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How about a virtual one, complete with recipe and personal message?
In my travels around the Web, I happened upon McCormick Spice's "The Big Cookie Share" on Facebook.
The premise is simple: Like the McCormick Spice Facebook page; click on "The Big Cookie Share" tab, then choose a virtual cookie and frost it with a personalized message.
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The virtual cookie is sent, and the recipient receives a cookie recipe and message from you. Easy as pie!
For those who prefer the real deal, as promised, we are publishing holiday cookie recipes submitted by our readers. Thanks for taking time out of your hectic holiday schedules to share your favorites.
Cream Wafer
"My favorite Christmas cookie to make is a 'Cream Wafer.' This is my mom's recipe, though I started making them every year in 1999, the same year my best friend, Tracy Hobbs, passed away in a car accident. Tracy would make them every year, and I wanted to make them that year so her mom could still have them. I've continued every year since. I now have two daughters who love to eat them and help make them!"
• Ingredients
For the cookies
1 cup butter, room temperature
1/3 cup whipping cream
2 cups flour
For the filling
1/4 cup room temperature butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
To make the cookies: Beat above ingredients well; cover and chill for an hour. Then roll 1/3 of the dough to about 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out with a small cookie cutter. These should be bite-sized, as they are very rich.
Coat both sides of dough with granulated sugar (can use colored sugar, also) and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Pierce each piece with a fork. Bake at 375 degrees 7 to 9 minutes or until set. Let cool.
To make the filling: Beat filling until smooth and fluffy. (Sometimes my daughters like to color the filling to match the holiday!)
Place dollop of filling on one cookie and top with another, fitting together like a sandwich.
Amy Wiencek Popeck
Washington
Center of Chocolate
Makes 2 1/2 dozen
• Ingredients
11/2 sticks of butter (softened)
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
11/2 cup flour
Hershey kisses
Melted candy melts
Cream together butter, brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Add flour and mix well. Chill about 1 hour. Use a small 1-inch cookie scoop of dough and mold around a Hershey kiss. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and again chill cookies until firm. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until cookies are golden brown on bottom. Do not overbake. Cookies will get firm when they cool. Dip the cooled cookies in candy melts and add sprinkles or drizzle another color of candy melts on top.
These cookies freeze well.
Peggy Aiken
Canonsburg
Coconut Pecan Bars
Makes 4 dozen
• Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
11/2 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
Confectioners' sugar
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and brown sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour, salt and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in coconut and pecans (batter will be thick). Spread into greased 15-inch-by-10-inch-by-1-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Cut into bars.
Cherry Chocolate Nut Cookies
Makes 5 dozen
• Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped maraschino cherries (mix red and green)
3/4 cup chopped pecans
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Beat in egg, milk and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder, salt and soda; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in remaining ingredients. Drop by tablespoon full 2 inches apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool.
Carolyn McMillan
Waynesburg
Liz Rogers is editor of the Observer-Reporter. She can be reached at lrogers@observer-reporer.com.
