Holiday Cookie Recipes

Mrs. Levy's Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield: 20 cookies

Prep time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 15 minutes per batch

Ingredients

2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 large eggs
2 ½ cups unsifted flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 cups chopped walnuts
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Beat sugar, butter and vanilla in a large bowl with a mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs until lighter. Add flour, salt and baking powder; beat just until mixed. Stir in walnuts and chocolate chips.

2. Drop cookie mixture by ½ cup measure onto greased or parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving plenty of space between. Flatten each cookie slightly with back of fork. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Cool on sheet 2 minutes; transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely.

Reprinted with permission from Holiday Cookies by the Chicago Tribune staff, Agate Surrey, November 2014.

Snowflake Sugar Cookies

Yield: 30 cookies (depending on size)
Prep time: 40 minutes, plus decorating
Chill time: 4 hours
Bake time: 12 to 15 minutes per batch

Dough:
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 pound unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 tablespoon 2% milk
3 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk

Royal Icing:
¼ cup meringue powder
1 pound powdered sugar
Water, about ⅓ cup
Gel food coloring

1. Combine the flours and baking powder in a bowl; stir to evenly distribute the baking powder. Set aside.

2. In a 6-quart stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the salt, vanilla and milk; mix to blend. With mixer running, add eggs and extra yolk, one at a time, waiting until each is combined before adding the next.

3. Reduce the mixer speed to low; slowly add flour mixture. Add additional all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough is no longer sticky to the touch. Turn dough out onto plastic wrap; divide in half. Wrap each portion in plastic wrap; form into flat discs. Refrigerate 4 to 48 hours, or freeze up to a month.

4. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Let dough warm up slightly; roll out to ½ inch thick using powdered sugar (not flour) to stop it from sticking. Cut out snowflake shapes; bake on parchment-lined baking pans until just barely starting to brown on the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove promptly from oven; let cool on the sheet pan, 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.

5. For icing, mix the meringue powder and powdered sugar in a medium bowl; slowly add water until the frosting reaches desired consistency. Add a little gel food coloring, if desired. For best results, start with a stiff frosting, put some aside in a parchment baking bag or zip-top bag, then add water to the remaining frosting. Use the stiff frosting to pipe outlines on the cooled cookies, then carefully apply the thinner icing to fill in the cookies between the piped outlines (a toothpick helps to carefully move thin icing into small spaces).

Reprinted with permission from Holiday Cookies by the Chicago Tribune staff, Agate Surrey, November 2014.

Mexican Mice

Yield: About 3 dozen Cookies
Prep time: 1 hour
Bake time: 27 minutes per batch

2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
2 cups flour
1 cup finely ground pecans
¼ teaspoon salt
Chow mein noodles
Mini-chocolate chips
Sliced almonds

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter and vanilla in bowl of electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add sugar; beat until combined. Mix in flour, pecans and salt.
2. Shape dough into 1-inch ovals, tapering one end. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven; insert noodle at tail end and 2 almonds about 1/3 of the way from pointed end for ears. Return to oven; bake until slightly browned, about 12 minutes.
3. Remove from oven; immediately place 2 chocolate chips in front of ears for eyes. (Chocolate will melt slightly and stick to cookie.) Dust mice bodies with confectioners' sugar. Cool on wire rack.