Christmas & Cookies: Favorite Hometown Recipes

Santa’s not the only one who enjoys cookies at Christmas. In honor of National Cookie Day, we’re sharing some of our favorite recipes and Christmas cookie traditions.

Chocolate Pinwheels

Courtesy of Cookin’ & Talkin’ by Mary Sue Vogelsanger

• ½ cup softened butter
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
• 1 ½ cups sifted flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 3 tablespoons milk or cream
• 1 1-ounce square melted unsweetened chocolate

1. Thoroughly cream shortening and sugar. Add egg yolk and vanilla. Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. Alternately add sifted dry ingredients and milk to other ingredients.
2. Divide dough in half. To one half add melted chocolate; mix thoroughly. Roll each half 1/8 inch thick on heavy waxed paper. Turn white part onto chocolate dough with chocolate, extending ½ inch beyond white part on edge toward which you roll.
3. Remove paper and roll as for a jelly roll. Wrap in waxed paper. Chill thoroughly, preferably overnight. Slice thin.
4. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet in moderate oven 375 degrees F. about 10 minutes, depending on your oven. Yield, 4 dozen cookies.

Pecan Shortbread Cookies

From 1001 Cookie Recipes; courtesy of Alyssa Phares, Senior Director of Sales & Strategy, VisitCape

• 4 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1 cup pecans, ground
• 2 cups (1 pound) butter at room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Combine the flour and pecans
3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar. Beat in the vanilla extract. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients. The dough will be stiff.
4. Pinch off walnut-sized pieces of dough and roll into small balls. Place the balls 1 1/2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets and flatten the cookies with the back of a spoon dipped in flour.
5. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly colored. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

Forgotten Cookies

Courtesy of Cookin’ & Talkin’ by Mary Sue Vogelsanger

• 2 beaten egg whites
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (6 ounces)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Whip egg whites with salt until frothy. Add sugar and whip until stiff enough to stand alone. Fold in chocolate chips, vanilla, and chopped pecans.
2. Cover cookie sheets with foil. Drop ½ teaspoon amounts onto foil covered cookie sheets. Put into preheated oven, one cookie sheet on top rack, the other on the bottom rack. CLOSE DOOR AND IMMEDIATELY TURN OFF OVEN. LEAVE COOKIES IN OVEN ALL NIGHT AND DO NOT OPEN DOOR AT ALL DURING THAT TIME.
3. Remove next morning. Store covered in airtight container unless you have some major cookie-jar-raiders and none are left to store.