Miss Daisy’s Holiday Cookies
"My thoughts for December recipes kept taking me back to my childhood and baking cookies with family and friends.
Many families retain that tradition, today.
I have many favorite cookie recipes and I am sharing them with you alond with some helpful hints and tips below. A special one, Holiday Cookies was given to me by my mother-in law in the 1970s, and she still bakes them to this day.
A wonderful holiday drink to serve with cookies is Eggnog."
– Miss Daisy
Oatmeal Cookies
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup shortening
1 ½ cups light brown sugar
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
1 cup nuts
Confectioners’ sugar
1. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.
2. In the large bowl of a mixer, combine shortening, sugars, eggs, and vanilla.
3. Add to flour mixture.
4. Stir in oats and nuts.
5. Form balls and shake in a bag of confectioners’ sugar to coat.
6. Place on a greased cookie sheet and press with a fork.
7. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until light brown.
Yield: 18-24 cookies.
Peanut Butter Jumbos
1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup of sugar
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 ½ cups candy-coated chocolate-covered peanut candies
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In the large bowl of a mixer, beat together butter, peanut butter, and sugars until light and fluffy, blend in eggs.
3. In another bowl, combine flour and baking soda; gradually add to peanut butter mixture.
4. Stir in candy coated chocolate-covered peanut candies.
5. Drop dough by level ¼ cup measure onto greased cookie sheet, about 3 inches apart.
6. Press 3 to 4 additional candies into each cookie, if desired.
7. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, or until edges are golden brown.
8. Cool cookies on sheet for 3 minutes; remove to wire rack until completely cool.
Yield: 24 cookies.
Macaroons
1 cup almond paste
2/3 cup sugar
¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon almond extract
¼ cup egg whites, unbeaten
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Break almond paste into very small pieces.
3. In a large bowl, mix in sugar, confectioners’ sugar, flour, salt, and almond extract, adding just enough egg white to make a very stiff mixture.
4. Drop heaping teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with ungreased wax paper or lightly greased aluminum foil.
5. Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until set.
6. Remove from oven and let stand for two minutes.
7. Set paper or foil on damp cloth to loosen the macaroons for easy removal.
Almond Paste
3 ¼ cups whole blanched almonds
2 cups confectioners’ sugars
1/3 cup egg whites, unbeaten
1 tablespoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla
1. In a food processor or blender, beat almonds until very fine.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine almonds and confectioners’ sugar; add remaining
ingredients and blend thoroughly (mixture will be very stiff).
Yield: 3 cups of almond paste
Cathedral Window Cookies
1 12-ounce package chocolate chips
½ cup butter
1 10-ounce package colored miniature marshmallows
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1 7-ounce package sweetened flaked coconut
1. In the top of a double boiler, melt chocolate chips and butter; cool.
2. Add marshmallowsand nuts.
3. Divide mixture in half and form 2 large rolls.
4. Roll in coconut and wrap in wax paper.
5. Chill for 24 hours.
6. Slice 1/2 –inch thick to serve.
Yield: 36 cookies.
Coconut Butterballs
½ cup butter, softened
2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon orange zest, grated
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup sweetened flaked coconut
Confectioners’ sugar for coating
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In the large bowl of a mixer, combine butter, sugar, vanilla, and orange zest; mix
until fluffy.
3. Stir in flour and coconut.
4. Chill for about 10 minutes.
5. Form dough into balls (use 1 rounded teaspoon for each ball).
6. Place balls 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet.
7. Bake in oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until done.
8. Transfer balls to wire rack to coll.
9. Rollin confectioners’ sugar while slightly warm.
Yield: 42 balls.
Walnut Cookies
½ cup margarine or butter, softened
½ cup sugar
1 egg, separated
1 teaspoon lemon zest, grated
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground gloves
1 ¾ cups of walnuts, finely chopped
½ cup apricot preserves
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In the large bowl of a mixer, blend margarine and sugar, beating until light and
fluffy.
3. Add egg yolk and lemon zest; beat well.
4. Combine dry ingredients and 1 cup of walnuts.
5. Stir into creamed mixture.
6. Cover dough and chill at least 30 minutes.
7. Lightly beat egg white.
8. Shape dough into 1- inch balls.
9. Dip each ball in egg white, roll in remaining walnuts, and place on greased cookie
sheet.
10. With your thumb, make an indentation in the center of each cookie and fill with
preserves.
11. Bake for 15 minutes.
12. Cool on wire rack.
Crescents
1 cup butter
¾ cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup pecans or almonds, ground
Confectioners’ sugar for coating
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In the large bowl of a mixer, beat butter until light; gradually add sugar and mix
until fluffy.
3. Beat in vanilla; gradually in flour and nuts.
4. Chill dough thoroughly so it will handle easily.
5. Form teaspoonfuls of dough into crescent shapes.
6. Place ¾ inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet.
7. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.
8. Cool slightly and remove from baking sheet; while warm, roll in confectioners’
sugar.
9. Cool on rack.
Yield: 90-96 Crescents
Holiday Cookies
1 cup of butter
2 cups light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup buttermilk
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups pecans, chopped
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
2 cups candied cherries, halved
1 cup dates, chopped
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In the large bowl of a mixer, combine butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla thoroughly;
stir in buttermilk.
3. In a separate bowl, sift dry ingredients together; then add to wet mixture.
4. Stir in nuts, coconut, cherries and dates.
5. Chill at least 1 hour.
6. Drop teaspoonsfull 2 inches apart onto lightly greased baking sheet.
7. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
Yield: 24 cookies.
Thumbprint Cookies
¾ cup butter
3 ounces cream cheese
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ cup jam or jelly of your choice
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In the large bowl of a mixer, combine butter and cream cheese; beat until light and fluffy.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, sugar, salt and baking powder; stir into butter and cream cheese mixture.
4. Roll out on lightly floured surface into a square about ½ inches thick.
5. Cut into 1 ½ inch squares.
6. Place on ungreased baking sheet and with your thumb make an indentation in the center of each cookie.
7. Fill with ½ teaspoon of your favorite jam or jelly.
8. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
Yield: 30 cookies.
Cocoa Kiss Cookies
1 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup cocoa
1 cup pecans, finely chopped
1 9-ounce package milk chocolate kisses (about 54 per package)
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In the large bowl of a mixer, combine butter, sugar and vanilla; beat until fluffy.
3. Beat in flour and cocoa gradually.
4. Add nuts and beat at low speed until evenly distributed.
5. Chill in the bowl for 30 minutes.
6. Unwrap chocolate kisses.
7. Shape a teaspoon of dough around each chocolate kiss; roll in your palms and
pinch away excess dough to make a small ball.
8. Place a few inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
9. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until set; do not overbake.
10. Cool.
Yield: 48-50 cookies.
No-Bake Cookies
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 12 ounce jar peanut butter
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
5 cups flaked corn cereal
1 cup pecans, chopped (optional)
1. In a heavy saucepan, combine corn syrup and sugar and bring to a rolling boil;
remove syrup mixture from heat and stir in peanut butter until smooth.
2. In a large bowl, place coconut, cereal and pecans; pour syrup mixture over them
and mix.
3. Drop by spoonfuls on waxed paper; chill.
Yield: 42-48 cookies
Orange Coconut Crisps
2 eggs
2/3 cup salad oil
1 cup sugar
¼ cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed (do not dilute)
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In the large bowl of a mixer, beat eggs lightly, stir in oil and sugar; beat
until mixture thickens; stir in orange juice.
3. Sift flour into a separate bowl, then measure.
4. Sift measured flour with baking powder and salt.
5. Add flour mixture and coconut to egg mixture; mix well.
6. Drop teaspoons of dough about 2 inches apart onto an ungreased baking sheet.
7. Press each cookie flat with the bottom of a drinking glass that has been
oiled lightly with salad oil and dipped in sugar.
8. Dip the glass in sugar before flattening each cookie.
9. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cookies are a delicate brown (a slight dent
show when you touch top lightly with fingertip).
10. Remove pan from oven and take cookies from baking sheet with a wide spatula.
11. Spread cookies on wire rack to cool.
Yield: 36 cookies.
