it here.
Notes: Pay no attention to the low reviews on the Martha Stewart website. I swear she has people trolling her. This is a great recipe and does not deserve the low rating it has.
Susan's Italian Cookies
Ingredients:
Cookies:
4 eggs
3/4 cup canola oil
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon or anise extract
4 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
4 cups flour
Frosting:
3 tbsp butter, melted and cooled
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
Milk, as needed
Colored sprinkles and or colored sugar
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Beat together the eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla, and lemon or anise extract.
Mix in the baking powder, salt, and flour until well combined.
Roll dough into 1" galls and place about 2 inches apart on parchment lined cookie sheets.
Bake 9-11 minutes (cookies should not brown).
Place on wire rack to cool.
Make frosting. Whisk together the butter and vanilla and then whisk in enough confectioners sugar to make a frosting. Add about a tablespoon of milk at a time until you get a good consistency for drizzling.
Drizzle frosting over cookies and immediately sprinkle with colored sugar or sprinkles. Leave until frosting sets.
Source: The View from Great Island. You can find it here.
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