Best Christmas Cookies Ever!

 

Merry Christmas, happy holidays, have a nice Tuesday…

Today I spent the day baking Christmas cookies for gifts to some friends/neighbors.   Every year this biscotti recipe is the clear winner of the bunch, with Buckeyes coming in a close second.  I thought I’d share my favorite recipes with you and perhaps you might encourage me to stop eating the dough and write instead…

 

Kenwood Vineyards Biscotti

Preheat oven 350 degrees

½ cup butter

1 c sugar

2 eggs

1 ½ t baking powder

½ t baking soda

2 ½ c flour

1 t anise flavoring

½ c roasted slivered almonds

1 lb semisweet chocolate and some paraffin wax

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add  unbeaten eggs, one at  time, mixing well after each addition.  Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder together then stir into egg mixture.  Add almonds and mix well.  Grease cookie sheet and spread dough approximately 1 inch thick.  Bake in middle of oven for 20-30 minutes or until dough is slightly brown.  Remove from oven and while still hot cut the dough the short way into ¾ inch strips and turn them cut side down the cookie sheet.  Then cut each strip in half (or thirds).  Lower oven to 275 degrees and continue baking 20 minutes.  Turn oven off ad open door ajar to allow cookies to dry as desired.

Melt chocolate and wax over double boiler.  Dip cookies I chocolate and place o parchment paper.  Store in air tight container

NOTES:  You can double the batch, but it doesn’t rise correctly if you more than double it.  If you make dough in the summer or humid conditions you may have to add more flour.

 

Mel’s Buckeyes

(Because Mel was the first person to introduce these sinfully good cookies to me.)

1 small jar smooth peanut butter (I prefer Jif)

1 pound confectioner’s sugar

1 small box of rice krispies

Chocolate to dip in (I usually make the buckeyes and biscotti on the same day and then dip in chocolate.   It saves having to clean the double boiler twice.)

Mix first three ingredients together in a big bowl.  You can double the recipe easily enough.   I take off my wedding ring and mix by hand.  Roll dough into small balls, smaller than golfballs, bigger than an inch.  Put in the fridge for a while.  Dip in chocolate.  I find it easier to dip one at a time with a fork.  Put on aluminum foil to harden.

Leave a Comment