Yes, it appears the database crash in March has also victimized our beloved Christmas Cookie Recipe exchange thread.

It being one of our favorite topics, it behooves us to resurrect it.

I'll start, adding the recipe at the bottom. I made these a couple of weeks ago, right after I got the recipe off the net. The hardest part of making them was finding the dried cherries. I bought mine from

www.bulkfoods.com

Enjoy!

Theresa

Cherry Garcia Biscotti

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup dried bing cherries, roughly chopped
1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks/chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use a silpat.
Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg in a medium bowl.
In a large bowl, beat eggs, adding sugar gradually, at medium speed until smooth and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. At low speed or by hand, stir in flour mixture followed by cherries and chocolate.
Drop spoonfuls of batter into long lines on prepared baking sheet and, with well floured hands, shape the irregular lines into rectangular logs about 1/2 inch high. Length and width are your prerogative, and you can use more than one baking sheet, if necessary. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes, until logs are a light gold color and are fully set (they will spring back slightly when touched with a finger).
Slice logs into 1/3-1/2 inch thick slices (1-1.5 cm) and lay flat (on their sides) on baking sheet.
Lower oven temperature to 300F. Bake sliced cookies for 15 minutes, flip them and bake for an additional 15 minutes. If biscotti cookies are not firm, depending on how thickly they were sliced, turn again and bake for 10 more minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container.
Makes about 4 dozen.

Aw, come one. Someone has to have a new cookie recipe to share!

Theresa

Okay, I'll share my Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. Not very original, but they are really good.

1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tbls. vanilla
3 cups raw, quick-cooking oats
1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease cookie sheets. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a large bowl beat shortening, sugars, eggs, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add flour mixture and oats. Mix with a wooden spoon until well-blended. Add raisins. Roll into balls about 1 tbls. in size. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Bake 12 - 14 minutes. Let stand one minute; remove to wire rack to cool. Makes about 21/2 dozen.

nnnnnoooooooo Say it isn't true!!! I LOVE that thread and it had sooo many wonderful recipes! Fortunately I printed a few pages. First chance I get I will type those back in here on this thread. Several I now have added to my "every year" cookie baking!!

Im new to baking so i dont have anything to contribute, but i think this sounds loike a great thread so I thought id give you a
BUMP

O.K.. these don't require baking, but they are my families favorite, and every year disappear faster than I can make them...I'll post my favorite baked cookie later.

Haystacks

1 cup of chocolate chips
1 cup of butterscotch chips
1 cup of potato sticks (sometimes also called shoestring potato chips)
1 cup of dry roasted peanuts

Melt chocolat and butterscotch chips together until smooth and creamy. Dump in potato stick and peanuts and coat well. Drop by tablespoon onto wax paper until harded.

They really are GREAT!!!
Enjoy!!!

Ok, I am ALL over this, but can it be a Christmas candy, or does it have to be a cookie? Just want to know before I go posting something!! TIA!

Oh, Mel, you know you can post anything Christmas'y here, and we will love it. Besides, I have all those "make fudge from canned frosting recipes" I can share.

Yes, NewtoDecorating -

Someone tried to post to the thread the other day, and when I went to read the response, I got a message saying there was no topic. So then I went to the thread itself, and through the last few pages, only to realize that it went the way of the scratch bakers post - the last few pages got locked up because of the crash.

So, welcome all! We look forward to seeing your posts, and hope that this thread becomes a wonderful extension of an already great idea, driven on by great members.

Theresa

Ok, I decided to start with a cookie anyway. Now, even if you don't like dates, you should try these. People say, "Ew, dates?" then I 'make' them try one and then I have to slap them away from the plate!!!

Title: Date Pinwheels

Dough:
2 c. Crisco
2 c. brown sugar
3 beaten eggs
1 t. Vanilla
4 c. sifted flour
1 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
Filling:
1 lb chopped dates
1 c. sugar
1 c. water
1 c. chopped pecans
1 t. vanilla

Preheat Oven: 400°

Directions: Cream Crisco and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Sift together dry ingredients and stir into sugar mixture. Chill for at least four hours. When dough is fully chilled, in saucepan over low heat stir dates, sugar, and water, bring to simmer. Cook 10 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in pecans. Allow to cool so it does not melt dough. Divide chilled dough in half; return unused dough to refrigerator until needed. Roll dough into 1/4 inch thick rectangle. Spread with ½ of the filling. Roll dough lengthwise into tube shape, wrap in wax paper and chill. (Can also freeze). Repeat with remaining dough. To bake, slice into 1/4 inch slices and bake on greased cookie sheet for 10 to 12 minutes. (While working with dough if it becomes too soft at any point, return to fridge or freezer for a few minutes.)

What a great topic! I am sure some of you have seen this recipe...but it is my family's all time favorite! They are so melt-in-your-mouth yummy!

Snowball Cookies
3 sticks softened butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups flour
10 oz pkg mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
Powdered sugar for dusting

Beat butter, sugar, vanilla and salt until creamy. Gradually add flour. Stir in morsels and nuts. Shape into balls about 1 Tbsp in size.

Bake, at 375, on ungreased cookie sheet for 10 -12 minutes (or until set and lightly browned). When done, sift with powdered sugar. Cool on sheet 10 minutes. Remove to wire rack-cool completely-sift with sugar again.

Enjoy!
Jen

Oh boy am I in on this thread. I would like to know what the copyright laws are on recipes and their pictures that are published in magazines first. I found a wonderful recipe for a Canoli filled cookie that is absolutely wonderful but I would like to include the picture from the magazine. Please let me know if that is allowed.

Plus, I have years of wonderful holiday cookies and candies to share. Looking forward to increasing my recipe collection this year with this thread. Thanks to all of you who contribute.

Oh I cant wait to make a new recipe folder from this thread !
I will have to go look up some of my favorite holiday recipes !
Thanks everyone for sharing !

It is an unwritten but agreed upon law within our craft, and on the blogs, that if you "swipe and share" someone else's recipe, you give them full credit.

For instance, if you get the recipe from a book, you would give the name of the book and the author. I've also sometimes seen the publisher's name given on blogs.

For a magazine, I would suggest that you provide the name of the article, the author, and which magazine, including issue.

A hypothetical example would be

recipe name, then "Christmas Cookies For Kids", Martha S Living, November, 2008.

Theresa

Oh, Boy, we have Melvira AND Fiddlesticks on here already!

We're gonna have some fun here!

Theresa

Mel -

Sure, that would be great!

Who wants to volunteer? I don't know how to use Google Docs, so unless someone wants to teach me, I'm out.

I have the ones from the original thread, but it's in my external hard-drive, which is still packed away. I won't be able to go downstairs and dig around for it for a few weeks, but when can I will let you all know.

Thanks!

Theresa

I'm on board. These are my two favorite cookies that we make at Christmas. I have another one, but I don't have the recipe online. I'll post later. Enjoy!

My Mom's Italian Biscotti Recipe

Ingredients:
12 eggs
1 ounce anise flavoring
5 cups flour
6 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups Crisco, plus
2 tablespoons Crisco

Directions
PREHEAT OVEN TO 375 DEGREES.

IN MIXER BEAT EGGS AND ANISE FLAVORING TOGETHER FOR ABOUT 3 MIN UNTIL LIGHT& FLUFFY. IN A seperate BOWL COMBINE THE FLOUR, BAKING powder, AND SUGAR.

MIX IN THE CRISCO UNTIL IT TURNS INTO SMALL PIECES.

ADD EGG MIXTURE AND COMBINE.

DOUGH WILL BE THICK AND STICKY.

LIGHTLY GREASE COOKIE SHEET.

ROLL DOUGH INTO LOGS APPROXIMATLEY THE LENGTH OF OF YOUR COOKIE SHEET, 1-1/2 INCH THICK AND 1 INCH HIGH.

PLACE LOGS ON THE GREASED COOKIE SHEET ABOUT 4 INCHES APART.

BAKE FOR APPROXIMATELY 15 MIN. OR UNTIL LIGHTLY BROWNED.

REMOVE FROM OVEN AND SLICE DIAGONALLY.

LAY CUT SIDE DOWN IN TRAY AND BAKE ABOUT 10 MORE MINUTES.

I HAVE PUT ALMONDS OR WALNUTS (Coursely CHOPPED) IN BATTER AND THEY DO TASTE GOOD.

I HAVE FOUND THAT IF I PUT THE NUTS IN DRY MIXTURE AND THEN ADD THE EGG MIXTURE IT IS SO MUCH EASIER.

My Mom's Ricotta Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup ricotta cheese
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Frosting
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
milk
1 teaspoon orange extract

Directions
Cream the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl.

Add eggs one at a time. If using the egg replacer, I find it best to first blend the powder and water together in your blender to get all the "clumps" out. Then slowly pour the mixture into the cream and butter mix while mixing.

Add almond and vailla extracts and ricotta. Mix until blended together.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.

Stir the flour mix into the ricotta mixture until blended.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a cookie sheet. Drop the batter onto the sheet by the teaspoon spoonful.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes - do not over cook.

While the cookies are baking, you can make the frosting. In a small bowl, add the confection sugar.

Slowly add milk by the tablespoon and mix after each. Keep adding milk until you reach a frosting consitency - not too thin and not too thick. Add the orange extract and mix again. If you make it too thin, you can add more confection sugar.

When the cookies are done, remove from oven and let cool. Frost the tops of the cookies and let dry.

I like to keep my cookies in a ziplock bag and in the freezer.

Yea!!! Love cookie recipes!!! I have some to contribute but will have to wait until I get home tonight!!!!!

THis will be fun!!!

is using google just a matter of cutting and pasting the recipes there?? If so, I might step up to the plate!! I am not a computer whiz but will certainly give it a try if there aren't any other takers...

Well, since I've already started it, I'd be happy to post it on google docs and try desperately to keep up! If I fall behind due to 'stuff' (that stupid surgery) then maybe someone else will have to take over. But, I'll give it a whirl!

Hey Great idea Mel ! I of course dont know how to do that but I will add that link to my signature to!
Omg ! How exciting I love recipes !!!!!

Thanks Mel for stepping up!!! I promise that if you need help, just let me know and I will be happy to help step in!!!

Well, I've never used Google Docs before, but that's how long it took me to figure it out! Hope it works!!

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dgjqsjjc_0ct6gq9fg

Let's see if it works, then anyone who wants to add it to their signature can do that!!

it works!
Me, You are the master

can i play?? i love love love to make chrsitmas cookies!

how many can i post?

i'll start with this one, it's my favorite:

Russian Tea Cakes

Ingredients
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar for dusting

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, cream butter and vanilla until smooth. 3. Combine the 6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar and flour; stir into the butter mixture until just blended.
4. Mix in the chopped walnuts.
5. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, and place them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
6. Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven.
7. When cool, roll in remaining confectioners' sugar. You may also like to roll in the sugar a second time

Here is a great link with tons of receipts!

http://www.northpole.com/Kitchen/Cookbook/cat0001.html

Actually if you try this link http://www.northpole.com/Kitchen/Cookbook/

you can get different pies, bread, fudge, cakes, etc. I use it all the time!

Merry Christmas!

Jeanene

Awesome Mel ! I have already added it to my Signature !

jescapades, post as many as you like!! We love new recipes!

Thanks for posting this! I'll have to add some when I get home today..mmmm cookies...