Sat, 08 Dec 2012

Christmas Cookes

Christmas Cookies 2012

A start to our Christmas Cookies!

Sicilian Butter Cookies

About 5-6 dozen 2" cookies

Preheat oven to 350F

6 large eggs
1 2/3 cups sugar
1/2 pound butter
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 teaspoons baking powder
6 cups flour
Decorations for the cookies:
1/2 cup or more honey, warmed
About 1-2 cups each in separate bowls:
chopped walnuts, flaked coconut, Multi-color jimmies.

Beat the eggs and sugar in a large bowl. Melt the butter over low heat in a saucepan. Add the melted butter, the vanilla to the sugar mixture, mixing well. Add the baking powder and 1 cup of flour to the egg and butter mixture and mix well with an electric mixer on slow speed. Add 2 more cups of flour, one cup at a time, beating for about 5 minutes. Add 2 more cups of flour, one at a time, working the flour into the dough with a wooden spoon. Put the last cup of flour on a table and knead the flour into the dough, continuing until the dough is smooth and elastic. If you have a heavy duty electric mixer, you can beat all the flour in, a cup at a time, with the beater attachment. Change to the bread hook attachment, and knead the dough until the dough is smooth and elastic.

You can shape the dough into wreaths (our favorite), Candy Canes , Twists, etc.

Wreaths:

Break off 3 walnut-sized pieces of dough, and roll each one in your hands to make 3 ropes. Lay the ropes on the table, and braid them. Put the ends of the braids together to make a braided wreath, about 2-3" in size, pinching the edges to seal where the braided ropes join.

Bake the cookies for 20 minutes or until lightly golden, depending on their size. Dip cookies in the warmed honey, and then dip the cookies in the nuts, then the coconut, and then the jimmies. Put a red hot candy on the center bottom of the wreath. Put the silver-colored candies here and there on the cookie.