Christmas Twirls Cookies Recipes

CINNAMON TWIRL COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat margarine and sour cream until blended. Add egg yolk; mix well. Combine flour and salt; add to margarine mixture and mix well (dough will be sticky). Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight., Preheat oven to 350°. Divide dough into eighths. On a well-floured surface, roll each portion into a 10-in. circle. Cut each circle into 8 triangles. Combine the walnuts, sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over each triangle. , Roll up triangles from the wide ends and place point side down 1 in. apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until lightly browned, 20-22 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Store in an airtight container.

GREEK CHRISTMAS COOKIES (KOURAMBIEDES)

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the butter and salt and whip until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the sugar, egg, brandy, and vanilla and beat until all of the ingredients are integrated. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add sifted flour to the butter mixture. Using a rubber spatula, remove the dough and transfer it onto a piece of waxed paper or parchment. Refrigerate for about 45 minutes before rolling.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• After the dough has cooled, pinch off small pieces and roll them into about 1-inch balls. Place them in a single layer with space in between each, on a greased baking sheet. Repeat the process until all of the cookie dough has been rolled. Place a clove in the center of each cookie. Alternatively, shape the ball into half moons with a clove in the center of each.
• Place the sheets in the oven and bake until the cookies are just slightly brown, about 15 minutes. Allow them to cool thoroughly, and then roll them in powdered sugar.

HOLIDAY SWIRLED SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• For the cookies: Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Increase the mixer speed to medium high, add the vanilla and egg and beat until incorporated. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture in 2 batches and beat until just combined. Shape the dough into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Generously dust a work surface with confectioners' sugar. Roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/2 inch, dusting with more confectioners' sugar as needed. (Return the dough to the refrigerator if it gets too soft.) Cut out shapes with a 2-inch round cookie cutter and arrange 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Reroll the scraps and cut out more cookies. Refrigerate the cookies until firm, about 1 hour.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Bake the cookies, rotating the pans halfway through, until lightly browned around the edges, 9 to 11 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheets.
• For the royal icing: Combine the confectioners' sugar and meringue powder in a large bowl. Add 7 tablespoons water and beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until soft glossy peaks form, adding up to 8 tablespoons water if necessary to make a smooth icing that thickly coats the back of a spoon.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment and set a cooling rack on top.
• Put 1/4 cup icing into each of 2 small bowls. Add 9 drops red food coloring to one bowl and stir until evenly combined. Add 2 drops green food coloring to the second bowl and stir until evenly combined. Pour the remaining white icing into a clean rimmed baking sheet and spread or shake to evenly coat it. Drizzle the red icing all over the white, then drizzle the green icing over both. One at a time, put the cookies face-side down in the baking sheet icing. Take the cookies out one at a time, shaking gently to let excess icing drip off, and place right-side up on the prepared cooling rack. Decorate with edible glitter or sprinkles if desired. Let the icing harden completely before serving, about 1 hour.

MOM'S CHRISTMAS COOKIES

Steps:

• Mix butter, brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon white sugar with an electric mixer until creamy. Add egg yolk and vanilla and mix until well combined. Blend in flour gradually. Cover and chill in the refrigerator, 8 hours to overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place remaining 2 tablespoon white sugar on a plate.
• Remove dough from the refrigerator. Shape into small balls and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Dip a glass into the sugar and press on each ball to flatten.
• Bake in the preheated oven, switching racks halfway through, until edges are golden, 7 to 9 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute before removing to a wire rack to cool, 8 to 10 minutes more.
• While the cookies are cooling, mix butter and powdered sugar until blended. Mix in milk and vanilla.
• Frost cooled cookies with frosting. Press sprinkles into the frosting while still soft.

CHRISTMAS TWIRLS (COOKIES)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. You'll need two baking sheets.
• In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium, beat butter until crreamy. Beat in cream cheese; add sugar and vanilla and beat until combined. On low speed, beat in flour.
• Roll dough unto a 16 x 11-inch rectangle between 2 sheets of waxed paper. Chill in freezer 30 minutes.
• Remove top sheet of waxed paper, With long side parallel to you, sprinkle half the dough lengthwise with red sugar crystals and half with green. Using bottom piece of paper to help you, roll up dough jelly-roll fashion to form a long log. Roll log in white sugar crystals Wrap in plastic; freeze 30 minutes.
• Using a serrated knife, cut log into 5/8-inch slices. Place slices on ungreased baking sheets inch apart. Bake 12-14 minutes, until lightly browned and puffy Cool on sheets 2 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.