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Our Christmas Cookies (Lots of Pictures!)

13 years ago

Hi everyone,

Mom and I baked our Christmas cookies this afternoon/evening. We made 4 kinds with a total of 20 dozen cookies! Here are the pictures of the varieties in order: sugar (a family member's recipe), peanut butter, M%M and white chocolate chip (M&M and white chocolate cookies use the same batter recipe).

Sugar cookies (walkthrough)

Batter

Before baking

With colored sugar

After baking

Now the peanut butter cookies!

This picture I took looking through the glass in the oven.

M&M Cookies :)

We added more M&Ms to the top after they were baked.

White chocolate chip (my personal favorite)

The tin we made for my sister.

Enjoy! I'll be happy to share recipes!

Brad AKA Moonwolf

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Comments (22)

lindac
13 years ago
Looks yummy....I wish i had that much baking done!
Linda C
arabellamiller
13 years ago
Wow, those look great. You have inspired me to make some chocolate chip cookies!

AM
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This is a dessert rather than a cookie recipe but it's full of fruit and fiber. It's originally a low sugar diet recipe but you can use real sugar and butter in place of the substitutes that I used, although it's healthier in the original version. It's really good! PLUM CRUMBLE 750 grams (1 1/3 lbs) plums, halved 1 TBS sugar substitute 1 TBS cornflour 1/2 teasp ground ginger 1/2 teasp ground cinnamon TOPPING: 2/3 cup (75 grams) or (3 oz) jumbo porridge oats (not instant or quick cook oats) 1/2 cup (60 grams) or (2.5 oz) wholemeal flour * 8 TBS sugar substitute 1/4 cup (30 grams) or (1 oz) chopped almonds or pecans 4 1/2 TBS (60 grams) or (2.5 oz) soft margarine, non-hydrogenated** 1 teasp grated orange zest 1/2 teasp ground cinnamon 1/4 teasp ground cardamom 1. Preheat the oven to 350F. 2. Put the plums in a bowl with the sugar substitute, cornflour, ginger and cinnamon, mix together and arrange evenly in a deep 9-inch (23 cm) pie plate 3. Topping: - Combine the oats, flour, sugar substitute, almonds, margarine, orange zest, cinnamon and cardamon in a bowl. Using your fingers, rub the ingredients together until the mixture forms a crumbly dough. 4. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the fruit mixture and bake for 35 - 40 minutes or until the topping is golden and the fruit mixture is bubbling. Source: Adapted from Rick Gallop's GI Diet Green Light Cookbook My Comments: *whole wheat flour including the bran. ** although I never otherwise use margarine, I understand that some of the modern light and non-hydrogenated margarines are ok on this diet and better for you than butter. I am using wholegrain spelt flour at the moment for baking Â it contains the bran. This was another surprisingly delicious, easy dessert! I used 6 large, dark purple plums, each one about the size of a small egg. When halved they sat cut side upwards in rows in a casserole dish. I used Becel margarine, thinking it was a good diet choice but afterwards noticed Â printed in German in very small letters - that it was not recommended for use in baking. Oh well IÂll just find another brand for next time. of a no-fat no-sugar fruit yoghurt over top. SharonCb
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arkansas girl
13 years ago
yuuuuum...coooooooookies! :) But now you have to post your recipes...that's how it works...HEEHEE!
caliloo
13 years ago
Well done! They all look fantastic

Alexa
stir_fryi SE Mich
13 years ago
So, did you mix the white chips and the M&M's in the same cookie? How was that? I have both in my pantry right now and might whip up a batch!
User
13 years ago
Good job Brad!

All I'm going to make this year is shortbread, at least thats what I thought until I opened this thread!
cocaty
13 years ago
Hi Brad. They look great. Lucky sister. I'm intrigued by the drop sugar cookies. Do you use the same recipe you would for cut out sugar cookies? I'm guessing not. I'd love to see that one. Thanks!
User
13 years ago
Very nice Brad.

I haven't done any baking this year. Maybe I'll do some tomorrow.

Ann
moonwolf_gw
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks, everyone!

Stir fryi, no, we didn't mix the M&Ms and white chips together. It does sound delicious but all I meant was that you use the same batter recipe for both cookies.

Onto the recipes! Merry Christmas guys!

Cousin Dolly's Sugar Cookies

1 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk
nuts, raisins or chocolate chips if desired

Cream shortening, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients, alternating with milk. Mix well. Drop on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees fro 12 minutes. (These are soft cookies.) This made about 6 dozen.

Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Cream margarine and sugars until fluffy. Beat in peanut butter, egg and vanilla. Add flour, salt and soda, blending well. For each cookie shape one level tablespoon of dough. Bake on ungreased baking sheets in 375 degree oven about 10 minutes or until done. Cool cookies on brown or other absorbent paper. When cool, sprinkle with colored sugar if desired. Makes about 4 dozen.

M&M Cookies (Also used for White Choc. Chip recipe)

1 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups M&M candy (or a whole bag of white choc. chips)

Mix all ingredients together, except 1/2 cup of M&M's to decorate top. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Merry Christmas!

Brad AKA Moonwolf
arkansas girl
13 years ago
Thank YOU! ;)
momto4kids
13 years ago
Yummy Brad! They all look wonderful! I haven't baked any cookies yet, either. Like Sharon, I thought all I would make is shortbread...now I'm changing my mind! Way to go!!
bcskye
13 years ago
They all look so yummy! I especially enjoy seeing pictures of the finished cookies so enjoyed yours and the recipes.
lakemayor
13 years ago
Brad they all look wonderful. I love to see pics of cookies everyone has made. I have a problem with my browser so I can't download any pics at this time.

Thanks for sharing Brad! Merry Christmas

Karen
coconut_nj
13 years ago
Looking good Brad! Ya'll did a great job. Colored sugar on cookies was always our tradition too. Your sister is going to love her gift. What a treat.

Merry Christmas!
moonwolf_gw
Original Author
13 years ago
You're welcome!

For the M&M/White chocolate chip cookie recipe, we don't add M&M's to the top of the white chocolate chip cookies. However, like I said above, it doesn't sound too bad!

If anyone tries these recipes please let me know! I'd love to hear and see your results!

Brad AKA Moonwolf
annie1992
13 years ago
Brad, they look delicious, all of them. I had to smile at the criss crossed peanut butter cookies, I think that's a standard. Grandma always used to criss cross her cookies like that, she always told me "everyone" does that to peanut butter cookies, LOL.

you're going to have one happy sister.

Annie
moonwolf_gw
Original Author
13 years ago
Annie, my mom has always criss-crossed her peanut butter cookies too. I agree that it's a standard too.

Well, it looks like my sister's making her own Christmas cookies. So, we'll probably give them to our friends/neighbors.

Brad AKA Moonwolf
happygram
13 years ago
I'd love to make some of the cookies. They look absolutely delicious, and I'm drooling on the keyboard.

Question 1 -- Could I use butter instead of shortening? I've always wondered if butter is interchangeable with shortening in baking and would love to learn about it. I kind of like the taste of butter in cookies or in just about anything else! (broccoli, toast, garlic bread, etc. etc.)

Question 2--In a baking recipe, does shortening mean a Crisco kind of thing or does it mean something else?

Thanks in advance.

Mary
lsr2002
13 years ago
Great looking cookies, the filled tin is wonderful. Thanks for sharing all the photos and the recipes.

Lee
colleenoz
13 years ago
I have a special long-tined fork I use for peanut butter criss-crosses. I think the recipe was originally in one of the early Better Homes and Gardens books which may account for why everyone does the fork thing :-) When I make giant ones I use a potato masher that has a grid pattern on it :-)
readinglady
13 years ago
Those are beautiful cookies. The lucky recipients will be very glad your sister baked her own.

To answer the shortening question, butter and shortening can be interchanged but the results will not be the same. (Not necessarily a bad thing, but different.) Butter has a higher water content than shortening, so the cookies will tend to spread and flatten with butter. They will also brown more quickly.

In a very old recipe (i.e. 19th century - early 20th) there are some "receipts" that call for shortening but what that means is "fat" and the fat could be butter, lard, even bacon grease. You have to look at the recipe and determine the appropriate fat depending upon the ingredients, the method of preparation and the dish.

Carol
dedtired
13 years ago
Beautiful. I love the shot through the oven window. Your sister is lucky.

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