I’m making these CHURCH WINDOW cookies for our cookie exchange:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/church-windows-i/detail.aspx

1/2 cup butter
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 (10.5 ounce) package rainbow colored miniature marshmallows
1 (8 ounce) package flaked coconut

1. Melt butter in top of double boiler over hot water. Add chocolate morsels; stir until melted, then remove from heat. Let cool. Add marshmallows; stir lightly.

2. Spread half of the coconut in a greased 9×9x2 – inch pan. Spread chocolate mixture over coconut in pan. Top with remaining coconut. Press down with a spoon. Refrigerate until set. When well chilled, cut into small squares.

**Instead of putting them in a greased pan, I form the mixture into logs on plastic wrap & cover with coconut. Then you can wrap them up and refrigerate until set.

Canadian Living Christmas Books are a treasure trove of cookies — I tried these last year for the first time and they were a HUGE HIT!!

CANADIAN LIVING REALLY GOOD RUM BALLS
There are rum ball recipes galore, but none better than this one.

Ingredients
1 cup icing sugar (250 mL)
1 cup ground almonds (250 mL)
3 oz bittersweet chocolate, grated(85 g)
1/3 cup dark rum (75 mL)
1 tsp vanilla (5 mL)
1/2 cup chocolate sprinkles 125 mL)

Preparation
Line trays with waxed paper; set aside.

In large bowl, whisk icing sugar, almonds and bittersweet chocolate. Stir in 1/4 cup (50 mL) of the rum and vanilla until solid moist mass; press together. Chill until firm enough to roll, about 15 minutes.

Roll by rounded teaspoonfuls (5 mL) into balls, moistening and wiping hands with damp cloth as needed. Place on prepared trays.

Pour remaining rum into shallow bowl. Pour chocolate shot (the sprinkles) into separate shallow bowl. Roll balls in rum then in chocolate, pressing lightly to adhere. Let dry on tray, 1 hour. Refrigerate until firm.

(Make-ahead: Layer between waxed paper in airtight container and refrigerate or freeze for up to 1 month.)

I heard about Chocolate Chip/Brownie cookies from a colleague at work, and am DEFINITELY going to bake them this holiday season!

Brownie Pillow Cookies
http://www.bakerella.com/pillow-cookies/

1 package brownie mix

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, plus 1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
12 oz. bag miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips

Make brownies according to package and let cool. Cut about ten 1 inch squares. Enjoy the remaining brownies. (I used a pan about 8 X

For the chocolate chip cookie dough, beat butter with a mixer until creamy.

Add brown sugar and beat until smooth.

Add eggs, yolk and vanilla. Beat until smooth.

Combine flour, baking powder, soda and salt in a medium bowl and stir together with a wire whisk.

Add flour to butter mixture and beat until combined. Stir in mini chips.

Let dough chill covered in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Use a measuring cup to scoop batter by the 1/2 cup. Since it’s chilled, you may need to pack it with a spoon. Then use the spoon to remove the dough from the cup and place it on parchment paper. Work quickly so the dough remains chilled or either prepare one cookie at a time so the rest of the dough remains cold.

After the dough is on the parchment paper, make an indention and place a 1 inch square brownie in the center. Press the brownie down gently and work the remaining dough around the brownie. You can use your hands to shape the dough into a ball.

During this step, I found it easier to use a piece of parchment paper as a work surface since the dough can get sticky and then I used another piece of parchment paper for the baking sheet. If your dough gets too soft, you can chill the rolled dough balls for a few minutes right before baking.

Prepare six cookies at a time using a large baking sheet (15 X 20) and bake at 350 degrees for about 18 minutes. Return the remaining dough to the refrigerator until time to bake the second batch.

Cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes and then cool completely on a wire rack.

Makes about ten cookies using a little less than a 1/2 cup of dough for each cookie.

If your cookies start to get too brown before they are done baking, you can place a sheet of aluminum foil over top for the last few minutes.

Chocolate Mint Candies Cookies
(http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/chocolate-mint-candies-cookies/detail.aspx)

For a cookie exchange last year, I made these delicious treats. They were an instant hit with my family and friends!

Ingredients
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 (4.5 ounce) packages chocolate covered thin mints

Directions
1. In a saucepan over medium heat, cook the sugar, butter and water, stirring occasionally until melted. Remove from heat, stir in the chocolate chips until melted and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

2. Pour the chocolate mixture into a large bowl, and beat in the eggs, one at a time. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt, stir into the chocolate mixture. Cover and refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. Roll cookie dough into walnut sized balls and place 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.

4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, be careful not to overbake. When cookies come out of the oven, Press one mint wafer into the top of each cookie and let sit for 1 minute. When the mint is softened, swirl with the back of a spoon or toothpick to make a pattern with the green filling of the mint wafer. For smaller cookies, break mints in half.

My favourite holiday cookies are from Nigella Lawson. Her chocolatey cookies are soft like very airy brownie clouds.

Christmas Chocolate Cookies
Nigella Lawson Christmas

Ingredients:

2 1/4 sticks (18 tablespoons) soft butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
For the Festive Topping:
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup boiling water, from a kettle
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Christmas sprinkles

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl and when you have a light, soft whipped mixture, beat in the 1/3 cup cocoa powder (sifting if it is lumpy), and when that’s mixed in, beat in the flour with the baking soda and baking powder. Or just put everything in the processor and blitz, if you prefer.

This mixture is very soft and sticky and I find it easiest to form the coolers wearing my disposable vinyl gloves, so pinch off pieces about 1 tablespoon in size, roll them into balls, then slightly flatten into fat discs as you place them well spaced on your cookie sheet; you should get about 12 on at a time.

Back each batch for 15 minutes; even though the cookies won’t feel as if they’ve had enough time , the will continue to cook as they cool. They will look slightly cracked on top and it’s this cozy, homespun look I love.

Remove the cookie sheet to a cold surface and let it sit for 15 minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire rack, with a sheet of newspaper under it to catch drips while topping them.

To make the topping, put the cocoa powder, confectioners’ sugar, water and vanilla extract into a small saucepan and whisk over a low heat until everything is smoothly combined. Take off the heat for 10 minutes.

When the cookies are cool, drizzle each one with the tablespoonful of chocolate glaze, to glue the sprinkles on in a minute, using the back of the spoon to help spread the mixture, though an uneven dribbly look is part of their charm.

After you’ve iced six cookies, scatter with some of the Christmas sprinkles and continue this until all the cookies are topped. “If you ice them all before sprinkling, you will find the cocoa “glue” has dried and the sprinkles won’t stick on.

When there are so many sweet things around at Christmas, I’m partial to a light lemon dessert. The Biscotti Regina Sesame Seed Cookies originates in an Arab-influenced Sicilian cuisine and is the perfect match with a cup of tea (delightful with mint tea) during the holiday season. It’s from a lovely little book called BISCOTTI by Mona Talbott & Mirella Misenti.

Ingredients:
1 cup + 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 c + 2 tsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 tbsp + 1 tsp milk
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
1/3 c raw sesame seeds

Instructions:
Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda until the dry ingredients are well sifted. Add the butter, milk, egg yolk and lemon zest all at once to the dry mixture and mix slowly until a soft dough forms. Wrap the dough in plastic film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and form it into 40 balls (1/4 oz). Transfer the sesame seeds to a small mixing bowl and gently press the seeds into each ball as you reshape the dough into small even rectangles. At this point the dough can be stored in the freezer for up to a month.

To bake, preheat the oven to 200 C / 400 F.

Evenly space the cookies on baking sheets lined with parchment paper 1 inch apart. Allow the dough to come to room temperature before baking.

Bake for 8-10 minutes.

These cookies keep well for 2-3 days stored in a sealed contained.

I’m not much of a baker, but I absolutely love these cookies any time of year!

CHOCOLATE SNAPS

Ingredients:
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup corn syrup
1 egg

Directions:
Melt chocolate chips over heat and let cool. Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. With an electric mixer set at medium-low speed, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla, corn syrup and egg and continue beating until well combined. Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in melted chocolate. Add flour mixture and continue beating until well combined.
Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
Shape dough into approximately 1 inch balls and roll in additional sugar. Put on ungreased baking sheets about 1 inch apart. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) until edges are lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Let stand on baking sheets 1 minute before removing to wire racks to cool.

This is the easiest thing ever – I wouldn’t be surprised if Nigella herself borrowed this recipe for her next collection! I crave these cookies every year and eat astonishing amounts – I really must be reminded to share them with the children. From pastry chef Sheryl Brooks.

Ginger Molasses Cookies

3/4 cup melted and cooled butter
Add to this 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup molasses and 1 egg. Mix well.

Sift together 2 cups flour, 2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp clove, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 tsp salt. Add to the wet ingredients.

Chill dough. Make into balls about 1 tsp. Roll in sugar and flatten with a fork.

Bake @ 350 for 8 – 10 min.

Canadian Living Recipes are THE BEST IMHO !!

I buy the holiday issues/christmas recipe special just for that. I even have those old Canadian Living books from about 1-15 yrs ago about a specific topic – breads, cookies and bars, etc. My favorite recipes come out of those books.

Chatelaine has some good ones too. I just look around different places online, or in magazines/cookbooks you never know what will tickle your fancy when you are browsing !

RECIPE: Rocky Road Triple Threat Chocolate Chip Cookies , The Pastry Queen

WHAT YOU NEED

2 cookie sheets lined with parchment paper then sprayed thoroughly with cooking spray
1 cookie sheet set aside for toasting nuts

1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup chopped walnuts
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups semisweet or milk chocolate chips
1 cup mini marshmallows, halved

MAKE IT

PREHEAT oven to 350F
SPREAD chopped nuts in a single layer onto an ungreased cookie sheet
TOAST 7-9 minutes until golden brown
SET aside and allow to cool completely

IN SMALL saucepan, combine chopped chocolate and butter
MELT over low heat , stirring constantly until fully melted.
SET ASIDE and allow to cool completely

IN A LARGE BOWL, combine eggs and sugar
WITH ELECTRIC MIXER, beat 3 minutes, MED speed
ADD vanilla and melted chocolate.
BEAT MED SPEED for 2 minutes
ADD flour, baking soda and salt.
MIX just until combined
STIR in chocolate chips and marshmallows
ALLOW dough to sit 20 minutes

PREHEAT oven to 350F
WITH cookie scoop or teaspoon, drop rounded mounds onto greased parchment-lined sheets
PRESS down tops of cookies slightly so they are not as peaked
COOK 11-12 minutes until cookies are no longer shiny and are starting to crack
LEAVE cookies on cookie sheet for 10 minutes then transfer with a spatula to cooling rack

Cookies are at their best if eaten within 3 days or they can be frozen, wrapped in plastic wrap then in foil, for up to 3 weeks.

http://lemondropsfoodie.blogspot.com/2011/04/rocky-road-triple-threat-chocolate-chip.html

The reasons I like these is because the only sugar in them comes from the jam you put on them, They are beautiful little jewels with the jam inside. They puff up really nicely too

BOW TIE COOKIES WITH APRICOT PRESERVES
(any type of good quality jam works and makes the display even prettier)

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
8 oz. (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
11-1/4 oz. (2-1/2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted; more for rolling
One 12-oz. jar good-quality apricot preserves (about 3/4 cup)
One large egg, beaten
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and paddle. With the mixer on low, gradually mix in the flour until a smooth dough forms.

Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead the dough gently to form a ball. Divide the dough in thirds, wrap each in plastic or waxed paper, and flatten into squares. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 400°F. Line 3 cookie sheets with parchment. Remove one piece of dough from the refrigerator and roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a 1/8-inch-thick rectangle. Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, trim the rough edges of the dough so the sides are straight, and then cut into 2-inch squares. Spoon about 1/2 tsp. of the preserves onto the center of each square. Fold one corner into the center, dab with the beaten egg, and then bring the opposite corner into the center and pinch firmly together to seal the corners. With a thin spatula, transfer the cookie to the cookie sheet. Repeat the process with the remaining dough.

Bake one sheet at a time until golden and very lightly browned and puffed, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely and then dust with confectioners’ sugar.

You can freeze these cookies in freezer bags for up to 3 months.
nutrition information (per serving):
Size : per cookie; Calories (kcal): 70; Fat (g): 4; Fat Calories (kcal): 35; Saturated Fat (g): 2.5; Protein (g): 1; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 1; Carbohydrates (g): 7; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 0; Sodium (mg): 15; Cholesterol (mg): 15; Fiber (g): 0;

These cookies sound so good! Thanks for sharing!