kattitudes

Oh my, I absolutely love white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. They are just divine. I was actually glad when it turned out that migraines drove me away from chocolate because these could actually cause me damage. Long term damage. Oh goodness they are gooood. If you are stuck on which mix in a jar to make up, I really encourage you to try this one. It is really a treat. You will absolutely love it!

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups white sugar
1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts
3 ounces coarsely chopped white chocolate
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Layer ingredients and store in airtight container.

Attach a tag with the following instructions:

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookie Mix

Combine the following until well blended:
1 package mix
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg slightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla

Shape into walnut sized balls and place 2 inches apart on sprayed cookie sheets.
Bake at 375F degrees for 12 to 14 minutes until tops are very lightly browned.

Make these cookies 2 weeks in advance. Springerle cookies are prepared then left to dry overnight before baking.

Ingredients:

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon anise extract
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs on high speed of electric hand-held mixer until light and fluffy. Add sugar; beat at high speed for 15 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in anise extract. Gradually beat in flour and baking soda, beating until well mixed.

Chill dough for 1 to 2 hours. On a well-floured surface, roll out dough into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick.

Roll springerle rolling pin over dough or press with springerle mold. Cut dough around the pattern with a sharp knife.

Place on greased cookie sheets. Roll out scraps and repeat.

Let cookies stand overnight to dry.

Preheat oven to 375°. Place cookie sheets in the preheated oven; reduce heat to 300°.

Bake springerle for 25 to 30 minutes, until slightly golden on bottoms, but white on top. Let cookies cool on wire racks. Store in a tightly covered container for 2 to 3 weeks. Do not freeze.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
32 mini Reeses peanut butter cups candies

Layer ingredients and store in airtight container.

Attach a tag with the following instructions:

Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Mix

1 jar mix (take out candies and set aside)
3/4 cup softened butter
1 egg slightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine all ingredients (except candy) in good size bowl and mix well. Once mixed, drop by big spoonfuls on greased baking sheets.

Press peanut butter cups into each spoonful on the cookie sheets. Bake in 350 F oven for 12-14 minutes.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon powdered vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 butterfinger bars (broken into little pieces)

Layer ingredients and store in airtight container.

Attach a tag with the following instructions:

Butterfinger Cookie Mix

1 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1 jar mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine mix, butter and eggs and mix well until combined. Shape into small 1 inch balls, pressing them down with a fork. Bake at 350 F for 10-12 on greased cookies sheets

Ingredients:

1-1/4 cups butter
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375°F.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars at medium high speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla.

Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add flour mixture gradually and beat well.

Shape dough into small log and place in cookie press. Press cookie onto cool ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake at 375°F for 10-12 minutes. Remove from sheet and cool.

Store in airtight container at cool room temperature for several weeks.

For next year, know that you can freeze these for up to two months, which means you can get your baking done well in advance of the holiday season.

Ingredients:

* 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
* 3/4 cup granulated sugar
* 1/2 cup shortening
* 1 large egg
* 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

In a large mixing bowl with electric mixer, cream butter, shortening, and sugar until fluffy. Add egg; beat well. Add almond extract.

Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add to creamed mixture gradually.

Press cookies 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for about 7 to 8 minutes. Cool butter cookies on a wire rack.

These cookies, make with a cookie press, taste tangy and tart with a refreshing lemony flavor.

Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 sticks butter, softened (12 tablespoons or 6 ounces)
* 1 tbsp lemon juice, at room temperature
* 1 tsp lemon peel, finely grated
* 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
* 1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven at 350°. In a mixing bowl, combine butter or margarine, lemon juice, and lemon peel. In another mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Mix wet ingredients with dry ingredients just until moistened.

Spoon dough into a cookie press with desired template in place. Press cookies about 2″ apart onto lightly greased or sprayed baking sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or lightly browned.

Spritz cookies or cookie press cookies are quintessential Christmas cookies. Rarely a Christmas passes that a package of these do not end up at the house and I know that I have actually worn out a cookie press in my time making them each year for others.

The variations on the basic spritz cookie recipe are endless, and adding a drop or two of food coloring in the different batters is also traditional (it is a great way to tell the different flavors apart). These cookies are a lot of fun to make and honestly, pretty hard to completely ruin. They are great for a beginner and if you do not have a cookie press yet, you might want to consider investing in one.

The cookie presses come with disks that fit in the end of the tube that you fill with cookie dough. Each disk makes a different cookie shape. I always forget which disk makes which shape cookie, so I always have to reference this photo to remember which disk to use. Now you can use the same picture to pick which shapes you want to include in your Christmas cookie packages.

Ingredients:

* 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
* 3/4 cup granulated sugar
* 1/2 cup shortening
* 1 large egg
* 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large mixing bowl with electric mixer, cream butter, shortening, and sugar until fluffy. Add egg; beat well. Add almond extract.

Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add to creamed mixture gradually.

Press cookies 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for about 7 to 8 minutes. Cool butter cookies on a wire rack.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup dried cranberries or cherries
3/4 cup shelled green pistachios
2 cups all purpose unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup sugar

Layer ingredients and store in airtight container.

Attach a tag with the following instructions:

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti Mix

Combine the following until well blended:
1 package mix
1/3 cup butter
2 eggs

Divide into 2 loaves on cookie sheet, chilling if necessary to make dough easier to handle. Each loaf should be about 9 inches long and 2 inches wide.

Bake at 375°F for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on sheet for 1 hour.

Cut each loaf diagonally into 1/2 inch thick slices using a serrated (bread) knife. Place slices on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 325°F for 8 minutes, then turn over and bake for 8-10 minutes more or until dry and crisp. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

This is an interesting taste combination. The orange zip of the astronaut’s Tang Drink (and if you do not get that reference, go read your American space race history, starting in the 1960s) tastes great combined with the vanilla of the chips as opposed to the ubiquitous flavor of chocolate chips that always go into everything.

Of course, having said that, if you cannot find vanilla, white chocolate would make a great counterpoint to the orange flavor.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Tang Instant Breakfast Drink powder
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups vanilla chips
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Layer ingredients and store in airtight container.

Attach a tag with the following instructions:

Tangy Cookie Mix

1 package cookie mix
1/2 cup softened butter
1 egg slightly beaten
1 tsp. Vanilla Mix

Roll heaping tablespoonfuls into balls. Place 2 inches apart on a lightly greased baking sheet.

Bake at 375F degrees for 12 to 14 minutes or until tops are very lightly browned. Cool 5 minutes on cookie sheet.