Each December, I'm invited to a cookie exchange hosted by a friend. The idea is to make cookies and bring some to sample and the rest to exchange with the other attendees. I thought it would be fun to have an online cookie exchange. We can't exchange the cookies, but we can exchange the recipes!
The recipe I'm sharing is the one my mother made every year at Christmas. After she died, I decided to carry on the tradition and make the cookies with my son. My mother used regular sized cookie cutters, but I prefer miniature cookie cutters instead. I'm not sure how many cookies you get with the regular cookie cutters, but you get several dozen with the miniature cookie cutters. The miniature cookies cook faster so you'll need to reduce the amount of cooking time. When I roll cookie dough, I dust my work surface with powdered sugar rather than flour. If you use too much flour when you roll out the dough, the cookies will be dry. Powdered sugar keeps the cookies from drying out plus it adds an extra touch of sweetness. If you're making chocolate cookies, you can do the same thing with cocoa. I'm sharing my recipe below. Please share one of yours!
German Christmas Cookies
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup shortening
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
Combine flour, sugar, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt and nutmeg; cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add eggs and vanilla, mixing well. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator.
Roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface; cut with cookie cutters. Bake at 400° for 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely and spread with icing.
Icing:
3 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. light corn syrup
2 to 3 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
assorted liquid food coloring
Stir together sugar and corn syrup; stir in milk and vanilla to desired spreading consistency. Divide into several small bowls; stir drops of a different food coloring into each. Decorate cookies as desired. When the icing dries, store cookies in an airtight container.
© Margaret's Morsels
