The yuletide season is here, and it is time to do some serious munching! But wait… you need something to munch on. Don’t worry, Workman’s Friend has some simple cookies recipes for you. There is nothing better than homemade cookies that are freshly baked. Add a nice glass of milk and the joys of the holiday season wrap you like a warm blanket on a brisk Winter evening.
LIKE MAGIC – MAKE ANY COOKIE RECIPE INTO A HOLIDAY COOKIE
Wait, how can ANY cookie become a holiday treat? Easy! Just buy a few holiday shaped cookie cutters. Do not worry if all you have at your disposal are the ingredients for some plain old short bread cookies. Bring them to life using a cookie cutter shaped as a snowman, Santa, or a Christmas tree. Add some colored red or green sugar to the top and you have magically transformed an ordinary cookie into a holiday treat!
RECIPE 1 – EASY-BREEZY SUGAR COOKIES
Here is an easy recipe to get you started. Everyone love sugar cookies and they are so simple to prepare. You just need a few ingredients…
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS:
SET ONE:
Begin by preheating your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
STEP TWO:
In a separate, large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and the vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients from the first bowl. Do not dump it in too quickly!
STEP THREE:
Time to roll the dough! Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place onto ungreased cookie sheets. Be sure to separate them well because they will flatten and expand in size.
STEP FOUR:
Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Keep an eye on them because some ovens cook faster than others. Let the cookies stand on a cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks. Let stand on wire wrap for another 5 minutes and enjoy!
RECIPE 2 – Festive Pignoli Cookies
Do you love pine nuts? Then this is a cookie you must bake this weekend. This is SO incredibly easy to make. Here are your ingredients…
- 12 oz. almond paste, crumbled
- 1 1/3 c. powdered sugar
- 2 large egg whites
- 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 c. pine nuts
DIRECTIONS:
STEP ONE:
Preheat YOUR oven to 350° and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
STEP TWO:
Combine almond paste, sugar, egg whites, and salt in food processor and pulse until smooth.
STEP THREE:
Place pine nuts on shallow plate. Using your hands, roll dough into 1 inch balls. Be sure your hands are slightly dampened and the dough will not stick. Now, roll the balls over the pine nuts, pressing lightly to stick. Arrange balls on prepared baking sheet with the parchment paper and flatten slightly to form a 1 1/2" round shape.
STEP FOUR:
Bake 16 to 18 minutes until lightly golden. Let cool on cookie sheet 1 minute, then transfer to wire rack for 5 minutes to cool completely.
Healthy Advice: After cracking those eggs, be sure to clean your hands with Workman’s Friend Hand Cleaner with Activated Charcoal for a deep clean, killing any bacteria left behind on your skin. Keep a bottle next to your kitchen sink because you will want to use Workman’s Friend Hand Cleaner with Activated Charcoal multiple times while you are cooking.
Holiday cooking is fun, but it is rough on your hands. When the cooking is all over, treat your hands to the soothing relief of Workman’s Friend Healing Hand Cream. Cleaning the dishes in hot water after a long afternoon of baking leaves your hands dry and sore. Multiple hand washings also dry out a baker’s busy hands. Apply Workman’s Friend Healing Hand Cream to your hard-working hands for a soothing relief. Your hands will thank you!
Be sure and check out all of our products from Workman’s Friend this holiday season. Our skin care products make the PERFECT stocking stuffer.