The Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies

It is that time of year, when everyone starts to bake. From the Fruitcakes, to nut rolls, to the fabulous cookie trays. I started baking when I started to work at a hospital years ago, when we did cookie exchanges, from that point on I have improved in many ways, so with you I going to share with a guide on twelve different cookies you can use for your holiday treats.

On the first day of Christmas we will make:
Almond Snowball Cookies
3/4 cup sliced almonds
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, sliced and softened (1 1/2 sticks)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 cup confectioners' sugar
Pulse the almonds and sugar in a food processor until very finely ground. Add the butter and process until smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape the dough off the inside of the bowl, if needed. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and pulse to combine. Add the flour and salt and pulse to make a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a large piece of waxed paper and roll into a log about 15 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Cut the chilled dough into 1/2-inch pieces and roll by hand into balls. Space the cookies evenly on the prepared baking sheets and bake until slightly golden, rotating the sheets once, 15 to 20 minutes. Put the confectioners' sugar in a pie plate. Briefly cool the cookies on a rack, then gently toss in the confectioners' sugar until evenly coated. Return to rack, cool to room temperature, and then toss again in the confectioners' sugar

On the second day of Christmas
Devil's Food Cookies
1 box (18 1/4 ounces) devil's food cake mix
2 eggs
1/4 cup hot coffee or hot water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces
1 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup bits of chocolate-toffee candy
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine cake mix, eggs, coffee, oil and flour in large bowl. Beat on low speed until all ingredients are moistened; then beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Dough will be sticky. Fold in chocolate pieces, pecans and candy until evenly distributed. Using about half of the batter, drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart.
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for 4 to 5 minutes or until firm. With a metal spatula, transfer the cookies to the wire rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve slightly warm or store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

On the Third day of Christmas
Kahlua Chocolate Chunk Cookies
1 package dry chocolate chip cookie mix, 1 pound 1 1/2 ounces, found on baking aisle
7 tablespoons softened butter
1 large egg, beaten
4 tablespoons Kahlua or other coffee liqueur
3 tablespoons instant espresso or instant coffee crystals
1 tablespoon ground coffee beans
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chunks (recommended: Ghiradelli brand)
4 ounces walnut pieces
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Place racks in center of oven. In a mixing bowl, make a well in the center of dry chocolate chip cookie mix. Add softened butter, egg, Kahlua, instant coffee and ground coffee, chocolate chunks and walnuts. Mix well to combine all ingredients into cookie dough. Scoop with a small scoop or by heaping tablespoons and drop cookies 2 inches apart on ungreased nonstick cookie sheet or sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake cookies in batches 9 to 11 minutes or until crisp and browned at edges. Transfer to wire rack to cool and serve.

On The fourth day of Christmas
Decorated Spice Cookies
Spice-cookie dough:
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon each ground nutmeg and salt
1/4 teaspoon each ground allspice and cloves
1 1/2 cups butter or margarine, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a large bowl mix flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, allspice and cloves until blended. In another large bowl beat butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add flour mixture, beating until well blended. Divide dough in thirds. Shape each into a ball and flatten to a 1-inch-thick round. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour or until firm enough to roll. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Have cookie sheets ready. On a lightly floured surface roll one third of the dough at a time (keep remainder refrigerated) to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut dough in desired shapes with floured 3-inch cookie cutters. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. (Chill and reroll scraps.) Bake about 12 minutes or until cookies are golden on undersides and edges are just starting to brown. Cool completely on sheet on wire rack. Ice and decorate as desired. Let stand until icing hardens, about 2 hours.

On the Fifth day of Christmas
Butter Spritz Cookies
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups sifted flour
Sprinkles for garnish
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a mixer with a paddle attachment, add the sugar and the butter. Mix until light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla and almond extracts and mix to incorporate. Sift together the baking powder and the flour. Add the flour mixture. Mix until combined. Using a cookie press, press cookies onto ungreased cookie sheets. Top with the sprinkles of your choice. Bake for 5 to 8 minutes, or until firm, but not yet browning.
On the sixth day of Christmas
Kolachky Cookies
2 sticks margarine, softened
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups flour
1 (12-ounce can) pureed fruit filling
Powdered sugar, for garnish
In a large bowl blend margarine and cream cheese together, by hand with a metal spoon. Slowly add flour until it is all incorporated and a dough is formed. The dough will be soft and sticky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put in refrigerator overnight, or for several hours (until hard to the touch).
Flour the countertop. Take a handful of dough out of bowl returning the unused portion to the refrigerator (continue this process until all mixture is used). Roll handful of dough out into an approximately 1/4-inch thickness. Take a 2 by 3-inch diamond shaped cookie cutter, and cut as many diamonds as possible (size of kolachky should be two bites, so the cutter cannot be large). Take leftover dough and roll out again, cutting more diamonds. Repeat until all the dough is used.
Place the diamond cut out onto the palm of hand. Put a 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of fruit filling (apricot or strawberry or raspberry or prune flavors) into the center of the diamond shape.
Dip your finger in a little bit of water, put on one side of diamond. Fold lengthwise and seal the tops of the kolachky together to create a 3-dimensional diamond shape. Place on cookie sheets and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 to12 minutes.
DO NOT USE Super heat cookie sheets or any of the new non-stick coated cookie sheets. They will bake too quickly and burn the bottoms of the kolachky before you realize it. YOU MUST USE ANY KIND OF CHEAP COOKIE SHEETS usually bought at a grocery store. Cover the cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper. Do not grease the foil.
Look at your kolachky every few minutes, while baking, as ovens vary in heat distribution. The later batches may cook faster than the first ones. Check the BOTTOMS of the kolachkys. They are done when the BOTTOMS are soft golden brown. The tops may not look done, but they ARE! Remove from oven, wait 3 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack. When ready to serve, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

On the seventh day of Christmas
Coconut Guava Thumbprint Cookies
1 1/4 cups grated sweetened coconut
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup guava
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Place the grated coconut in a shallow bowl and set aside.
Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and oats in a large mixing bowl.
In another bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Then beat in the egg and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and mix just until combined.
To shape cookies, roll the batter between your hands to form balls the size of a large walnut. Roll in the grated coconut to coat, then place on the cookie sheet and flatten to 2 inch circles with the palm of your hand. With your thumb, make a depression in the center of each and fill with a generous teaspoon of jam. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until lightly browned. Transfer to racks to cool.

On the eight day of Christmas
Meringue Cookies ("Forgotten Kisses")
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
2/3 cup superfine granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or finely chopped semisweet chocolate
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until fluffy but not at all dry. (Be careful not to over beat.) Add the sugar gradually, about 3 tablespoons at a time. When 1/2 of the sugar has been added, add the vanilla extract. Continue beating and adding remaining sugar in batches, until all of the sugar is dissolved and the meringue is very shiny and tight. Gently fold in the chocolate chips and chopped nuts. Working one teaspoon at a time, push a teaspoonful of meringue from the tip of 1 teaspoon with the back of another teaspoon onto the lined baking sheets, leaving 1-inch of space between cookies. Place baking sheets in the preheated oven and turn the oven off. Leave the cookies (undisturbed) in the oven for at least 2 hours and up to overnight, or until cookies are crisp and dry.

On the ninth day of Christmas
Swedish Christmas Cookies
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks), at room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Colored sanding sugars or chopped toasted pecans
Whisk the flour, cardamom, and salt in a bowl.
Put the butter and confectioners' sugar in a food processor, and process until smooth. Pulse in the egg, vanilla, and lemon zest until combined. Add the flour mixture and process to make a soft buttery dough. Divide dough in half onto 2 (12-inch long) sheets of plastic wrap, using the plastic, shape into rough logs. Refrigerate the dough logs for 30 minutes until just firm enough to shape into uniform logs, 8-inches long by 2-inches in diameter. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Scatter either the sanding sugars or toasted nuts on a work surface and roll the logs until completely coated. Cut into 1/4-inch thick cookies and space about 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until golden around the edges, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool cookies on the pan on wire racks. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

On the tenth day of Christmas
Butter Toffee Cookies
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup salted butter
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups toffee pieces (home-made butter toffee or store-bought bits)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Sift together flour and baking soda. Cream together butter, sugar, and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time. Add toffee pieces to mixture. Mix creamed mixture and dry mixture together. Use rounded tablespoon to measure dough. Place dough at least 2 inches apart on baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

On the eleventh day of Christmas
Italian Fig Cookies
Filling:
2 cups dried figs, hard tips discarded
1 1/2 cups dried dates, pitted
1 cup raisins
3/4 cup whole almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped
3/4 cup whole walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup brandy
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh orange zest
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
For Dough:
4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 egg white beaten with 1 tablespoon water for egg wash
Colored sprinkles, for decorating
To make the filling, in a food processor, combine the figs, dates and raisins and process to finely chop. Place the mixture in a medium bowl, add remaining filling ingredients and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
To make the dough, in a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and whisk to combine. Add the butter and blend with your fingertips until most of mixture resembles coarse meal.
In a medium bowl, beat the egg, milk and vanilla together. Add to the dry mixture and stir to make a rough dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. Cut the dough into 4 pieces, cover, and refrigerate for 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease 2 large baking sheets.
On a lightly floured surface, one at a time, roll out each piece of dough into a 12-inch square. Cut the dough into 4 by 3-inch rectangles. Spoon 2 tablespoons of filling down the center of each rectangle. Fold the long sides of each rectangle inward to the center to enclose the filling; pinch the edges to seal. Turn the cookies seam-sides down and press gently to flatten the seams. With a floured knife, cut the logs crosswise into 1 1/2-inch-wide slices and arrange 1/2-inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Brush with egg wash and decorate with colored sprinkles. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Transfer to wire racks to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature

On the twelve day of Christmas

Godiva Chocolate Pecan Caramel Cookies
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 ounces chopped dark chocolate (recommended: 2 (1.5 ounce) Godiva Dark Chocolate Bars)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
18 pieces chocolate or vanilla caramels (recommended: Godiva chocolate or vanilla caramels)
Special Equipment: 1 (2-ounce) ice cream scoop, 1 or 2 half-sheet pans, parchment paper
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the sugars and butter together until fluffy, using either an electric mixer or by hand. When mixture is light and fluffy, add egg, and beat to incorporate. Add vanilla and beat to incorporate.
In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients slowly to butter mixture and mix to thoroughly combine until a soft dough is formed. Stir in chopped chocolate and pecan pieces until blended.
With a (2-ounce) ice cream scoop, scoop cookie dough and place 1 caramel into the bottom of each cookie, using extra dough to cover the caramel so that it is not visible. Lightly press each cookie onto the sheet pan or baking sheet, in rows of 3 by 4. Repeat until no dough remains. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until cookies are golden on top. More baking time may be needed, depending on your oven

And now you have had your twelve days of cookies, enjoy!