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Christmas Cookie Recipes

  Louis in Cape Town RSA in Cape Town South Africa  Dec 3, 2011
Would make this again.
Just what you need to complete the perfect christmas cookie jar. Will make lots more. Thank you and keep it up 5 stars

  Chef Zach in Florida  Oct 5, 2011
Would make this again.
I made these for my nephews birthday. Fantastic recipe. I upped the brandy an Ounce and doubled the nutmeg. Came out absolutely Phenomenal. 5 stars

  Azucena in Milpitas  Dec 22, 2010
Would make this again.
I have made 3 batches of it, it has been a huge hit with the kiddies, perfect for decorating and easy to handle. 5 stars

  A cookie baker in North Carolina  Dec 21, 2010
Would make this again.
This is a standard type of cookie recipe...sugar, flour, butter. For those who do not want to use brandy, just substitute vanilla.

However, for those who complained about the alcohol content in this recipe...if you have ever made any recipes with real vanilla extract...it is actually made with vodka and a vanilla bean to give the vodka the vanilla flavor. So I don't consider brandy as being too alcoholic for a cookie recipe. 5 stars

  Lisa Marie in Whittier, CA  Dec 19, 2009
Would make this again.
I have been cooking and baking since I could hold a wooden spoon and turn on the stove. I've made many types of recipes using alcohols, Brandy, Cognac, Rum, etc. These tastes are very strong, and if you are not a drinker of these spirits, you may not like their taste in cooking.

I made these cookies both ways, and they were delicious. I don't like having alcohol in items that children can easily get to. AND contrary to some notions, the alcohol is NOT cooked away. The batter never gets hot enough to cook it away, so these cookies could be intoxicating (if you eat dozens of them...).

Some recipes allow for substituting extracts, which when added to the sugar, give the "familiar" taste, but are not so over powering. Most recipes work just fine by omitting the alcoholic ingredient. This may also be a concern if children may be eating the cookies.

I think that many novice bakers forget, or don't know that Alcohol, in this case Brandy, can be a VERY strong flavor. When they taste the final product, they say it tastes "bad." Maybe, for the future, when submitting recipes, we should just advise to omit the alcohol in the recipe as a suggestion to those wary of baking with alcohol, as it usually does not affect the over-all flavor. 5 stars