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• Cookbook Spotlight
• Essential Christmas Baking Supplies
• Recipe: Cranberry Decadent Cookies

• Recipe: Oatmeal Raisin Spice Cookies in Jar
• Baking Tip: Baking Tips for Busy People!
• Thanksgiving recipes

Smells of cinnamon...cookie cutters...rolling and baking...eating dough...warm times with friends and family...Christmas cookies are a universal symbol of sweetness and family tradition at Christmas. But the joy of Christmas cookies goes beyond eating. In Christmas Cookies Are for Giving, Kristin Johnson and Mimi Cummins reawaken the fun of giving Christmas cookies, as they remember doing when they lived next door to each other when young children.

From the original short story "The Giving Christmas Cookie," which shows a family brought together by a special cookie recipe at Christmas, to nearly 50 scrumptious recipes with mouth watering photos, to the timely, easy directions for making homemade "Gifts in a Jar," Christmas Cookies Are for Giving shows that old-fashioned Christmas gifts are an antidote to cynicism about Christmas. The secret to celebrating your family and friends may not be in the mall, but in your pantry where you’ll find the ingredients to make Butterball Santas, Cranberry Decadent Cookies, and Vanillekipferl—The Giving Christmas Cookie.

Give this book as a present, and you may be rewarded when someone you love bakes the goodies in this book for you.

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CRANBERRY DECADENT COOKIES

From the book Christmas Cookies Are for Giving. Dried cranberries and cinnamon transform this reverse chocolate chip cookie into a holiday favorite. The coffee granules enhance the flavor of the chocolate.

2 cups (500 ml) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (125 ml) Dutch process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon (5 ml) ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) baking soda
1/2 cup (125 ml) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup (125 ml) solid vegetable shortening, softened
1/2 cup (125 ml) granulated sugar
1 cup (250 ml) firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
1 teaspoon (5 ml) instant coffee granules
1 cup (250 ml) white chocolate chips
1 cup (250 ml) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup (250 ml) dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease two baking sheets or line them with parchment paper. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, ground cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda, and set aside.

In a large bowl beat butter, shortening, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until fully combined before additions. In a small cup, mix together the vanilla and the coffee until the coffee is dissolved, then add to the butter mixture; beat to combine. Gradually add dry ingredients, mixing until combined. Stir in white chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and dried cranberries.

Drop 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of dough at a time onto baking sheets, spacing cookies about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until firm. Let cool for 1 minute then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in airtight containers at room temperature for up to 1 month. Makes about 48 cookies. These cookies are excellent for shipping.

OATMEAL RAISIN SPICE COOKIES IN A JAR

From the book Christmas Cookies Are for Giving. Think you’re too busy to make homemade gifts this year? Or maybe your recipient is too busy to bake? “Cookies in a Jar” mixes are a great idea for a thoughtful homemade gift that will be appreciated by everyone.

1 cup (250 ml) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon (5 ml) ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon (5 ml) baking soda
1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) salt
1/2 cup (125 ml) granulated sugar
3/4 cup (175 ml) dark brown sugar, firmly packed
2 cups (500 ml) quick cooking oatmeal
3/4 cup (175 ml) raisins

Sift together flour, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, baking soda and salt, then place in the bottom of a 1-quart (1 L) glass mason jar. Tamp down the flour mixture so it is packed in firmly. Add the rest of the ingredients in the order given, making sure to pack down each layer firmly before adding the next. Screw the lid on the jar. Attach the following directions:

Oatmeal Raisin Spice Cookies

Note: Store this jar in a cool, dark place for up to 3 months before using.

contents of this jar
3/4 cup (175 ml) butter or margarine, softened
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract

Pre-heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Empty the jar of cookie mix into a large mixing bowl, blend the mixture thoroughly. Stir in butter or margarine, egg, and vanilla. Mix until completely blended. Shape into balls the size of walnuts. Place 2 inches (5 cm) apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Let cool for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks. Makes 36 cookies.

Baking Tips for Busy People!

As a busy working mother, I’m short on time, especially during the holidays, but baking Christmas cookies is a family tradition I’m unwilling to give up. Over the years, I’ve come up with many ways to make the process of baking a large variety of cookies go much smoother and take less time out of my busy life. You may want to start by checking out my 6-day program for hassle-free Christmas cookie baking. In addition to the 6-step method, I’ve found an efficient way to prepare a large variety of cookie dough with minimum fuss by setting up a cookie assembly line. The best part about this process is that you can make 12 different batches of cookies and only have to wash the dishes once!

This process assumes that you have already chosen your recipes and gone grocery shopping. You will want to use your longest available expanse of countertop for this. My assembly line turns two corners as it winds around my small kitchen, but that is fine.

You may need to make some adjustments depending on your individual recipes, but for most recipes, you can set up your assembly line like so:

Flour Line:

• Large mixing bowl
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Fork for stirring
• Flour
• Baking powder and baking soda
• Salt
• Cocoa powder
• Spices
• Any other dry ingredients that are added to the flour in your recipes

Butter Line

• Another large mixing bowl (or the bowl from your stand mixer)
• A second set of measuring cups and spoons
• Electric mixer
• Wooden spoon
• Rubber spatula
• Butter, shortening, margarine and/or cream cheese
• Sugar (white and brown)
• Eggs
• Vanilla and other extracts
• Chunks such as raisins, nuts, chocolate chips
• Rolled oats
• Any other ingredients that are added to the butter and eggs in your recipes
• Plastic wrap
• Felt-tip marker

To avoid transferring flavors from one recipe to another, you will start with basic recipes that have no spices, chocolate, or other strongly flavored ingredients. Starting with your first recipe, go down the line measuring out the amount of flour, baking powder/soda and salt into one bowl. Then, combine the butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla in your larger bowl as directed. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture. After that, stir in any chunks.

Next, scrape down the edges of the mixing bowl so that it’s fairly clean, shape the dough into a ball, and wrap it in plastic wrap. Identify the recipe by writing its name on the plastic wrap with a felt-tip marker, and refrigerate it. If it is a slice-and-bake refrigerator cookie, form it into a log instead of a ball, according to the directions in your recipe. If you plan to bake much later, you can even freeze the dough. Most cookie doughs freeze very well. Defrost at room temperature while still wrapped in plastic wrap, and unwrap only when dough is thoroughly defrosted. Otherwise condensation could add too much moisture to your dough.

When your first batch of dough is prepared, wrapped, and stored in the refrigerator or freezer, return to the beginning of your assembly line, without washing your dishes, and begin preparing the next batch of dough. When you have prepared all the recipes that contain no spices or cocoa, move on to the recipes that contain cocoa, and finally those that contain spices. This way, you will only have to do dishes once at the end of the process, and you will have several different kinds of dough waiting to be baked

When all your dough is prepared, then you can finally put away all your ingredients, clean up the kitchen, and do your dishes. Now if you plan to finish your baking today, you’ll have lots of space for rolling out your dough or setting out your cooling racks. If you plan to bake another day, you’re done!

Copyright 2003 Mimi Cummins. All Rights Reserved.
Mimi Cummins is co-author of the book “Christmas Cookies Are for Giving: Recipes, Stories, and Tips for Making Heartwarming Gifts.” For more information, excerpts and sample recipes, visit http://www.christmascookiesareforgiving.com

Pumpkin Cookies
Pumpkin Pie Biscotti
Pumpkin Pie Squares
Pumpkin Roll

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