Easy Christmas Cookie Recipes - One Recipe with Many Variations

Ho Ho Ho! Put icing patterns of your choice on the biscuits. After allowing the biscuits to dry, put ribbons through the biscuit holes, ready for hanging on a christmas tree.

There are so many Christmas cookie recipes around but often so little time to bake during the busy holiday season.

The solution? A great tasting basic cookie recipe that quickly and easily turns into such a variety of easy to make Christmas treats, friends and family will think you poured over all your favorite Christmas cookie recipes.

Let's start with the basics.

Basic Cookie Dough Recipe

1/2 cup (or 1 stick) butter (or margarine) at room temperature 1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed 2 tablespoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 large egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the flour. Beat with an electric mixer, scraping the sides of the bowl several times, until the mixture is light and fluffy. With mixer at a low speed, add the flour gradually, beating just until everything is well blended.

Ho Ho Ho! Touron is a nougat of Arabic origin made with almonds and honey or sugar, without which it would just not be Christmas in Spain. There are innumerable variations - chocolate, coconut, praline, etc.

Place the mixture on a baking sheet using a tablespoon measure and press down with a spoon to flatten a bit. Or roll our and cut into shapes with a cookie cutter. Bake at 350�F for about 12 to 15 minutes, until golden.

This basic cookie mixture is also the base for the following cookie recipes (all baked in a preheated oven at 350�F).

Orange Cookies (Makes about 32)

Add 1 tablespoon of grated orange zest to the recipe. Shape into a log that is about 1 1/2" in diameter and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Slice dough into 1/4" thick slices. Place on cookie sheet. Cookies can be decorated with candies, rolled in colored sugar, or cut into pretty holiday shapes before baking. Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned.

Cherry Coconut Chocolate Squares (Makes about 54 squares)

In addition to the basic dough you will need: 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 3 large eggs 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 1 teaspoon almond extract 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 3 cups flaked coconut 1/2 cup maraschino cherries, well drained and coarsely chopped

Ho Ho Ho! The truth is, the kind of cookies you could make at Christmas time are limited only by your imagination. And if you've got a lot of little kids in the house, you're going to need quite a bit of that imagination.

Line a 13"x9" baking pan with foil.

Stir cocoa powder into basic dough mixture. Press evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the crust looks dry.

In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, sugar, almond extract and baking powder until well blended. Stir in coconut and cherries. Pour over the baked crust.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until top just begins to brown and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Lift it out on to a cutting board using the foil ends and cut into 1 1/2" squares. Squares can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Ho Ho Ho! Then you have your not so traditional Christmas cookies. This is where people get to be a little more creative and yet still add that Christmas touch.

Coconut Pineapple Cookies (Makes about 36)

In addition to the basic dough you will need: 1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut 1/3 cup pineapple preserves (use raspberry or apricot if you prefer)

Add 1 cup of the flaked coconut to the basic dough mixture and mix well. Shape the dough into 1 1/2" balls and roll in the remaining coconut to coat them. Place the balls 1" apart on lightly greased cookie sheets. Make a deep indentation in the center of each cookie with your fingertip.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until the cookie is firm and the coconut is lightly toasted. When cooled, fill each hole in the center of the cookies with the preserves.

You can vary this basic dough to make a wide variety of Christmas cookie recipes. Add other flavorings like maple, ginger or cinnamon. Add chopped dried fruits like apricots or dates. Or bake them plain in holiday shapes and decorate with colored icing.

Ho Ho Ho! This goes way back and to most families is the main focal point of their Christmas. Waiting to see what that big juicy Turkey will taste like and how it will be presented on the table.

Christmas is such a wonderful time of year. Here's hoping these quick and easy Christmas cookie recipes help keep the pressure off the cook.

Karen Ciancio is a cook and lover of all things food and cooking related. Her website http://www.cookingnook.com contains easy dessert recipes, plus lots of other recipes, cooking tips, measurement conversions and kitchen ideas.

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