Shamrock Cookies

1 cup shortening (at least half butter)
1 cup sifted confectioner's sugar
1 egg
1-2 tsp. peppermint flavoring (we substituted almond)
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. green food coloring

Heat oven to 375. Mix shortening, sugar, egg, and flavoring thoroughly. Stir in flour, salt and food coloring. Shape shamrocks by pressing 3 (or 4) small balls together with fingertips. Shape stem and attach. Or roll out and cut with shamrock cookie cutter. Sprinkle with green decorator's sugar, if desired. Bake about 9 minutes. Makes 9 dozen cookies.

Midnight Cookies

Called midnight cookies because you mix them up the night before and leave them to bake slowly in the switched off oven. A fabulous aroma permeates the kitchen as you head off to bed and yummy cookies await you when you wake up. Perfect for those mornings when you know you will be rushing out the door and scrambling for a breakfast snack.


INGREDIENTS
1 egg white
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup candied cherries (I use raisins instead!)
2/3 cup shredded coconut

1. Preheat the oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk egg white until stiff peaks form.
2. Add sugar to the egg white, a spoonful at a time until it is completely incorporated. Mixture should be completely smooth and glossy.
3. Fold in the almonds, chocolate chips, cherries(or raisins), and coconut. Place in even spoonfuls on baking sheet. Place in the oven, close the door and turn the oven off. Leave overnight (or at least 6 hours) and don't open the door.
4. Enjoy.

Day 3: Snickerdoodles

These are a fabulous treat any time of the year. Drop some red or green food coloring into the cinnamon and sugar mixture to make them extra festive!

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

COATING MIXTURE
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Cream together butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, the eggs and the vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls.
Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Remove immediately from baking sheets.

Day 2: Chocolate Bark

Two Ingredients:

1. Whatever your favorite chocolate is.
2. Whatever kind of nuts you love.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Mix in however many nuts you want. Pour over a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper. Spread as thin as you want. Throw it in the fridge so that it will harden quickly then break into chunks and try to share before you eat it all! It's that simple, really.

An easy way to make this look extra fancy is to take a contrasting white chocolate, melt it, put it in a pastry bag (or plastic baggie with a hole cut in the corner), then drizzle over the top of the bark.

Variation:

White chocolate with peppermint pieces (chopped up candy canes actually.) Yum!!

Day 1 : Lemon Snowball Cookies

This quick and easy recipe appealed to me because it wasn't a boring chocolate chip and it wasn't a way over done traditional Christmas cookie. By the last batch into the oven I finally figured out that it is better to let them cool just a bit before coating them in the powdered sugar mixture (I figured that out because I forgot about them!) And they taste much better after they are completely cooled, the taste of lemonade is a bit too strong when they are still warm.

Very easy recipe, but a little messy with helpers. Let's just say there is a lot of powdered sugar on my kitchen floor today and also all over everyone's shirts.



Lemon Snowball Cookies

2 sticks butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
2 cup flour

Coating:

1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoons Kool-Aid lemonade unsweetened drink mix powder
(mix these together in a bowl)

Cream butter, sugar and flavorings. Add flour and mix until a dough forms.
Roll into 1" balls and bake 1" apart on ungreased cookie sheet at 350°F degrees for 15-18 minutes (they won't be brown on top!).

While cookies are warm, toss them in the lemon powdered sugar mixture and put on a plate to cool.

Makes about 3 dozen melt-in-your-mouth cookies.