Christmas Cookies

Here are the highlights of Christmas baking with the kids - such a fun tradition!

Rolling out sugar cookies with Grandma!

Nutter Butter "Snowmen" (most look like aliens - on purpose!)

Mom made me Date Nut Balls - delicious!

The kids made cream cheese mints. How these came to be a Christmas tradition, I'll never know.

Drizzling the Coated Cookie Drops! What a fun mess!

These are always the first to go!

Sugar Cookies (cut-out)

Ingredients:

2/3 C shortening
¾ C sugar
½ t. grated orange peel
½ t. vanilla
1 ½ t. baking powder
1 egg
4 t. milk
2 C flour
¼ t. salt

Preheat oven to 350-375 degrees. Thoroughly cream shortening, sugar, orange peel & vanilla. Add egg; beat until fluffy. Stir in milk. Sift together dry ingredients; blend in creamed ingredients. Divide dough in half, flatten somewhat into circle, cover in plastic wrap and chill 1 hour. On lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8” Cut in desired shapes with cookie cutters. Baked on greased cookie sheet about 6-8 min. Cool slightly. Remove from pan. Cool and then decorate.

These are good without frosting!

Serving: 2 dozen
Recipe Given By: Mom Underhill

Date Nut Balls

Mix and bring to a boil, then cool:

1 stick butter

¾ C sugar

1 lb. dates, cut

Mix together:

1 beaten egg

1 t. vanilla

1 T. milk

½ t. salt

Then add to the above mixture, boil 2 min.

Add:

½ C nuts

2 C rice krispies

Form balls and roll in flaked coconut.

Recipe Given By: Mom Underhill/Amy Richardson

Crumbly Apple Pie

Crumbly Apple Pie

Crust:
1 C flour
½ t. salt
1/3 C chilled vegetable shortening
¼ C ice water

Filling:
7 medium Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, or Gravenstein apples, peeled, cored, and very thinly sliced
½ C sugar
1 t. cinnamon
¼ t. ground nutmeg
¼ t. salt
(I add a little flour – 1 or 2 T.)

Topping:
¾ C firmly packed dark brown sugar (I used light)
¾ C flour
½ t. ground nutmeg
1/3 C chilled butter, cut into small pieces

Place oven rack in lowest position. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

To prepare the crust, in a med bowl, mix together flour and salt. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut shortening into flour mixture until coarse crumbs form.

Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork, until a dough forms. Shape into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for 30 min.

On a floured surface, using a floured rolling pin, roll dough into a 12” circle. Fit into a 9” pie pan. Trim excess dough, leaving a 1” overhang; make a decorative edge.

To prepare filling, mix together all ingredients. Spoon into crust.

To prepare topping, in a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, flour and nutmeg. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut butter into brown sugar mixture until coarse crumbs form. Sprinkle apples evenly with topping.

Bake pie until topping is lightly browned and filling is bubbly, 35 min. If pie is overbrowning, cover loosely with aluminum foil. Transfer to a wire rack.

Recipe Given By: Great American Home Baking

Hint: Most of the time I use a prepackaged crust, but I included this crust recipe because it's tasty, as well.