Grandma's Cut out Christmas Cookies

Christmas wouldn't be the same without these yummy cookies!  Grandma would always roll and cut them out the day before we decorated them, she was always the one to put the frosting on while the we kids decorated them.  I don't know who is going to put the frosting on this year.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

3 3/4 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

Cream butter and sugar together

beat in eggs and vanilla

mix in flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder

Roll out dough and cut out cookies

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

These are the cookie cutter we use every year.

Grandma always made the frosting with powdered sugar, melted butter, milk and vanilla.  I think it is the recipe on the bag of powdered sugar.  This video is from last Christmas when Grandma made WAY to much frosting and all of us were dying from laughter!  I'm bummed I didn't pick up my camera sooner.

Making icing with Grandma

Grandma frosting the cookies

Kristen doing more eating then decorating

I'm not sure Eric is awake yet

Cookies in desperate need of sprinkles!

Mom and Nicole decorating cookies with Grandma

Enjoy!

Great Aunt Dump's Spice Cookies

This recipe was giving to me by Aunt Diane form her Aunt Dump.  I have never made these cookies so let the fun begin!  I decided I like the cookies rolled out a little on the thick side, they are a nice light cookie.

Great Aunt Dump, Great Aunt Max and Grandma

(I love this picture because it makes Grandma look tall and she is 4'11") 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 cup shortening or butter

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp allspice

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup sour milk = 1 cup milk + 1 tsp vinegar 

Enough flour to make a soft dough (I added 3 cups first and kept adding flour by the 1/2 cup until I got a soft dough.  I added 5 1/2 cups of flour)

 Sour milk = 1 cup milk + 1tsp vinegar

 add vinegar, mix and let stand for 10-15 mins

cream butter and sugar together

add in all other ingredients

Add enough flour until you get a soft dough

put some dough on a floured surface

  roll out about 1/4 in to 1/2 in

I added some extra cinnamon, sprinkle it on and then smooth it in

use a cookie cutter and cut out cookies

 place cookies on parchment paper lined baking sheet 

Bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes

let cookies cool

Enjoy!

Grandma's Snickerdoodles

 Ingredients:

1 cup butter or shortening

1 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar

2 eggs

2 3/4 cup flour

2 tsp cream of tarter

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 Tbsp cinnamon

Cream butter and sugar (save 2 Tbsps) together, add in eggs

Sift in flour, cream of tarter, baking soda and salt

Mix 2 Tbsp sugar and 2 Tbsp cinnamon

Roll dough in to small balls, roll balls in cinnamon/sugar mixture

Place on parchment paper lined baking sheet 2 inches apart, do not flatten cookies

Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned but still soft.

Cookies will flatten out as they bake

Enjoy!

Grandma's Crescents

These cookies are a Christmas staple in our family, and my grandmother's favorite cookie.  I really think she made these for herself because these cookies always seemed to be hidden the best. I say hidden because my grandma loved to make all these Christmas cookies and then immediately package them up in Tupperware and poke them in the closet and then get mad at us for wanting to eat them. :) Needless to say we always had leftover cookies after Christmas. 

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

1/2 cup powdered sugar, plus more for coating cookies after baking

1 tsp vanilla

1 3/4 cup flour

1 cup chopped pecans

Cream butter and sugar together then add in vanilla and flour

Fold in nuts

roll out and shape in to crescents

Bake at 

Let cool for a little bit then roll in powdered sugar

Let cookies cool on rack 

Enjoy!

Grandma's Date cookies

While these cookies are a Christmas staple in our family and Christmas wouldn't be the same without these tasty cookies, I have recently decided that these are my favorite cookies EVER!  I love them so much, they are sweet but not to sweet, they have a little hit of salty and if cut a little thicker are chewy and delightful!  The cookies are good fresh or dipped in hot chocolate or coffee when they get stale.  You might wonder how yummy cookies could get stale? Grandma loved to make tons of cookies at Christmas time and then put them in Tupperware and then poke them in the closet and not let anyone eat any.

Ingredients

1 cup oleo (butter)

2 eggs

2 cups brown sugar lightly packed

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup chopped dates

3 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1tsp baking soda

After chopping up dates toss them with some of the flour to stop them from sticking together.

Dates after they have been tossed with flour.

Cream butter and brown sugar together, then add eggs.

 Mix flour, salt, and baking soda together and add to butter sugar mixture.

mix in dates and nuts

 Divide mixture into two, and form a log on a log on a piece of wax paper, repeat with other half.

 Place both logs in the refrigerator overnight.

Slice logs in to 1/4 inch slices.

 Place on baking sheet and bake at 400 for 6-8 minutes.

Enjoy!