Grace's Virtual Christmas Cookie Exchange

Babs was in a baking mood this afternoon, so she made our favorite Christmas cookie, pictured to the left.

My sainted mother-in-law made this every year at Christmas time when El Jefe was growing up. They're called Turtle Cookies. I decided that they are appropriate for Christmas because the pecans that form the head and feet of the turtle are arranged like a Celtic Trinity (well, maybe that's a stretch).

Around the RGBP webring and on other blogs I've seen Christmas cookie recipes being posted, so I decided to host a "virtual Christmas cookie exchange" here.

If you have a recipe for your favorite Christmas cookie to share post it on your blog (with a picture if you can) and then leave a comment on this post so we can find it and print it out. If you don't have a blog and would like to share then just leave the recipe in your comment.

Here's the recipe for the Turtle Cookies--

Sift together:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
Set aside.

Blend together:
1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
Add 1 egg and 1 egg yolk (reserve the egg white for later use)
Then add 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1/8 tsp maple flavoring

Add the dry ingredients you sifted to the wet mixture and mix well.

Arrange the split pecan halves rounded side up in groups of 3 to resemble the head and feet of the turtle.

Mold dough into a small ball, dip bottom of the ball into reserved egg white and press onto the nuts.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Do not overbake--these are cake-like.
Cool cookies.

Prepare chocolate frosting by melting 2 squares of unsweetened chocolate, 1/2 cup milk, and 1 tbs butter in the top of a double boiler over boiling water. Stir until smooth. Remove from heat and add 1 cup sifted powdered sugar. Blend until smooth and glossy.

Frost each "turtle" generously. Makes about 18 cookies.