By Tammy Thornton
After a season of pumpkin, stuffing, and turkey, it’s time to turn our attention to December holiday foods. Time to bring on the Christmas cookies! Whether you prefer fancy drop cookies, no-bakes, or intricately decorated, cutout sugar cookies, the holiday dessert table wouldn’t be complete without a full tray of various homemade cookies.
You may come from a long line of bakers, with time-honored traditions and family recipes. Or, you may have gotten an invitation to a cookie exchange and don’t know where to begin. Allow me to share some of my favorite go-to cookies that have passed the taste-test of family and friends through the years. Keep in mind that I grew up in the Pittsburgh area—home to the wedding cookie table. Once a bride sets her wedding date, moms, grandmas, aunts, and cousins break out their baking sheets and get to work. Perhaps it has something to do with the more cookies served, the more love or good fortune in your marriage, but whatever the origin, the Pittsburgh cookie table provides great inspiration for holiday baking.
One of the first Christmas cookies I think of doesn’t use an oven, but a special cooking tool. Pizzelles require a pizzelle iron that works much like a waffle iron, creating cookies with fun patterns. After the cookies cool, they are sprinkled with powdered sugar and look like big snowflakes on the cookie tray. This may be heresy to my Italian friends and family, but sorry, I don’t like anise, one of the traditional ingredients in pizzelles. So I leave it out, favoring the taste of strong vanilla instead.
That brings me to one of the most popular Christmas cookies—sugar cookies. This is where artists shine. Sugar cookies can be made in so many different shapes and decorated with such talent that they are almost too pretty to eat. My favorite recipe uses both vanilla and almond extract. For years, my husband and I were involved with missions trips to Haiti, and we would bring home vanilla and almond extract. Those pure and strong flavors made the best cookies. When it comes to sugar cookies, my advice would be not to roll them out too thin. And do not overcook them. If in doubt, take them out of the oven, they will harden after cooling.
One of my fond food memories from my childhood was a no-bake cookie rolled in red sugar. In later years, I questioned my mom about these yummy cookies, and she didn’t know what I was talking about. My best guess is that these were probably buckeye cookies, which are peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate. What’s not to love there? I think for the holidays, she rolled them in red sugar, at least that’s what I remember when I snuck them from the cookie tin.
This time of year, I like to bring my neighbors cookie trays to spread some love and cheer. Since my great friend and neighbor is Jewish, years ago I tried to find a cookie that was more fitting for Hanukkah. I stumbled upon a recipe for Rugelach, and this cookie is a keeper. First you make a dough with either sour cream or cream cheese, then the dough is filled with ingredients such as nuts, raisins, poppy seeds, or fruit preserves. My recipe uses sugared dates, butter, and cinnamon and I wouldn’t want them any other way. Once filled, they are cut into little triangles and rolled into crescent shapes. This year my friend and I agreed that I will make her Rugelach, and she will make me latkes. I think that will be a pretty sweet trade, and we are both going to be very happy this Hanukkah.
Shore Local News would love to hear about your favorite Christmas or Hanukkah cookie recipes. Please share your traditions, stories, or questions by sending them to: shorelocalgardener@gmail.com.
Rugelach Recipe
Experiment with different fillings such as raisins, nuts, fruit preserves, or chocolate.
Ingredients:
(Dough)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (plus extra for rolling out dough)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (two sticks) butter
- 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
(Filling)
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- ½ cup sugared dates
(Egg wash)
- One beaten egg, plus one tablespoon water
- Extra sugar for sprinkling
Directions:
In a food processor, combine flour, salt, butter, and cream cheese. Pulse until you have a crumbly dough. Separate dough into four equal parts and shape each part into a disk. Wrap each disk separately in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight.
For the filling, you can use the food processor again. Simply wipe it out after making the dough.
Add sugars, cinnamon, and dates to the food processor. Pulse a few times. You want your dates to be chopped up, but do not pulse until smooth.
Preheat the oven to 350°. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper since the filling will leak out a bit. (You may wish to use a cookie sheet with sides.) Dust your work surface with a little bit of flour and roll one disk at a time into a 9-inch round. (Keep other disks refrigerated until you are ready to use
them.)
Spread one fourth of filling onto the round, leaving a margin on the outer edge. Lightly press the filling into dough. Cut the filled round into 12 even wedges like a pizza. Roll each triangle from the outer edge, forming a crescent. Place each crescent on the covered cookie sheet. Lightly brush each cookie with egg wash, then sprinkle with sugar. Bake for about 15 – 20 minutes or until lightly golden.
Allow crescents to cool on a wire rack.
Optional: instead of an egg wash, after baking, dust cooled cookies with powdered sugar or drizzle with a glaze.
Tammy Thornton lives with her husband, children, and crazy pets while enjoying a life of gardening, cooking, and going to the beach.
