Christmas Foods - Seasons Greetings!

• ½ cup butter, softened
• 1 tsp. granulated sugar
• 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tsp. crushed dried rosemary
• ½ tsp. paprika

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Using electric mixer beat together butter and sugar. Beat in Swiss cheese.

In separate bowl, mix together flour, rosemary and paprika.

Using a wooden spoon, stir flour mixture into butter mixture. Divide dough in half.

On lightly floured surface, shape dough into two 7 in. logs. Cut into half in. coins. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake in centre of oven for 14 to 16 minutes, or until golden.

The dough:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup walnuts, chopped

Cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla together until fluffy. Add the flour and walnuts and blend to form dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
Candy Mixture for the Garnish:

• ¼ lb. of peppermint candy
• ½ cup confectioners’ sugar

In a small bowl, combine both ingredients. Set aside. Three tablespoons of this mixture will be used in the filling and the remainder is used to garnish cookie balls.
The Filling:

• 2 tbsp. cream cheese, softened
• 1 tsp. milk
• 1 drop red food coloring
• ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
• 3 tbsp. candy mixture

In a bowl, blend together the cream cheese, milk, food coloring, and the confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Blend in the 3 tbsp. candy mixture.

Remove the dough from the fridge and for each cookie pinch off a rounded teaspoon of the dough. Form into a ball and shape the dough around your thumb to make a little compartment in the middle. Place about ¼ tsp. of the cream cheese filling in the depression. Pinch the dough back together and roll it back into a ball. Repeat this process with the remaining dough and filling. Place the balls on a non-stick cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated 350ºF oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Do not brown.

Remove the cookie balls to a cooling rack. To garnish, roll the cooled cookie ball in the remaining candy mixture.

• 1¾ cup hot water
• 1 cup salt
• 4 cups all-purpose flour

Egg Wash:

• 1 egg, beaten with 3 tbsp. water

Pour the hot water into a bowl with the salt and stir for 1 minute. The salt grains will reduce in size, but they will not completely dissolve. Add the flour and blend until all the water is absorbed. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for a few minutes until it is smooth and pliable. Cover the dough in a plastic bag if you do not plan to use it after the 5 minutes of resting time.

Roll the dough out 3/8 inch thick on a floured surface and cut out shapes with cookie cutters. Place the cookies on a non-stick baking sheet and brush lightly with the egg wash. Bake in a preheated 300ºF oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until golden brown. You can also press the dough into lightly oiled fancy ceramic molds or lightly floured wooden molds and bake as instructed by the manufacturer.

• 2 eggs, beaten
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. ground cardamom
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tbsp. butter, melted
• Peanut oil for frying

Garnish:

• Confectioners’ sugar

Beat the eggs, salt, cardamom, and sugar together in a mixing bowl. Beat the flour and milk alternately into the mixture. Stir in the melted butter.

To make rosettes, heat the peanut oil to 375ºF (1½ inches of oil in an electric frying pan works great for this). Dip a rosette iron into the hot oil, then into the batter. Do not let the batter run over the top of the iron as this may make it difficult for the rosette to release. Immerse the batter-coated iron in the hot oil until the rosette comes out free. Fry for 20 to 25 seconds. Remove the rosette to drain on paper towels. Reheat the iron in the oil and repeat the process. Dust with confectioners’ sugar.

The dough:

• ¾ cup butter, at room temperature
• 3 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 1 tbsp. grated lemon peel
• 1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 cups all-purpose flour or more

Cream the butter and cream cheese together until fluffy. Blend in the baking powder, salt, sugar, egg, grated lemon peel, and the lemon juice. Gradually blend in the 3 cups flour, or more, and knead to form soft dough. Force the dough through a cookie press with a number 16 plate to form 3-inch long cookie bars. Press the cookies directly onto a baking sheet.

Bake in a preheated 400ºF oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Allow to cool on a rack.
The icing:

• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• ½ tsp. fresh lemon juice
• 4 tsp. milk
• 2/3 cup walnuts, chopped fine

In a small bowl, blend the sugar, lemon juice, and milk together until smooth. Brush half the top of the cookie with icing. Sprinkle the icing with the nuts. Place the cookie on a rack to dry the icing. Repeat the process until all the cookies are done.

• ¾ cup butter, at room temperature
• ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 4 tbsp. sesame oil
• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp. cold water, or more to form dough
• ¾ cup raw sesame seeds

Cream the butter and the sugar with the vanilla and sesame oil. Blend in the flour until mixed thoroughly. Add the 2 tablespoons cold water, or more, to form dough. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls, in the sesame seeds. Place on a baking in a preheated 350ºF oven for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until the sesame seeds begin to turn golden brown and the insides of the cookies are not doughy.

The dough:

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup butter
• 1 8-oz. container sour cream
• 2 egg yolks, reserving the whites for the meringue filling below
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• Confectioners’ sugar

Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut in the butter until grainy. In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, egg yolks, and lemon juice. Blend the sour cream mixture into the flour mixture. Knead together to form a smooth dough. Place the dough on plastic wrap and pat it into a 6 x 8 inch rectangle. Wrap and refrigerate 2 hours, or overnight.
The filling:

• 2 egg whites, reserved from making the dough
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped fine
• 2½ tsp. ground cinnamons
• ¼ tsp. salt

Whip the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Gradually whip in the sugar to form a meringue. Whip until the meringue holds soft peaks. Fold in the remaining ingredients.

Dust a rolling pin and the counter with flour. Roll the chilled dough out into a thin (1/8 inch maximum) rectangle measures 24 x 15 inches. Cut the dough into 3 inch squares and dust with confectioners’ sugar. Place a rounded teaspoon of the filling in the center of each dough square. With a tiny bit of water, dampen 2 opposite corners. Fold the two opposite corners over each other and press the center together lightly. Place the cookies on a non-stick baking sheet and bake in a preheated 350ºF oven for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned.

• ¾ cup butter, at room temperature
• ¾ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• ½ cup dark molasses
• 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 4½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1½ tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. ground cloves
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2½ tsp. ground gingers
• ¼ tsp. cardamom
• ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 tbsp. cold water

Cream the butter and brown sugar together until fluffy. Add the molasses and lemon juice and beat again. Combine all dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add the dry to the butter mixture and blend until crumbly. Add the cold water and mix until dough is formed. Knead a minute by hand so that the dough holds together. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1½ hours.

Roll the dough out to a ¼ inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut the figurines out of the dough with a gingerbread man or women cookie cutter. Arrange the figures on a non-stick cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated 350ºF oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies begin to turn brown.