Christmas Cookies

Christmas cookies already? At this time of the year I try to plan ahead to get some Christmas baking put away in the freezer so that with the first Advent Sunday, which is coming up quickly, we can start enjoying these treats.
Peppermint or Ammonia Cookies, have become favourites with many in our family. They are a traditional Mennonite cookie and one that my mother always baked. The following recipe is from Olga and makes about eight dozen. I made the dough last night and kept it refrigerated until today when I cut and baked them. I prepare the icing and Big Al does the honors and ices the whole batch.

This is the finished product-come on over!

The kitchen table is full of cookies waiting for the icing to set - almost 100 of them.

Recipe:
Peppermint Cookies (Old fashioned Mennonite recipe)
Beat together until creamy:
1 cup butter
2 cups white sugar

Add:
2 eggs
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 cup whipping cream
2 heaping tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 teaspoon salt or less

Separately mix:
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking ammonia
Add to the above mixture

Add:
5 cups of flour. The dough is very soft and I cover and let it rest in the fridge even over night. (Maybe they would rise higher if I didn't do this..hmmm) Use 1/4 of the dough at a time and pat it out on a well floured board to about 1/4+ inch thick. Cut into shapes. I use my smallest metal circle for this. It's just the right size I think. Place on parchment lined cookie sheets- 12-15 on a tray and bake at 350o for 9-10 minutes. Let cool and ice with icing sugar mixed with a large tablespoon of butter, enough very hot water to make spreadable icing, 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract. Separate icing into two bowls and add one drop red food coloring to one, and two drops green food coloring to the other.

Last week I made the oatmeal and raspberry jam cookies -another favourite. I took the picture right on the freezer today of the frozen container of cookies, since I hadn't taken one last time.

Oatmeal Cookies (recipe taken from Mennonite Treasury p.169)

Cream together:
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter

Add:
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Dissolve:
1 teaspoon baking soda in
1/4 cup boiling water and add to creamed mixture.

Add:
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups rolled oats

Stir until well blended.
Let rest in fridge until ready to roll out and bake.

Roll dough to just less than 1/4" on floured board and cut with a round cookie cutter. Again I use my smallest one but the book suggests a 2" cutter. I use a small thimble to punch a whole into the center of half the circles. Place cut outs on parchment lined cookie sheets and bake at 350o for 11-12 minutes or until golden.

Cool. Place a small dab of raspberry jam in the center of the bottom of the whole cookie and cover it with a doughnut shaped cookie to make the "sandwich".