Bunny and Carol make...More Cookies!!!

I have seen this event picture for Susan's " Eat Christmas Cookies "on countless blog posts about cookies. Why then did I not submit all the cookies that Carol and I have been baking for the event??? My only excuse is I must have been in a cookie fog or having a very loooong senior moment! Thank you Rachel, The Short (Dis) Order Cook for gently reminding me of the event! I am submitting all the cookies on this post to Susan's Eat Christmas Cookies. Ok, now that my senior moment has passed, ( beam me up Scotty!!) lets Eat Christmas Cookies!!


Bunny made:

Lemon Meltaways



Meltaway...that's the perfect name for these little shortbread type cookies with a slight bit of frosting on them because that's what they do, melt in your mouth when you eat them. The lemon in the cookie and frosting is refreshing, I loved this cookie, and so did my co workers. They were amazed at how light and delicate these cookies were. I couldn't stop eating them ! One wasn't enough, I found myself going back to the plate popping yet another in my mouth, again and again! Sef control is not my strong suit!! Here's the recipe, judge for yourself, but don't say you weren't warned!! LOL!!

Lemon Meltaways
Land O Lakes


Cookie Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, softened
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon peel

Frosting Ingredients:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, softened
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Combine all cookie ingredients in large bowl. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed.Divide dough in half. Shape each half into 8x1-inch log. Wrap each in plastic food wrap. Refrigerate until firm (1 to 2 hours).

Heat oven to 350°F. Cut each log into 1/4-inch slices with sharp knife. Place 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes or until set. (Cookies will not brown.) Cool completely.

Combine all frosting ingredients in small bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until fluffy. Frost cooled cookies.

Recipe Tip Tips for successful Lemon Meltaways:

This cookie is a shortbread-type cookie with a high proportion of butter to flour and sugar. The dough may seem slightly more crumbly. Egg is not an ingredient in this type of cookie.
Be sure to measure all ingredients accurately using the proper measuring cups. For dry ingredients use graduated metal or plastic measuring cups. Spoon the dry ingredient lightly into a measuring cup. Do not tap or shake the cup or scoop the ingredient into the cup. Level off any excess amount by running a straight-edge or table knife across the top.

Use measuring spoons to measure liquids in this recipe rather than tableware spoons for accuracy.

The butter in this recipe should be softened, but not melted. For best results let butter stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before mixing the cookie dough. Or, cut the butter into chunks or pieces for easier mixing. Also, 3/4 cup butter equals 1 1/2 sticks of butter.
If the dough is dry and crumbly after beating, add 1 to 2 tablespoons cream or soft butter, adding 1 tablespoon at a time until dough forms






Zebra Cookies



This is my husbands favorite cookie, a peanut butter cookie with a miniature Reeses Peanut butter cup smack dab in the middle and a semi sweet chocolate glaze drizzled on top. I've made these at Christmas time for years. But in past years I've made it with the refrigerated cookie dough in the dairy section of the grocery store, yes I've cheated , but only because I've never found a peanut butter cookie recipe that made soft cookies. I love soft cookies. This year I wanted to make it from scratch, which I did...I liked the peanut butter cookies this recipe made, really I did, but for THIS cookie the refrigerated cookie dough makes a better cookie. GASP!! How could store bought refrigerator cookies make a better cookie!!!??? I don't know, I'm just telling you the honest truth, for this cookie , it did. Go figure. Don't get me wrong ,the from scratch cookies were good too, But given a choice ,I would rather make them with the....well you know. Don't hurt me *sigh*. IF you decide to cheat and use the refrigerator dough, cut the dough into 12 equal pieces, take a hunk of dough and wrap it around a mini Reeses Peanut butter cup, it'll look like a little ball. Place the ball on a cookie sheet ( don't put more than 6 on a sheet at a time, they spread) and bake at 350 degrees for about 8 to 10 minutes. Keep the rest of the dough cold in the fridge till your ready for it. After the cookies have cooled, melt some semi sweet chocolate in a saucepan adding shortening till you have the consistency for drizzling on top of the cookies. For those who don't want to cheat ,here's the peanut butter cookie recipe I used to make these cookies. I only used 1/2 this batter for the Zebra Cookies as this recipe makes oodles of cookies! The instructions would be the same for the scratch cookies as for the refrigerated cookie dough, just grab enough dough to wrap around the peanut butter cup, it's pretty simple. I baked them at 350 degrees but NOT for 15 minutes, more like 10 minutes. When they puffed up , I took them out of the oven and let them cool on the cookie sheet. Then drizzled with chocolate.

The Last Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe You'll ever Try
RecipeZaar

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter or crunchy peanut butter, your choice
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
3 eggs
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
3 3/4 cups flour
12 ounces peanut butter chips (didn't use these for the Zebra Cookies)
1 cup nuts (optional) (didn't use these)

Directions
1 Cream peanut butter and margarine, add sugars and mix well.
2 Add eggs and mix until creamy.
3 Add remaining ingredients.
4 Chill for one hour-I usually skip this step and chill between batches.
5 Drop by teaspoonful onto cookie sheets- do not flatten.
6 Bake at 325 for 15 minutes. ( I baked at 350 for about 10 minutes)
7 Cool on cookie sheets for about 5 minutes then transfer onto newspaper- the newspaper soaks up extra grease so the cookies don't become crumbly, little trick I learned from my MIL- this is also optional.
8 Immediately after the cookies are completely cooled I always transfer them to an airtight container. Several posters have mentioned the cookies get hard if you leave them out. I have never had that problem - these cookies have always stayed soft and moist if they are stored in an airtight container.

Carol made:

Pecan Pie Cookies

OK, I'll confess....I don't make Pecan Pie....why? Because no one here would eat a whole pie...one or two bites and we're happy. HOWEVER, we LOVE these cookies. It's the best of all worlds....a buttery, brown sugar cookie with a yummy pecan pie-type filling. This is another cookie that graces cookie trays that I take to get togethers or give at Christmas...people love them. And they're so EASY! Oh and get this...in a pinch-if you don't have pecans-they're equally good with walnuts! How do I know that? Trust me....I do....it's that best laid plan thing....the cookie dough is on the sheet, grab the bag of nuts out of the freezer that you SWORE were pecans the last time you looked at them...POOF, the freezer fairy magically transformed them into walnuts! ARGH!!!!! Not to worry-the cookies still taste great!
If you do use your thumb to make the indentation on these cookies, make a good size hole so you can put plenty of the filling in. I never measure the filling when I put it in these....I just eyeball it and even it up until it's all used up.

From Quick and Simple Magazine
PECAN PIE COOKIES

Cookies:

1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder

FILLING:

1 c. pecans, chopped
1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 c. heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine 1 c. brown sugar, butter, egg and 1 tsp. vanilla in a bowl; beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until creamy. Reduce speed; add flour and baking powder and beat well. Shape dough into 1 1/4" balls and place about 2" apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Press your thumb in the center of each to make an indentation (I use my Pampered Chef Tart Tamper-works like a charm!).
Mix all filling ingredients thoroughly in a small bowl and fill each cookie with 1 rounded teaspoon of filling. Bake 8-12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. Makes 36.





After Dinner Mint Cookies




AFTER DINNER MINT COOKIES

I attempt to add one new cookie recipe to my Christmas baking list each year. This is the one I decided on this year. I saw it and thought OH BOY does that sound like a good-and different-cookie. AND IT IS! I love the crushed Oreos in the center-the dough was easy to mix up, they sliced like butter....who could ask for anything more?
A tip I saw on the Food Network really helped me out when making these cookies. I saw Nick Malgieri on one of the shows making a Buche de Noel and he had the neatest trick for rolling the cake up after it was filled. I've used it when making Cinnamon Rolls and Pinwheel Cookies and it works slick every time. Once you get your cookie dough filled and rolled, take a clean sheet of waxed paper and lay it on the counter with the short side facing you. Place the roll of cookie dough on the far end of the piece of waxed paper and wrap the waxed paper up and over the top of the roll with a long enough piece of it laying over it for you to grab. Take a flat cookie sheet or any pan with a long, flat, straight edge and lay it on top of the waxed paper flap and up against the roll of dough, holding the cookie sheet at a 45 degree angle. Grab the piece of waxed paper that's laying under the cookie sheet (the one that's folded over the roll of dough). Pull the waxed paper towards you while at the same time pressing the cookie sheet against the roll of dough, keeping pressure on the cookie sheet. The dough will roll inside the waxed paper and tighten up so that each layer compresses against itself and the roll gets nice and tight, holding your filling in. Keep pulling the paper and pressing that cookie sheet against the roll of dough (still holding it at about a 45 degree angle) until the paper is completely off the dough. This works SO well at getting pinwheel cookie rolls nice and evenly rolled!
Another tip-to keep your cookie rolls round when they're chilling overnight, save a couple empty paper towel rolls. Cut them up the middle. Lay the roll of cookie dough inside the cylinder; take a couple rubber bands and secure the roll around the cookie dough if the roll won't stay shut. Place in the refrigerator in the cardboard tube and you won't have to worry about your cookie dough roll flattening out on the bottom or if you have racks in your fridge, you won't get the lines in the dough-the cardboard will protect the dough!
These cookies are minty, chocolatey....just plain GOOD!
Adapted from a Cookie Club email, recipe submitted to them by Shelly Gresham

AFTER DINNER MINT COOKIES

3/4 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 egg
1/2 tsp. mint extract
A few drops of green food coloring
2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. finely crushed chocolate sandwich cookies with white filling (like Oreos) (about 6 cookies)
1 c. semisweet chocolate chips and 1 tsp. shortening (optional)

Beat butter in a large mixing bowl on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and baking powder; beat until combined. Beat in egg, mint extract and enough food coloring to tint the dough light to medium green. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with your mixer. Stir in any remaining flour by hand with a wooden spoon.

Divide the dough in half. Cover and chill for about 1 hour, or until easy to handle.
Roll one half of the dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper into an 8"x7" rectangle. Peel off the top sheet of waxed paper. Sprinkle half of the crushed cookies evenly onto the dough to within 1/4" of all sides; press lightly into dough. Roll up, jelly-roll style, starting from one short end, removing bottom sheet of waxed paper as you roll; pinch seams to seal. Repeat with remaining dough and crushed cookies. Wrap rolls in waxed paper or plastic wrap. Chill for 4 hours or until firm (I chilled the rolls overnight).

Remove one roll of dough from the refrigerator; unwrap and reshape slightly, if necessary. Cut dough into 1/4" thick slices. Place 2" apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Repeat with remaining dough. Bake @ 375 degrees for 8-9 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

If desired, melt chocolate chips and shortening in a heavy saucepan over low heat; drizzle over cookies.
Makes about 3 1/2 dozen.