Front Burner: Christmas cookies!
My brother-in-law has contributed many special gifts to our family besides love, respect and patience.
For one thing, Jeff tells hilarious stories about his bizarre childhood pets, including a de-skunked skunk and some groundhogs. But more importantly, he shares his mother’s phenomenal annual assortment of Christmas cookies.
Every year, Alice Mollohan bakes the same highly anticipated treats: molasses cookies, pecan tassies, date pinwheels, pineapple diamonds, and kiffels with apricot filling. She starts on them early and freezes a bunch before the holiday, if she can smack her husband’s hand away from them.
It didn’t take long for the Nairs to start looking for a certain Tupperware container when Kim and Jeff arrived from Ohio on Christmas Day.
I think the cookies impressed me not only because they are delicious, but because we didn’t really have any cookies we made every year other than frosted and decorated sugar cookies. That seems unusual to me now because I have heard from so many friends who associate specific cookies with the holidays.
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Recipe links:
Stuffed date cookies
What kinds of cookies do you make ever year?
December 7, 2011 - 10:04 AM
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Stroufflers! http://mselenaeousrants.blogspot.com/2010/12/stroufflers.html
Wow, those look great! Is it kind of like monkey bread when it’s all finished, so you pull off pieces to eat them?
I make chocolate crackle cookies every year! They are easy to make and also makes a lot for a batch.
http://www.marthastewart.com/281209/chocolate-crackle-cookies
all the scandanavian cookies my mom made…when I can find the time…
ginger creams, fattigman, rossettes
you may want to look at the cooking light 100 best healthy cookies too
http://www.cookinglight.com/food/recipe-finder/healthy-cookies-00412000073008/?iid=newsletter-ck-120711&PromKey=XET
No Lindsey, they’re actually individual balls…they only look like one big mountain because there are so many! BTW, I have no idea what monkey bread is.
10-4. This is monkey bread: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/05/monkey-bread/
Thanks for the link. Monkey bread looks interesting…but it’s definitely nothing like stroufflers, which is Sicilian. People might know them as honeyballs? BTW, this year I’m going to be using local honey from a friend’s hive. Can’t wait to taste the difference.
I’m going to be making a bunch of these this weekend!
http://www.recipegirl.com/2011/12/05/25-favorite-christmas-recipes/
I love honeyballs!! My mom’s side of the family is from Italy, so our most famous Christmas cookie is pizzelles. My mom said when they were babies, that was their first solid food!!
Pizzelles with Nutella…mmmmm.
@Meghan, which ones are you making?
@Win, my mom has a rosette iron and we made them a few times. It was fun and they’re tasty.
@Elena, I’m all about local honey. That’s going to be great.
I tried adding smoked salmon to the Tropical fruitcake cookies in lieu of the pineapples. I then garnished it with beluga caviar, but the result was not very tasty. I just wanted to let everyone know in case anybody else was thinking of trying the same variation.
It really makes all the difference with the stuffed date cookies to use a better quality vanilla with the recipe. I like the offerings of real vanilla by Whole Foods and Dean and Deluca and I am always sure to pick up some when I am in a store outside of Roanoke.
http://www.deandeluca.com/herbs-and-spices/herbs-spices/tahitian-vanila-beans.aspx
I use these and create an extract, excellent taste for the cookies. I find using a good quality flour yields good results as well.
About the only cookie mom makes during the holidays is sand tarts.
We have christmas candy instead.
Peanut butter fudge, chocolate fudge (with and without walnuts), bonbons in various flavors (little balls of buttercream centers dipped in chocolate).
We only get these items between Thanksgiving and Christmas. My dad and uncle both complain that they don’t get them otherwise, and mom and aunt both say if we had them all year long it wouldn’t be special.
Plus it’s too darn hot to work with chocolate in the summer!
Abigail, I am partial to Rodelle’s organic vanilla extract. You’re right, good vanilla extract makes a difference.
Jennifer, Christmas candy is just as fun as making Christmas cookies, and perhaps more difficult depending on the recipe. Your mom’s response to your dad and uncle is spot on. I made some good pralines one year – those were easy.
Lindsey – I’m going to try the Eggnog Fudge, Chocolate Swirls, Magic in the Middle, Peppermint Bark, and Snowballs. They are the ones that freeze well so I figured that I could make them this weekend and keep with no problems. May try the others closer to Christmas. I can’t wait!
Lindsey, have you ever tried making your own vanilla extract? I started making my own about 5-6 years ago. Good quality beans and a decent vodka or bourbon(doesn’t have to be top shelf, but I’ve never used bottom of the barrel either) are all it takes! I still keep purchased extract on hand because a new batch can take some time!
Meghan – thanks for sharing that link! The cookies & treats look great. I see some kitchen time in my future…
Sounds like you have a fun weekend ahead, Meghan!
I have not tried it, Maria, but now I think I will because I have some nice vanilla beans at home right now. And some Jim Beam…
I also have Maker’s Mark. I’m sure that would be better…
I made a batch of oatmeal walnut chopped cranberry white chocolate cookies yesterday. If I can keep Hubby out of them they might last til Christmas…
Oh my, you would not be able to keep ME out of those cookies, Kathy!
I had to try the Tropical Fruitcake Cookies today.
Tis the season! Thanks for the recipe Lindsey, for sure I will add it to my collection
We have a cookie exchange tomorrow evening and they looked so good.
They were as you said, very easy to make. Chopping the mango was a bit hard, it is amazing how tough dried mango can be.
I couldn’t find unsweetened coconut so I just used the sweetened kind. Maybe they are sweeter than they should be, but they are quite delicious.
The pineapple glaze on top seemed like overkill but oh well, it is an added sweet treat
David, come to think of it, I don’t know whether I was able to find unsweetened coconut, either. I’m sure it cuts down on the overall sweetness, particularly with the added icing, but like you said – tis the season for special sugary treats! I’m glad you liked the cookies. They’re easy to double.