Tis’ the season for snuggling on the couch, sipping hot cocoa and baking cookies! This past weekend my family and I gathered around the kitchen to start our baking tradition! Over the years we’ve gathered quite a collection of recipes, some being passed down from generation to generation, while others have been added along the way, trying and testing out new ones. This year we started off with a classic, Italian Christmas Cookies! And they taste as good as they look!
Italian Christmas Cookies
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 cups flour
- 2 sticks butter
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 6 eggs
- 6 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Directions
- Cream butter and sugar until blended
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition
- Mix in vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Slowly add flour to creamed mixture and mix until blended. If the dough is too sticky, sprinkle a bit more flour.
- Hand-roll teaspoon-sized balls and place 2″ apart onto ungreased baking sheet
- Bake at 350 degrees until cookies are set and bottoms are lightly brown (about 10 – 15 minutes)
- Let cool for 10 – 15 minutes
- Dip cooled cookies into frosting and sprinkles
Confectioners’ Frosting
Ingredients
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla, almond, lemon, or anise extract
- 1/4 cup water
Directions
- Mix all ingredients together, beat until smooth
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Bake Time: 15 minutes | Cool Time: 5 minutes | Servings: 3 dozen
Gathering around the kitchen is a family tradition of ours (regardless of the holiday season!), but I do enjoy the cookies that come from gathering together for the holidays. What traditions are you looking forward to this holiday season?!?
