Welcome to the 4th issue of the 2003 season for the Christmas-Cookies.com newsletter. Scroll down for exclusive recipes, tips on surviving the holidays, product recommendations and more!

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• Recipe: The Holy Grail of Peanut Butter Cookies
• Recipe: Lemon Sugar Cookies
• Recipe: Pistachio Pinwheel Cookie

• Article: Use H-O-L-L-Y to beat Christmas Cooking Stress
• Essential Christmas Baking Supplies
• Archive of baking tips
• Our favorite Christmas cookie recipes

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Triple Peanut Butter Cookies

This is the peanuttiest cookie we've ever tasted! The holy grail of peanut butter cookies.

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter, divided
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening, butter flavored
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup peanut butter morsels

Combine flour, sugar and baking soda in a medium bowl. Cut in 1/2 cup peanut butter and the shortening until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Stir in corn syrup and vanilla. Form dough into a 2-inch diameter log and wrap in plastic wrap. Stand log in a tall glass and place in the refrigerator. This will keep the log from flattening while laying on the refrigerator shelf. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Preaheat oven to 350 F. Place sheets of aluminum foil on the counter, for cooling cookies. Cookies will be very soft coming out of the oven and it is recommended to cool them on foil instead of wire racks. Cut dough into 1/4-inch slices. Place half of the slices 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Spread 1/2 teaspoon of the remaining peanut butter on each slice. Top with remaining slices and seal edges with fork. Tops may crack, this is OK. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Be careful not to overbake. Cool for 2 minutes on baking sheet and then carefully remove to foil to cool completely. When cookies have completely cooled, melt peanut butter chips in the top of a double boiler over low heat. Place melted chips in a resealable plastic bag and snip off a very small corner of the bag. Drizzle over cookies. Allow to cool until set. Store at room temperature in layers separated by sheets of waxed paper.

Lemon Sugar Cookies

A flavorful twist on the traditional sugar cookie. People who find sugar cookies to be bland will like this one!

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
sanding sugar (white or colored)

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg. Stir in flour, lemon juice, zest, baking powder and salt. Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours or until firm. Preheat oven to 350 F. On a floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4" thickness. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Place on ungreased baking sheets and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Allow to cool 2 minutes and transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Pistachio Pinwheel Cookies

submitted by Ronda Grove

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 butter or margarine
1/2 cup shelled, crushed pistachios
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 large egg
green food coloring

On a sheet of waxed paper, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Place shelled pistachios in large resealable plastic bag and beat with rolling pin until crushed. In large bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Beat in flour mixture in small amounts at a time until blended. Divide dough in half and place one half into small bowl. Knead in pistachios by hand and then mix in green food coloring. Place plain dough between two sheets of waxed paper and roll dough into a rectangle. Repeat process with green dough. Refrigerate dough approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Do not over chill or you will not be able to work with the dough. Remove top sheets of waxed paper and turn green dough onto plain dough. Remove top sheet of waxed paper. Roll dough lengthwise removing waxed paper as you go. Wrap log in waxed paper and store in freezer at least one hour until log is firm enough to cut. Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease baking sheets. Remove log from freezer. With a sharp knife, cut 1/4 inch thick sloces. Place slices 1 inch apart on baking sheet. Bake 14 minutes or until golden on edges. Makes 4-1/2 dozen.

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"Use H-O-L-L-Y to Beat Christmas Cooking Stress"

By Kristin Johnson
author of Christmas Cookies Are for Giving: Recipes, Stories and Tips for Making Heartwarming Gifts

What does holly, that untidy traditional greenery you just have to festoon your house with every year, have to do with not tearing your hair out before it's even Thanksgiving? Plenty. You can use H-O-L- L-Y to help you get organized.

1. H: Help
How many times have you tried to do the perfect turkey all by yourself just so your mother-in-law would be impressed? Here's a reality check: (a) If your mother-in-law is any kind of a real
woman, she remembers that her mother-in-law put the exact same pressure on her, and (b) if she's the kind of person who complains because the cranberries come from a can, she's the kind of person
who complains anyway and would be unhappy if she couldn't try to make you look like an incompetent nitwit, and how a woman like that could raise your wonderful husband is beyond everyone. If that husband is such a great guy, get him in the kitchen. Sit down and plan what the two of you really want---he might not want a six-course dinner, which is fine, because you don't either. Get the kids involved. By now some of them are at that stage where they want to show off what they can do "all by myself," and you know that even though you hate your daughter's taste in music, she did make killer stuffing last Thanksgiving. And your son makes a great omelet for Christmas morning. Then there's your sister who loves to chat, so put her to work while you listen to her endless monologue. Electronic help is great too---use a PDA or the family computer to keep a list of recipes and ingredients. There are many great, sometimes free, computer programs available.

2. O: Oh-No
Let's face it. You'll make mistakes. The sugar cookies will burn. You can always "eat" your mistakes and try again---just don't try a new recipe for the first time Christmas Day. In fact, plan for your mistakes. That's right. Most of us spend so much time agonizing over avoiding mistakes we forget that they are going to happen anyway, and not necessarily at our hands. So your best girlfriend Susan brought over deviled ham instead of double chocolate cake...there's a reason we have bakeries, right? Just cheerfully accept the mistake and move on. People can get over a slightly too well-done roast, but they will be downright uncomfortable if you spend the entire dinner moaning about it.

3. L: Love
You know Christmas is the season of love, and you can have as much fun with take-out pizza as you can with an elegant dinner if the company is right. One sure way to recapture love is to bake cookies
together. There's nothing like the sight of kids rolling dough and decorating their works of art.

4. L: Let It Be
Sorry for the Paul McCartney overtones, but once you have your plan in place, stick to it---that doesn't mean you can't compromise slightly. Agonizing over turkey versus tofu causes you to lose your
appetite, and is as harmful to your cooking as disorganization. Sticking to a decision and keeping your plan, no matter what everyone else thinks, gives you peace of mind.

5. Y: You
Remember that there will be stress around the holidays, but that your mind can choose not to give in. You can choose to refuse another beer because "I'm frazzled" or avoid inviting people you really can't stand just because your mind thinks you have an obligation to be popular and kill yourself feeding 25 people. You can throw snowballs, or, if you live in California, go throw some water on the wildfires...just take your mind off your cooking. You'll rediscover just why it is you're cooking and what you love about Christmas.

So that's your H-O-L-L-Y for a happy holiday. And when all else fails, there's chocolate.


Copyright 2003 --- Kristin Johnson is an award-winning writer whose book, Christmas Cookies Are For Giving, co-written with Mimi Cummins, makes a perfect holiday gift! Order now from these fine stores.

• Buying in Bulk by Rachel Paxton
• Hassle-Free Holiday Baking: 6 Easy Days to Perfect Christmas Cookies by Mimi Cummins
• A Cookie Assembly Line by Mimi Cummins

• Cookie Baking Tips by Rachel Paxton
• Decorating Sugar Cookies by Mimi Cummins

• Freezing Cookies and Cookie Dough by Rachel Paxton
• Storing Cookies in Humid Climates by Mimi Cummins

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