The Classic Sugar Cookie Cutouts
You can’t have a holiday season without your classic sugar cookies shaped and decorated as reindeer, candy canes, Christmas trees, and gingerbread men. This recipe is simple and all you need are some cookie cutouts, icing and sprinkles to decorate however you please!
Ingredients:
¾ cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 ½ cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Directions:
1. Mix thoroughly shortening, sugar, eggs and vanilla
2. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt; stir into frist mixture
3. Chill for at least an hour
4. Heat over to 400 degrees
5. Roll out 1/8” thick of dough on a lightly floured board
6. Cut with desired cookie cutters
7. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes (or until golden)
Melted Snowmen Oreo Balls
These Melted Snowman Oreo Balls are festive and a great addition to any holiday party. I guarantee they’ll be the first to go.
Ingredients:
1 pkg. (8 oz.) brick cream cheese, softened
36 OREO Cookies (regular size), finely crushed
16 oz. vanilla candy wafers, melted
48 Mini OREO Bite Size Cookies
Decorations: decorating icing or gel; multi-colored sprinkles
Directions:
1. Mix cream cheese and cookie crumbs until well blended. I like to crush the Oreos in a food processor and then add the cream cheese and process it together. It can also be done by hand though.
2. Shape into 48 (1-inch) balls; place in single layer in shallow pan. Freeze for at least 20 minutes. They can be frozen for longer. Dip balls in melted coating; I do this by using a fork and tapping the fork on the bowl of my candy coating to remove some of the extra coating. Place in shallow waxed paper-lined pan, allowing excess coating to pool at bottom of each ball. Decorate with remaining ingredients as shown in photo. You can use the candy coating to adhere the hat to the head.
3. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Keep refrigerated.
Hidden Kiss Cookies
Here’s a recipe that’s quite literally “sealed with a kiss.” These cookies will be sure to win over your guests when they bite into these yummy cookies and find a Hershey kiss surprise inside!
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sliced almonds
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 1/4 cups butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
42 chocolate kisses
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Pulse first 4 ingredients in a food processor until almonds are finely ground.
2. Beat butter together with vanilla extract and almond extract at medium-high speed with an electric mixer about 30 seconds or until creamy. Add flour mixture in 2 batches, beating until blended after each addition. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead 4 to 5 times. Divide dough in half.
3. Working with 1 dough portion, drop by heaping teaspoonfuls 1 inch apart on 2 parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Press 1 chocolate kiss into center of each cookie. Working with remaining dough portion, cover each chocolate kiss with another heaping teaspoonful of dough. Pinch top and bottom edges of dough together to seal.
4. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes, placing 1 baking sheet on middle oven rack and 1 sheet on lower oven rack. Rotate pans front to back and top rack to bottom rack. Bake 3 to 5 more minutes or until edges of cookies just begin to brown. Cool cookies on parchment paper on wire racks 10 minutes. Sprinkle with additional powdered sugar.