Yes, it's true. The air is deliciously filled with smells of gingerbread, figgy pudding...
...and mulling spice! It's the start of the always anticipated Christmas baking season. Below I will share with you three tried and true recipes, The Sugar Cookie, The Christmas Cookie and the always popular, Mocha Star. First, I wanted to take a look at the origin of Christmas cookies.
Some of my favorite are the Danish butter cookies and I've yet been able to perfect the ones that were once made by my Mother's best friend for 50 or so years, Kristen Skovsgaard. Her creations were undoubtedly the best on the planet.
Here's what I've been able to dig up on the "birth" (if you will) of the Christmas cookie. The term cookie first appeared in print in the year 1703. The origin of the cookie itself comes from the recipes of Medieval Europe. Some believe that the gingerbread cookie was the first flavor to be associated with Christmas.
It was then known as Lebkuchen. It was the Dutch who were considered to be the first to bring Christmas cookies to the United States in the 17th century. In the year 1871 cookie cutters became available for purchase.
It is believed that the tradition of leaving milk and cookies out for Santa Claus began in the United States during the 1930's.
Oddly enough around the same time that Coca Cola presented the image of St. Nick that we are all familiar with today.
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The Recipes
Sugar Cookies:
For cookies- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Make cookies:
Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Sift flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg over; stir to blend well. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead gently 1 minute. Shape dough into 1/2-inch-thick rectangle. Cut into 4 equal pieces; wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 3 hours and up to 1 day. Let dough soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter large baking sheet. Working with 1 dough piece at a time, roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness, lifting and turning dough often and dusting surface very lightly with flour to prevent sticking. Using floured 3- to 4-inch cutters, cut out cookies. Pull away excess dough from around cookies. Transfer cookies to prepared baking sheet, spacing 1 inch apart (cookies will not spread). If using cookies as hanging ornaments, push 1 end of drinking straw through dough near top of each cookie; lift straw, then remove small dough round from straw. Gently reroll dough scraps; cut out more cookies. Transfer to same sheet.
Bake cookies until light brown, about 11 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on sheet. Transfer cookies to rack; cool.
Repeat with remaining dough pieces, baking 1 sheet of cookies at a time. Cool baking sheet completely and butter sheet lightly between batches.
****Now, if you want to put deeeeeeeeelish holiday frosting on them... here yah go!
Make frosting:
Whisk 9 cups sugar and powdered egg whites in large bowl to blend. Whisk in 12 tablespoons water. If necessary, whisk in more water by teaspoonfuls or more sugar by tablespoonfuls until frosting is medium-thick and very smooth. Place 1/2 cup frosting into each of 4 small bowls; mix colors using instructions in box on previous page. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead.)
Cover bowls and remaining frosting with plastic wrap to keep frosting from drying out. Store at room temperature.) Thin frosting in each bowl as needed by mixing in 1/4 teaspoon water at a time.
Using pastry brush or small metal offset spatula, spread frosting on cookies; set cookies aside and let frosting dry, about 30 minutes. Cut off small tip from end of 1 disposable pastry bag (cut off slightly more if planning to insert metal tip). Fold down top 2 inches of bag, forming collar. Holding bag under collar and using small rubber spatula, fill bag with 1 color of frosting. Repeat with remaining pastry bags, filling each with 1 color of frosting.
Pipe decorations onto frosted cookies in desired patterns and colors. Let cookies stand until decorations are firm and dry, at least 4 hours. (Can be prepared 3 days ahead. Place cookies in single layer between sheets of waxed paper in airtight container; stor 
Mocha Kisses:
I honestly don't know anyone who can just have one of these.
Here we go:
What you need:
2 teaspoons instant coffee (don't judge)
1 tablespoon hot water
1 cup of unsalted butter
2/3 cup powdered sugar (icing sugar)
2 cups flour, sifted (it's important to sift it... I hate doing it too.)
2 squares, semi-sweet chocolate melted
...yes, and more powdered sugar to dust over
finished cookies
How to do it:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Combine coffee and hot water ... let it cool. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the coffee and flour. Spoon into a cookie press OR a piping bag with a #4 star tip. Press out mixture in 1/4 inch rounds about 1/2 inch apart on greased or parchment paper baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes then cool for 10 minutes before removing to wire cooling racks. Sandwich the cookies with melted chocolate and dust with more powdered sugar. Holy cow these are great!
Let's talk about The Oliver family Xmas Cookie... which is ACTUALLY the Dellar family Xmas cookie... and there's a very long story that goes with that but, well, not all the family knows it so I'll just keep it to myself for now...
Here's the best Xmas Cookie you could hope for: (it comes out of Great Gram's red cook book)
What you need:
1 cup room temperature, unsalted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup each red and green candied cherries
How to do it:
Cream butter. Add sugar then add sugar, vanilla, salt, flour. Finally add nuts and cherries and form into rolls. Refrigerate overnight then slice thinly with a sharp knife, bake on greased baking sheet in moderate oven (350ºF) for 10 minutes.
Deeeeeelish!!!!
Enjoy the season! I'll check in later with the figgy pudding!! Because you can set it on FIRE!!!
xoxo The Sunflower
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