Every day it’s getting closer and closer. No, not exam week, although that’s getting quite close as well, but Christmas. Although the jolly holiday is still many weeks away students and staff alike are getting into the early Christmas spirits. With Christmas lights, old time carols and loads of snow it won't be long before kitchens go into full baking mode. Christmas is, arguably, the busiest season for baking. With everything from cakes, cookies and chocolates the Christmas season certainly doesn’t possess a lack of flavour. With so much baking going on at once there are an absolute abundance of Christmas cookie recipes out there. Throughout the years I have come across two holiday cookie recipes that have really caught my eye.
The first recipe that has stuck with me through many Christmas seasons is that of Chocolate Pecan Sandies. These snowy snacks right away remind you of the time of year and certainly don’t disappoint in the creative department. The Chocolate Pecan Sandies are easy to make and only require 15 minutes for preparation. Best of all this recipe yields 2 dozen cookies, meaning you will have a collection of snacks leading into exam time.
Chocolate Pecan Sandies
Ingredients
1 cup of butter at room temperature
4 tablespoons of white sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 ¾ cup of sifted all-purpose flour
1 cup of ground pecans
¼ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup of sifted confectioners or powdered sugar
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a baking sheet with shortening
Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl. Beat in the vanilla.
Add the flour, pecans and cocoa powder to the large bowl. Mix well.
Form dough into 1-inch balls and place on the greased cookie sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Cool the cookies then roll them in the confectioners or powdered sugar. Enjoy.
Another Christmas cookie recipe that I enjoy every holiday season is titled Big Soft Giner Cookies. It can be said the ginger has a very acquired taste to it. However, these cookies provide just enough ginger snap to be tasteful but not overwhelming so that even people who aren’t a real fan of the flavour of ginger can enjoy these delicious delights. With a preparation time of only 15 minutes and a baking time of a mere 10 minutes, these Christmas treats can be ready in no time.
Big Soft Ginger Cookies
Ingredients
2 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons of ground ginger
1 teaspoon of baking soda
¾ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon of ground cloves
¼ teaspoon of salt
¾ cup margarine, softened
1 cup of white sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon of water
¼ cup of molasses
2 tablespoons white sugar
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Sift together the flour, ground ginger, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground cloves and salt.
In a large bowl cream together the margarine and 1 cup of white sugar. Then beat in the egg with a fork and stir in the water and molasses.
Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture.
Shape the cookie dough into walnut sized balls and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of white sugar.
Place the cookies onto an ungreased cookie sheet and flatten slightly.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool and enjoy.
With exam season approaching much faster than most students want it to it is important to bulk up on those early Christmas goodies. These two cookie recipes provide dozens of study snacks when you don’t have time to cook up something larger. Best of all they take under an hour to prepare, bake and enjoy. Christmas might not be here yet, but its cookies sure are!