Favorite Christmas Cookie Recipes
/
Molasses cookies—love this recipe, and I’m not usually a spice cookie fan! Photography: Rachel Cuthbert Photography
It’s December 22, and I’m finally ready to begin baking. I like to save my Christmas baking until I’ve finished all of my holiday shopping, and I’m ready to hang out in the kitchen, listen to Christmas music or play a well loved holiday movie in the background. These are some of my favorite moments right before the flurry of relatives & friends descend for Christmas. And I do have a very specific repertoire that is in my rotation: Italian knot cookies from this cookbook, lemon drop cookies, pizzelles, chocolate and vanilla biscotti, thumbprint cookies with raspberry filling & Russian teacakes are a few of my favorites!
The following molasses cookie has become a new holiday favorite. And honestly, I’ve never been a huge fan of gingerbread or spice cookies, but this molasses cookie is delicious. It’s from one of my favorite baking cookbooks, “A Collection of Mrs. R’s Old Fashioned Recipes.” Mrs. R Old Fashioned Bakery was located in Pentwater, MI, and when Mrs. R. closed shop, in 2014, she compiled some of her favorites in a spiral bound book that is unfortunately no longer in print. I did, however, get permission to publish the following recipe:
Molasses Cookies
(reprinted with permission)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a mixing bowl with a paddle attachment, combine:
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/3 cups canola oil
1/2 cup molasses (recipe suggests using a brand with a mild taste, but of course this is a preference. Adjust accordingly)
2 eggs
4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt (scant)
Mix above ingredients well in your mixer. While mixer is still turning, add:
4 cups flour (one cup at a time)
When thoroughly mixed, form into balls (about the size of ping-pong balls) and roll in a small bowl of granulated sugar before placing on a greased or parchment papered cookie sheet. Leave the cookies in a ball. Do not flatten.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until the tops of the cookies begin to crack. Cool for about 5 minutes before removing from the cookie sheet onto a cooling rack. If cookies are too thick, take away a couple of tablespoons. Don’t be afraid to “tweak” your cookies to fit your preference.
Makes about 30 cookies that are 4 inches in diameter.
If you’ve followed along for any time, you know that my Italian heritage deeply influences my cooking & baking. For the holidays, I favor more traditional Italian confections. The following are a handful of links to recipes, cookbooks, & cookie inspiration:
From left to right: Lemon Drop cookies, Chocolate Almond Biscotti, Cranberry Nut Biscotti, Grandma’s Pizzelles, Italian Knot Cookies Photography: Rachel Cuthbert Photography
My grandmother’s pizzelle recipe.
Sweet Maria’s Italian Cookie Tray. This was gifted to me by my best friend, Monica, as a wedding gift. She’s my Italian counterpart, and knows the importance of a good, Italian cookie tray! In particular, I love the Italian Knot Cookies, Lemon Drop Cookies and Chocolate Butter Cookies. My aunt also makes her Pignoli recipe from this cookbook. Delish! Finally, you can check out a few of her recipes via her bakeries website—the Lemon Drop cookie recipe is one of my favorites.
What are some of your favorite holiday cookies? Please share! Wishing you a wonderful holiday as you enjoy time with your friends and fami!y. Buon Natale! Jen
