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information, see the bottom of this message.
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In this issue:
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* Get 15% off quality bakeware and cooks tools now!
* Get unique cookie cutters for fabulous sugar cookies
* Recipe for the best sugar cookies
* Recipe for Royal Icing
* New recipes at Christmas-cookies.com
* Tips on shipping Christmas cookies as gifts
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--15% off Christmas bakeware from Cooking.com!
From now until November 26, get 15% off selected Christmas baking products
from Cooking.com and Christmas-cookies.com. Just use coupon code C88972 at
checkout. Items include:
* Gingerbread House Mold: Reg $29.95; $25.46 with coupon
* Cookie Press: Reg $14.99; $12.74 with coupon
* Non-stick baking mat: Reg $19.95; $16.96 with coupon
* KitchenAid Stand Mixer: Reg $429.95 Sale $369.95
* Also items for bread, pie, and cake baking and decorating items
For more information or to order, go to
http://www.christmas-cookies.com/bakeware-sale.html
-- You can never have enough cookie cutters!
Many people have asked where is the best place to purchase cookie cutters
online. Christmas-cookies.com knows! We have searched the web and have
found that GoldasKitchen.com has the best assortment of cookie cutters –
and
other specialty baking items – hands down. To see Golda’s fabulous
assortment just go to
http://www.goldaskitchen.com/merchant.ihtml?id=40&step=3&AffNo=916057519
-- The Best Sugar Cookie
Sugar cookies are one of the most requested recipes at
Christmas-cookies.com. We have tried many, many different sugar cookie
recipes and are going to share our favorite with you here. The recipe is
very simple, but what makes it special is the tender, flakey texture and a
buttery taste. Be sure to use real butter!
Sugar Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
Blend butter & sugar until fluffy. Add egg & vanilla, mix until just
combined. Add flour & baking powder in intervals. Dough will seem as if
doesn't have enough moisture but continue to mix with mixer until combined.
Shape into disk & wrap in plastic wrap & put in refrigerator until firm.
Preheat oven to 375F. Roll out dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper. Cut
out with cookie cutters and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake
for 7-8 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool for one minute and then transfer
to wire rack. Allow cookie sheet to cool thoroughly before placing uncooked
dough on it. Decorate cookies with Royal icing and sprinkles. Can be stored
in freezer undecorated for 2 months. You can also freeze the uncooked dough
for up to 2 months. Let thaw at room temperature before rolling out, but
make sure it is still cold.
-- Royal Icing
1 pound powdered sugar
5 tablespoons meringue powder, 2 egg whites, or enough pasteurized egg
whites to equal 2 egg whites
Combine powdered sugar and meringue powder or egg whites in the bowl of an
electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Set on low speed. Add 1/2
cup water drop by drop. For a thinner consistency, usually used as
foundation, add more water. A thicker consistency is generally used for
further embellishing. Beat until the mixture holds a ribbonlike trail on the
surface for five seconds when you raise the paddle. Makes 6 cups. Note: Raw
eggs should not be used in food prepared for pregnant women, babies, young
children, or anyone whose health is compromised.
-- New Recipes at Christmas-Cookies.com
We have recently added some fabulous new recipes! The newest additions are:
Kourambiethes (a Greek cookie)
http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/recipe.php?recid=271
Cranberry Almond Chocolate Biscotti
http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/recipe.php?recid=269
Chocolate Cherry Biscotti
http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/recipe.php?recid=153
Christmas Berry Mocha Fudge
http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/recipe.php?recid=256
Cranberry Fudge
http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/recipe.php?recid=255
Eggnog Fudge
http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/recipe.php?recid=257
-- Tips on Shipping Christmas Cookies
Select cookies that are soft or moist. Brittle or crispy cookies could
break and crumble in transit. Bar cookies (recipes:
http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/category.phtml?catid=6)
and drop
cookies (recipes:
http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/category.phtml?catid=1)
are the
best shippers. Sugar cookies break much too easily, and their different
shapes make them hard to pack.
Pack the cookies properly by wrapping them together in short stacks of 5 or
6 using plastic wrap. Place them in snug rows inside a sturdy box or cookie
tin lined with bubble wrap or crumpled tissue paper. Insulate each layer of
cookies with bubble wrap or tissue paper. Make sure that there is plenty of
packing material inside your container so that the cookies don't move
around. They should be snugly secure but not squeezed in tight.
Place your container inside another box for mailing. Make sure that packing
material surrounds the container to prevent it from getting crushed in case
the outer box is damaged in transit. Do not use real popcorn (the kind you
eat) as packing material because this could get moldy if the box gets wet in
transit – a likely situation in winter. The Styrofoam kind is better.
Finally, if you can afford the extra expense, ship them overnight! If you
are shipping from one country to another, you must ship them via an express
courier such as FedEx or they could take weeks to arrive. For domestic
delivery, if you don't wish to ship the cookies overnight, make sure that
they are sent airmail and not surface. When shipping Christmas cookies,
take into account the extra delay that the post office experiences during
the holiday season.