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Christmas Cookies
 
 

1 cup butter or other shortening 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 3½ cups flour 2 teaspoons baking powder  ½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla Cream butter, sugar and salt. Add well-beaten eggs and vanilla. Mix and sift flour and baking powder and add to first mixture. Wrap dough in waxed paper and chill for a number of hours. Roll, cut and bake in moderate oven (350° F.) for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. VARIATIONS: For a variety of cookies from the same dough, divide it into fourths before chilling. To one fourth of it add a square of melted chocolate; to another fourth, add :1/3 teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon cloves and ¼ teaspoon nutmeg. Leave the rest of the dough plain, but vary by using coconut, chopped nuts, candied fruit peel, citron, or colored sugar. To color sugar, add a drop or two of red or green vegetable coloring to a small amount of sugar and mix thoroughly with the fingers. Cut cookies in assorted shapes and sizes, and bake. As soon as cookies are out of the oven, brush lightly with egg white slightly beaten and diluted with a tablespoon of water. Sprinkle quickly with sugar before the egg white dries. PINWHEEL COOKIES: Place a ball of chocolate dough on a ball of white and roll to ¼ inch or less in thickness. Roll up like jelly roll, chill for a number of hours, slicely thinly and bake.

 
 
 

©2000 Leigh Ann Smyth. Duplication is prohibited.