Tuesday, December 20, 2005

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.

5 comments:

Kathryn said...

What a lovely idea! I'm afraid Christmas cookies/biscuits aren't part of the tradition here,so I've nothing to contribute, but will look forward to hearing all that I'm missing out on, and might be inspired to try some myself next week, when I'm off work!

Bad Alice said...

Oh those look yummy. I haven't made any cookies yet. I am such a delinquent. I usually love making cookies, but I think I need to fortify myself with some sherry or something this year.

Princess of Everything (and then some) said...

ooohhh.....those look good! But then I love pecans!!

Unknown said...

Those look yummy!
I have the day off tomorrow, and cookies are #2 on the agenda (right after a whole family cleaning blitz), so I'll post something then. My favorite recipe is a really good one for gingerbread cookies, but I don't know if we'll get to those. They're my favorite, but no one else's, I fear.

John said...

My only major Christmas cooking this year was stollen, which turned out okay.

I'm thinking about trying Scotch Eggs soon.