I enjoy baking, but I rarely make the time for it. Except at Christmas. I still don’t do a lot of baking, but I always make at least a few yummy goodies to have on hand. It just wouldn’t be Christmas without cookies.
Growing up, we would go to my grandparents house for Christmas every year. I have so many wonderful memories of playing games with my cousins, singing carols, playing Skipbo (once I was old enough to join the adult card table – BIG moment in my life – ha!), and finding the delicious treats Grandmother had strategically placed around the house. My favorite was the shortbread hidden under a covered pink glass dish in the living room. It was such a simple cookie. Dry yet sweet. No special flavoring. A simple sheet cut into rectangle fingers. I loved it!
Strangely enough, I never tried baking it myself until about 5 years ago. Now it is a Christmas staple. The perfect cookie to have with hot tea while curling up with a fun Christmas read.
Shortbread Christmas Cookies
1 1/2 cups butter (room temperature)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pre-heat over to 350. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to combine butter and sugar. Add vanilla. In a medium bow, sift together flour and salt. Add to butter/sugar mixture and mix until combined. Form dough in your hands and mold into 2 flat disks. Cover in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes. Roll dough 1/2 inch thick and cut into shapes. Place cookies on ungreased baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature.
Karen’s tip: Instead of rolling dough out on a floured surface to cut into shapes, since this dough is already dry, it is much better (and easier) to roll the dough onto a piece of wax paper. Lay a piece the plastic wrap you covered the dough in earlier over the top and roll dough between the plastic wrap and wax paper. No additional flour is needed. I do dip my cookie cutters in flour, however, before cutting the dough to prevent sticking.
Giveaway (Nov 25-Dec 24)
I’ve joined with nearly 30 authors to brighten your holiday with books, cookies, and tons of Christmas fun. I’m offering an individual prize of an audiobook download code for Under the Texas Mistletoe to one person who comments on my Facebook post. Click here to visit my post.
We are also sponsoring a trio of goodie baskets with piles of books and one that includes gourmet cookies! Yum! Click here to enter the group giveaway. Be sure to take a look at the Bookie Exchange schedule in my FB post so you don’t miss other chances to win! We’re using the hashtag #Christmasbookieexchange on Facebook and Instagram to make it easy for you to follow.
What is your favorite thing to bake (or eat) during the holidays?
Latest posts by Karen Witemeyer (see all)
- Wedding Joy - November 21, 2024
- How Faith Meets Dreams - November 7, 2024
- Giveaways Gallore! - October 17, 2024
I love to bake!! But the one sweet that I love and only make at Christmas is Almond Rocha. It’s to die for!! I usually make 4 or 5 different kinds of cookies and 3 or 4 kinds of candies. Such fun to do!
Yum! I obviously need to come visit you during the holidays, Kathy. 🙂
I love to bake, and go full out at Christmas. In addition to my regular chocolate chips, I add peanut blossoms (with the Hershey’s kiss on top), Russian teacakes (sounds simillar to your shortcake with crushed pecans added and dipped in powdered sugar after baking), frosted sugar cookies, and mint surprise. I also make fudge, penuche, and chocolate butter ball candy.
A funny story: A friend invited me to join her family cookie exchange one year, telling me it would save me so much baking time. However, my family all asked, “Where are YOUR cookies.” Never again.
By the way, what kind of sugar in your shortbread cookies – granulated or powdered?
Ha! It’s nice to know that your baking is appreciated, Betty. All your cookies sound delicious. I’ve never tried Russian teacakes, but yours sound delicious!
In my recipe, the sugar is regular, granulated white sugar.
Thank you. I’m going to try them.
Yum! I love doing our family’s traditional Christmas cookies but it’s fun to try a new recipe, too! (Or rather, to give my husband a new recipe to try since he is really the baker in our family.)
I love that your husband bakes, D’Ann. Mine will cook but I don’t think I’ve ever seen him bake.
I really don’t bake too much anymore except at Christmas. (Doc made me cut down on the carbs. Boo!) But my go-tos are the same cookies I’ve made every year since we married: Hershey’s Kiss surprise cookies and spritz. My mom made spritz every year when I was growing up and now I make them with my daughter. She has a magic touch with the cookie press! At least they got rid of the camel mold. The heads kept breaking off. 🙂
LOL! Poor, headless camels.
I love my mama’s iced sugar cookies! Also, my husband & I started a tradition of eating several kinds of chips & dip on Christmas Eve our first Christmas together. We’ve kept that tradition during the 25 years we’ve been married. Another family tradition we started when our two kiddos were young was fixing Pizza Balls & salad on Christmas Day. Our daughter always helped me make them. Our son is married now & our daughter lives in Oklahoma, but they all come home at Christmastime & now I have a sweet daughter-in-law who joins in with my daughter & I to make the pizza balls. It’s a yummy family tradition! I love family together-time!! 🙂
I love those family traditions, Lori! Ours for Christmas morning is to eat pigs-in-a-blanket. Easy finger food that doesn’t get in the way of package opening. 🙂
I love pigs-in-a-blanket! And I love the easy finger food on Christmas Day. We don’t wanna spend all day in the kitchen cooking/baking! 😉
Oh, yes, another family tradition… muffins for brunch on Christmas Day. 🙂
I love gingerbread cookies in any shape. They don’t need a lot of icing on them.
I have not read any of your books yet. I would love to win one.
Gingerbread is a Christmas classic for sure, Linda! Be sure to hop over to my FB page to enter the contest. Merry Christmas!
Yummy! I love to make spicy chocolate cookies and pfferneuese (ach, I can never spell it right). I love the spice, citrus, and chocolate of both! Mmm. Merry Christmas!