Butterballchristmascookies Recipes

ITALIAN BUTTERBALL COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet.
• Beat together the butter and 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and mix into the butter mixture until just incorporated. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and arrange on the prepared baking sheet spaced about 2 inches apart.
• Bake in the preheated oven until firm, about 10 minutes. Cool on the sheet for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.
• Spread the 1/4 cup confectioners sugar on a plate; roll the cooled cookies in the confectioners' sugar to coat.

KOURABIEDES (GREECE): WALNUT SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Toast the walnuts until golden brown and fragrant, about 6 minutes. Let cool, then chop about half of the nuts (you should have about 1/2 cup chopped). Pulse the remaining nuts in the food processor until finely ground (about 1/4 cup ground).
• Stir the flour, baking powder, salt and nuts together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• In another medium bowl, beat the butter, sugar, egg yolk, brandy and vanilla extract together with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until the mixture gets light and fluffy, about 10 minutes.
• At low speed, stir in the nut mixture to make a crumbly dough. Cover the bowl and set dough aside at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or coat with nonstick spray.
• With a tablespoon, scoop out 1-inch pieces of dough and roll into balls between the palms of your hands. Pinch the ends of the balls to make a football shape. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies set and start to brown, about 18 minutes.
• Remove cookies from the oven and immediately sprinkle them lightly with the orange water. (If you don't have a brush, simply dip your fingers into the water and flick it over the cookies a few times.) Take care not to douse them, just enough for them to carry the scent of flowers.
• Put the confectioners' sugar in a bag, and add 5 to 6 of the warm cookies to it. Very gently toss the cookies to coat with sugar. Remove them from the bag and cool cookies on a rack. Repeat with remaining cookies. Serve.
• Busy baker's tips: Dough can be frozen for up to 2 weeks. Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Baked cookies can be wrapped in plastic, then aluminum foil, for up to 2 weeks. To serve, let cookies come to room temperature before dusting with confectioners' sugar.
• Cook's Note: If you can't find orange flower water, try specialty stores or online.
• Copyright (c) 2007 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved

BUTTER BALL COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter,sugar, salt and vanilla.
• Blend in flour and nuts.
• Scoop and roll into balls.
• Bake 325 for 22 to 25 minutes.
• Remove from oven roll into powdered sugar.

RUSSIAN BUTTER COOKIES FOR CHRISTMAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Beat well the butter and sugar together.
• Blend in the remaining ingredients.
• Chill for several hours or overnight.
• Shape/roll into 1 inch balls.
• Bake at 400°F for 10-12 minutes.
• Roll AT ONCE, while warm, in 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar.
• Cool and then roll AGAIN in confectioner's sugar.
• These are so simple and yet so special.

CHRISTMAS BUTTER COOKIE CUTOUTS

Steps:

• In large bowl, beat butter and granulated sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. On low speed, beat in egg, lemon peel and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt until well blended.
• Divide dough into 4 parts; flatten each part into 1/2-inch-thick round. Wrap each in waxed paper or plastic wrap; refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Heat oven to 350°F. Remove 1 round of dough at a time from refrigerator. Between sheets of floured waxed paper or plastic wrap, roll dough until 1/4 to 3/8 inch thick. Cut with 3-inch cookie cutters in various shapes. On ungreased cookie sheets, place cutouts 1 inch apart.
• Bake 10 to 12 minutes or just until edges are golden. Cool on cookie sheets about 1 minute before removing to cooling rack. To make cookies for hanging, using a toothpick or end of plastic straw, carefully poke a hole in the top of each cookie while cookies are still hot. Cool 10 to 15 minutes before frosting.
• In medium bowl, stir together powdered sugar and meringue powder. Stir in 5 teaspoons lemon juice and enough of the 4 to 5 tablespoons water to make a thin icing. Transfer 1/2 cup of the icing into small bowl; set aside. Using a flexible pastry brush, paint cookies to the edges with icing. Place on cooling rack to dry completely, about 30 minutes.
• Beat reserved icing with electric mixer on high speed 5 to 7 minutes or until peaks form. Place in small resealable food-storage plastic bag; cut a very small hole in the bottom of the bag with the plain white icing. Squeeze icing onto glazed cookies. Before icing dries, sprinkle with decorations, and tap off excess. Dry thoroughly on cooling rack. Thread cookies with narrow ribbon for hanging.

BUTTERBALL CHRISTMAS COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream sofft butter, adding sugar gradually.
• Add egg yolks, slowing blending. Add flour gradually.
• Work dough around a cherry to form a balll. I make mine about 1 inch across, but you can make them smaller or larger.
• Place on greased cookie sheet (or, on parchment) and bake slowly at 325 for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Cool completely. Then, shake in confectioners sugar.
• They are light, and melt-in-your-mouth good (especially with cold milk). Enjoy!