Christmas Ribbon Cookies Recipes

RIBBON COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter until light and fluffy. Add sugar gradually. Add egg and vanilla, mixing well after each addition.
• In another bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Slowly add to the butter mixture, making sure all ingredients are incorporated.
• Divide dough into three equal parts. Add a few drops of red food coloring to one third, mixing until the color is even. Add cocoa and pecans to one third, mixing well. Leave the other third plain.
• Line a loaf pan with wax paper or foil. Press the chocolate layer into the bottom of the pan, pressing firmly to make the dough as flat and even as possible on top. Add the plain dough to the pan, again making an even layer on top of the chocolate. On top of the plain dough, add the red, pressing down flat on top. Wrap the dough completely, leave it in the loaf pan, and chill over night, or until firm enough to slice.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Remove dough from loaf pan and place on cutting board. Cut the dough lenghth-wise, down the middle, so you have two long "bars" of dough. Put one bar back in the refrigerator, to keep chilled while you work with the other.
• Slice into about 1/8" slices, or thicker if you like them a little softer. The thinner they are sliced, the crispier they will be.
• Bake for about 10 minutes at 325 degrees. Take them out when the bottoms are just browned. Try not to overbake, or they will lose their pretty color.
• Cool on wire rack.

RIBBON OR SWIRL COOKIES

Steps:

• For the vanilla dough: Mix the 2 sugars and the salt together in a medium bowl. In another small bowl, whisk the egg and mint extract and set aside. With a hand held mixer beat the butter until smooth in a large bowl. While mixing, gradually add the sugar mixture, and continue beating until lightly colored and fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stop mixing and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg mixture and beat until smooth. Gradually add the flour, mixing slowly until blended.
• Turn the dough out of the bowl, divide in half. Place the halves between 2 pieces of lightly floured parchment or waxed paper. Roll into a 10 by 12 by 1/4 inch rectangle. Slide the sheets of dough/parchment sheets onto a baking sheet, and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.
• For the chocolate dough: Whisk the sugar, cocoa, salt in a medium bowl. With a hand held mixer beat the butter until smooth in a large bowl. While mixing, add the cocoa mixture, and continue beating until lightly colored and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Stop mixing and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and beat until smooth. Gradually add the flour, mixing slowly until blended.
• Turn the dough out of the bowl, divide in half. Place the halves between 2 pieces of lightly floured parchment or waxed paper. Roll into a 10 by 12 by 1/4 inch rectangle. Slide the sheets of dough/parchment sheets onto a baking sheet, and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.
• For a spiral cookie: Put 1 of the chocolate doughs on the workspace and remove the top sheet of parchment. Brush dough lightly with cold water. Place a sheet of vanilla dough on the workspace, and remove top sheet of paper. Using the bottom piece of the paper to lift the dough, place the vanilla dough on top of the chocolate dough. Take care to line up the edges of the 2 doughs and trim as needed. Lightly press to smooth and seal the doughs together. Remove the top piece of paper. Brush the surface of the dough lightly with cold water. Position the sandwiched doughs with the long edge facing you. Using the edge of the paper as a guide, roll the doughs into a tight cylinder, 2 inches wide. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour. Repeat with remaining 2 sheets of dough.
• Evenly position racks in the oven, and preheat to 325 degrees F.
• Slice the dough crosswise into 1/4-inch thick cookies. Lay about 1/2-inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until just golden - not too dark you'll lose the definition of the spiral, about 14 to 16 minutes.
• Roll and layer the two doughs into 15 by 18-inch rectangles, and 1/4-inch thick in the same way as the Spiral Cookies. Put 1 of the chocolate doughs on the work space and remove the top sheet of parchment. Brush lightly with a little cold water. Place 1 of vanilla doughs on the work space. Remove top sheet of paper, and use the bottom piece of the paper to lift the dough onto the chocolate dough. Take care to lining up the edges of the dough. Lightly press to smooth and seal the doughs together. Remove the top parchment.
• Trim the edges on the layered doughs with a pizza cutter using a ruler or other straight edge as a guide. Working with the short edge facing you, cut the layered dough in half vertically. Set 1 piece on top of the other and then turn the dough, to have the long side facing you. Cut the dough in half again and set 1 piece on top of the other. Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 hours before slicing.
• Trim any uneven edges with a sharp knife. Slice blocks into 1/8-inch thick rectangles and bake until the white dough is just beginning to brown, about 16 to 18 minutes.
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BLUE RIBBON SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Sift together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt; set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter, oil, confectioners' sugar and white sugar until well blended. Stir in the eggs, vanilla and lemon extracts. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients until well blended. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto the cookie sheet. Flatten cookies to 1/8 inch thickness using the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar. Colored sugar may be used if you do not plan to frost cookies later.
• Bake for 9 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are golden brown. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

RIBBON ICEBOX COOKIES

Steps:

• Line a 5-in. x 3-in. x 2-in. loaf pan with waxed paper; set aside. In a small bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. , Divide dough into thirds. Add cherries to one portion; spread evenly into prepared pan. Add melted chocolate to second portion; spread evenly over first layer. Add poppy seeds to third portion; spread over second layer. Cover with waxed paper; refrigerate overnight., Unwrap and cut into 1/4-in. slices. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 8-9 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 1 minute before removing to wire racks.

CHOCOLATE RIBBON COOKIES

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl beat butter and shortening with an electric mixer on med to high speed for 30 seconds.
• Add sugar, baking soda, and salt; beat until combined.
• Beat in the egg, milk, and vanilla.
• Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer.
• Stir in the remaining flour.
• Divide dough in half.
• Knead the melted chocolate and nuts into half the dough.
• Knead the miniature chocolate pieces and rum flavoring into the other half of the dough.
• Divide each portion of dough in half (you should now have four"portions.") To shape dough, line the bottom and sides of a 9x5x3 loaf pan with waxed paper or clear plastic wrap.
• Press half the chocolate dough evenly into pan.
• Top with half the vanilla dough, the remaining chocolate dough, and the remaining vanilla dough, pressing each layer firmly and evenly over the preceding layer.
• Invert pan to remove dough.
• Peel off waxed paper or plastic wrap.
• Cut dough crosswise into thirds.
• Slice each third crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
• Place cookies two inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake cookies in a 375 degree F oven for about 10 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are slightly browned.
• Transfer cookies to wire racks; cool.

CHRISTMAS RIBBON COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar well, till very creamy. Add egg and vanilla and beat. Stir or sift flour, salt and baking powder and stir into the butter mixture. Add flour if necessary to make it easy to handle. Divide dough into three equal portions. To one, add slivered almonds, almond extract and green food coloring to the desired color. To the next, add & work in melted chocolate. To the third, add chopped cherries. By hand, shape into a three-layered rectangle about 1 1/2 X 2 X 10". Refrigerate overnight. Grease cookie sheet and cut the cookies with a sharp knife so that each one has the three layers. Place on cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 8 - 10 minutes, checking to see that they don't get brown.

RASPBERRY RIBBONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.
• Combine confectioner's sugar, evaporated milk, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract in a small bowl.
• Beat butter and white sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth. Mix in egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Gradually add flour mixture to creamed mixture, mixing well. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place on prepared baking sheet; make an indentation with finger in center of each cookie.
• Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Fill depressions with jam and continue to bake until lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Cool for 2 minutes, then remove to wire racks. Drizzle confectioner's sugar glaze mixture over warm cookies; cool completely.

CHRISTMAS SLICE-AND-BAKE COOKIES

Steps:

• In medium bowl, beat butter, sugar, vanilla and egg with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Stir in flour and salt until dough forms.
• Divide dough into 3 parts. Into 1 part of dough, mix chocolate and walnuts. Mix cherries into another part of dough. Into remaining part of dough, mix poppy seed.
• Line 9x5-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving 1 inch of plastic wrap overhanging at 2 opposite sides of pan. Spread poppy seed dough evenly in bottom of pan. Spread chocolate-walnut dough over poppy seed dough. Spread cherry dough over chocolate-walnut dough. Cover; refrigerate at least 2 hours until chilled.
• Heat oven to 375°F. Using plastic wrap, lift dough from pan. Cut dough lengthwise in half. Cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. On ungreased cookie sheets, place slices 1 inch apart.
• Bake about 10 minutes or until light brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks.