Christmas Cookies

If you haven't started your Christmas cookie baking yet, I have some suggestions for you. We're using both of these in our Cookie Kitchen platters and they are delicious! A bit of warning, first: the Choco-Caramel Delights are dangerous. They are very rich and a bit addictive. It's funny that when we were narrowing down our cookies for the platters, one unnamed male kept insisting that we remove these from our list. He felt the weren't "Christmas-y" enough. We decided to override his opinion because, hey! We knew we'd be selling these platters to WOMEN! Women love chocolate and MUST have chocolate! We kept them in, and it's a good thing! They have been raved about over and over again and have become a selling point for the variety platters we offer. The women love them! The men devour them. I know you will, too.

CHOCO-CARAMEL DELIGHTS
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg, separated
2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup finely chopped pecans
Caramel filling:
14 unwrapped light caramels
3 Tbsp whipping cream
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp shortening (do not use butter, margarine, spread or oil)

Beat butter, sugar, egg yolk, milk and vanilla in medium bowl until blended. Stir together flour, cocoa and salt; blend into butter mixture. Refrigerate dough at least 1 hour or until firm enough to handle.
Heat oven to 350. Lightly grease cookie sheet.
beat egg white slightly. Shape dough into 1-in balls. Dip each ball into egg white; roll in pecans to coat. Place on prepared cookie sheet. Press thumb gently in center of each ball. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set.
Meanwhile, prepare caramel filling. In small saucepan, combine caramels with whipping cream. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until caramels are melted and mixture is smooth.
Remove cookies from oven; press center of each cookie again with thumb to make indentation. Immediately spoon about 1/2 tsp caramel filling in center of each cookie. Carefully remove from cookie sheets; cool on wire racks.
Microwave chocolate chips and shortening on high for 1 minute or until softened; stir. Allow to stand several minutes to finish melting; stir until smooth. Place wax paper under wire rack with cookies. Drizzle chocolate mixture over top of cookies.
Makes about 2 dozen cookies.
(No nutritional information available or necessary.)


Now, if you like cinnamon, you HAVE to try the Cinnamon Stars! For our Cookie Kitchen platters, we add a splash of liqueur to the recipe, but I personally love, love, love them without it so that the cinnamon flavor can shine! And I'm being 100% honest here, there is a major difference between using regular, store-bough cinnamon and Watkins' Cinnamon. Using regular cinnamon is good, but using the Watkins is phenomenal! The cinnamon flavor will blow you away!


Cinnamon Stars
Dough must rest 2 hours before baking - so start earlier in the day before you need them.

3 Egg whites
3 cups sifted icing sugar
3 cups ground, blanced almonds
2 Tbsp Watkins Cinnamon
Watkins Cooking Spray

Beat egg whites until stiff.
Beat in sifted powdered sugar.
At this point reserve 1/2 - 3/4 cup of this mixture Cover tightly and refrigerate.

Then add 3 cups ground blanched almonds and cinnamon.
Cover tightly and let rest at room temp. 2 hours.
Roll 1/2 of the dough at a time on a powdered sugar surface (using powdered sugar instead of flour) and roll 1/8" - 1/4" thick. Cut out with star cookie cutter. Top with meringue and place on sprayed cookie sheets. Bake at 425 for 2-3 minutes until meringue just barely starts to brown on edges. WATCH CAREFULLY!!! Unfortunately, you have to babysit them while they're in there because they brown very quickly. Remove to rack within a few minutes to cool.

PS Just to clarify ... it was NOT my husband who didn't want the chocolate cookies included. He's a chocoholic, too! :)