Christmas is a time of family, fun, and food. And by food, I mean all those wonderful baked goodies that are miraculously calorie-free during this one very special time of the year. (That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it!)
Growing up, one of the special treats I looked forward to every year was my grandmother’s shortbread. We would go to my grandparents’ house every year for Christmas, meet up with the cousins, play card games and board games, and eat the goodies strategically placed around the house. I always hunted down the shortbread. It was usually kept in a pink glass dish in the sitting room. The cookies looked very plain an unassuming. No colorful frosting or decorations. No fancy shapes. Just strips about 1 inch wide and 3 inches long. They were a little dry, but oh so sweet and tasty. I quickly became addicted.
A couple years ago, I finally decided to try to make some shortbread of my own for Christmas. I found a recipe on the Food Network, and dressed them up a little bit with cookie-cutter shapes and a dash of chocolate. I tasted the first batch, and all those memories of Christmases past came flooding back. I quickly indoctrinated my children into the tradition as well.
This past weekend, I broke out the flour, butter, and sugar and brought the memories alive once again. We’ve already eaten far too many, but I have it on good authority that the Christmas calorie fairy is at work, so I think we’re in good shape.
What are your favorite Christmas goodies?
Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients:
3/4 pound (1 1/2 cups) butter softened to room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
6-7 oz semisweet chocolate
Directions:
Mix together the butter and sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla and mix again. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt. Gradually add to butter mixture until dough forms. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk, about 1-inch thick. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes, until firm but still pliable.
Roll the dough 1/2-inch thick on a lightly floured surface and cut with a 3-by-1-inch finger-shaped cutter (or other more Christmasy shape). Place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet. (I like to use parchment paper so there is no sticking. Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature.
When cool, set cookies on parchment paper. Put chocolate in a glass bowl (I use chocolate chips) and microwave on high power for 30 seconds. Stir with a wooden spoon. Continue to heat and stir in 30-second increments until the chocolate is just melted. Stir until completely smooth. Drizzle or dip 1/2 of each cookie with just enough chocolate to coat it. (I used the wooden spoon to apply the chocolate.) Place the cookie back on the parchment-lined baking sheet and let stand at room temperature until the chocolate has firmed up, about 20 minutes.
Enjoy!
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Karen, thanks for your post today. I will say that my favorite Christmas treat is Italian Anise cookies – I haven’t made them in years and they are a lot of work. But I love them. I have shared your post on my Treasure the Quiet Moments blog series on Facebook today.
Thanks for the share, Jeanne. Those Italian Anise cookies sound fancy and delicious. 🙂
My mother used to make shortbread cookies and just have them round and she would put a green or red cherry in center of each cookie. Boy they were good. I think it was the butter that made them so good. Real butter, not margarine!
Oh, yes. I definitely use the real butter. Much richer flavor and a better consistency for the dough. Glad you share my love for shortbread, Shirley!
Chocolate peanut clusters. 1 bag of Wilton’s melting chocolate & one can of Spanish peanuts (Planters) melt the chocolate in a pan over boiling water. Once melted, stir in peanuts, then spoon out onto wax paper & let them sit in a cool area. Then pick them up & add to a candy tin to share with others. Of course you will have to do a taste test before delivery. ENJOY!
What a perfectly easy recipe, Betty! I love easy. And chocolate. And nuts. Ha! This sounds like a winner!
Monkey bread is a holiday favorite at our house. It brings back memories of sitting on the counter with my sisters rolling little bits of dough in the sugar and cinnamon mix. So yummy!
Those memories are the best. Not only sharing in the eating, but in the making as well. Thanks for sharing, Brittaney. 🙂