Decorated cookies: Mincemeat

A deliciously comforting soft baked cookie.

1/4 cup butter; softened

Cookies

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

Christmas Cookies Recipes - Soft Mincemeat Cookies

2 eggs

3/4 cup mincemeat

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray.

In a bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Add in eggs and mincemeat; mix well.

In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; add to the creamed mixture; mixing well. Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts.

Drop by tablespoonfuls 2-inches apart onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool completely.

Makes 48 cookies.

=> Christmas Cookies Recipes: Orange Cookies

A fresh, citrus flavored cookie that will delight everyone.

1 cup shortening

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup buttermilk

3 eggs

2/3 cup orange juice

4 1/2 teaspoons grated orange peel

3 to 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

Cookie Icing

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a bowl, cream together shortening and sugar. Add in the buttermilk, eggs, orange juice and orange peel.

In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture.

Drop by teaspoonfuls 2-inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool. Frost with Cookie Icing.

Cookie Icing

4 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar

1/4 teaspoon orange extract

1/3 to 1/2 cup orange juice

Directions

In a bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, orange extract and enough orange juice to get to the desired consistency. Frost cooled cookies.

Makes 144 cookies.

=> Christmas Cookies Recipes: Mocha Fudge Cookies

A delicious cookie graced with coffee and cocoa flavors.

2 cups butter

4 cups semisweet chocolate chips, divided

3 cups sugar

1 cup baking cocoa

1 tablespoon instant coffee granules

3 cups packed brown sugar

8 eggs, beaten

3 tablespoons vanilla extract

8 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a Dutch oven over low heat, melt butter and and 2 cups of chocolate chips. Remove from heat; stirring until smooth.

In a bowl, combine the sugar, cocoa and coffee; add to butter mixture. Stir in the brown sugar. Stir in the eggs and vanilla.

In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to chocolate mixture. Stir in walnuts and remaining chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2-inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 11 minutes or until edges are set. Let cool.

Makes 222 cookies.

Christmas Cookies Recipes - Soft Mincemeat Cookies

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Because of the spices and the brandy contained in most recipes, mincemeat is better if the fruit is allowed to absorb these flavors over several days. Some recommend three days, while others feel two weeks is better. Just put it together and refrigerate it ahead of time, so you can make the cookies later.

Holiday Cookies - Recipe For Mincemeat Cookies

Double the following mincemeat recipe if you are making a pie. I prefer these bite-sized holiday cookies of stuffed pastry myself. It is a little work, because you have to roll the dough, but then you would roll the dough for a pie as well.

Peal, core and dice up a Granny Smith apple. Chop up and add ½ cup raisins and ¼ cup figs. Stir in ¼ cup of brown sugar, ½ teaspoon orange peel, 2 teaspoon ginger, ½ teaspoon nutmeg and ¼ teaspoon cloves. Add 2 tablespoons of brandy. You may also add ground walnuts if you like. I wait to see what the consistency is going to be and thicken with the nuts if necessary or thin with a little orange juice. You can add cranberries or dates also for variety. To blend or chop more finely (you will be using ½ teaspoons of this filling for the cookies) pulse everything in a food processor.

For the pastry, and trust me it is worth the effort, cream 6 ounces of softened cream cheese with 1 cup of softened real butter. (A less or low fat version of butter does not harden well enough to roll.) Cut in 2 cups of unbleached flour and 2 teaspoons of grated lemon or orange peel. You can use bleached flour, but it tends to be stickier when you roll it out. The dough will be crumbly; knead it until a smooth ball forms. Shape it into a rectangle, cover and refrigerate it until it is firm. An hour should do it. Flatten it more and it will not take as long to firm up.

Roll it out into a 17½ by 12½-inch rectangle and cut it into about 35, 2.5-inch squares. Roll it out on parchment paper for ease in transferring them to a cookie sheet. A pizza cutter works very well. Spoon a ½ teaspoon of the mincemeat into the center of each square. Fold the pastry over it to form a small rectangle and seal the 3 open edges firmly with a fork. If it is not firm enough, they will open while baking. Sprinkling with powdered sugar after they cool makes them look a bit more festive.

Bake these at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 14 to 16 minutes or until the edges are golden. Grease your cookie sheet or use parchment paper. You are going to love these. Do not forget to put a few of them aside as a reward for all your hard work. They melt in your mouth, and you will regret that you did not double the recipe. But then, you should have enough mincemeat to do just that.

Copyright 2011 by Linda K. Murdock. Linda is the author of A Busy Cook's Guide to Flavor-Packed Cookies & Bars. This book includes 63 different flavors with a cookie and bar recipe for each flavor, including Eggnog Cookies, Lime (like key lime pie), Root Beer, Curry Pecan and others. Smaller recipes, easy instructions and readily available ingredients attract busy bakers, who prefer more flavor and less sugar in their desserts. To learn more go to http://bellwetherbooks.com