Decorating the tree!

Christmas Cookies!!

I wanted to share this recipe. This is my all time favorite Chrismas Cookie.
I make mine as thumbprint cookies with a candied cherry in the middle,
with white chocolate drizzled over top! YUM!!
If you try these, let me know how you like them! If you have a favorite
Christmas cookie recipe, share it here in my comments!! Enjoy!

	Click to enlarge

CHOCOLATE BUTTER COOKIES

8 Reviews

Shape this chocolate cookie dough into a variety of shapes and make a variety of cookie shapes from one dough.

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Preparation time: 30 min Chilling time: 2 hrs Baking time: 7 min

Yield: 3 dozen cookies

3/4		cup sugar
3/4		cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, softened
1		egg
1		teaspoon almond extract
1 2/3		cups all-purpose flour
1/3		cup unsweetened cocoa

Combine sugar and butter in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add egg and almond extract; continue beating until well mixed. Reduce speed to low; beat, gradually adding flour and cocoa and scraping bowl often, until well mixed.

Divide dough into thirds. Wrap each third in plastic food wrap; refrigerate until firm (2 hours or overnight).

Heat oven to 375°F. Shape dough with floured hands, one-third at a time (keep remaining dough refrigerated), into 1-inch balls. Form balls into desired shapes (balls, squares, logs, etc.) or follow variations as directed below. Place 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until set. (Surface may crack slightly.) Cool completely. Decorate as desired.

Recipe Tip
If you want to use a cookie press to form cookies, it is not necessary to chill dough before forming cookies.

Recipe Tip
Too much flour can make your cookies dry and crumbly. To measure flour, lightly spoon flour into measuring cup and level off with a straight edge.



VARIATIONS:

Nut Rolls: Shape dough into 2 to 3-inch logs. Bake as directed. Cool completely. Dip both ends of each cookie into melted chocolate chips, then in finely chopped nuts.

Surprise–Filled: Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Make depression in center of each cookie with back of teaspoon. Bake as directed. Cool completely. Fill with maraschino cherry half. Spoon melted vanilla milk chips over top of cookie.

Cut-Out Cookies: Roll out dough on lightly floured surface, one-third at a time (keeping remaining dough refrigerated), to 1/8 to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with 3-inch cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake as directed. Decorated as desired.


Merry Christmas!!

Holiday Giveaway from 5minutesformom!!

Win a Kodak Digital Frame!

Written by Janice

For our very first giveaway here at 5 Minutes for Giveaways, we have a fantastic prize from Kodak — the EASYSHARE W820 Wireless Digital Frame with Home Decor Kit.

I am so excited to post about this frame just before Christmas, because it is a great idea for holiday giving! The Kodak Digital Picture Frame is perhaps a perfect Christmas gift…

Except for one thing… giving it away would be really hard!

I can't believe how cool this frame is. Can you believe you can have a picture frame that connects wirelessly to your network and plays MP3s! You can play multimedia slide shows of your pictures, videos and music. Amazing.

Set up is simple too, with easy to use instructions and the intuitive quick touch border.

Yes, giving or getting a Kodak Wireless Digital Frame would bring some serious excitement Christmas morning.

The EASYSHARE W820 Wireless Digital Frame:

• 8 in. (20.3 cm) high-quality display
• 512 MB of internal memory
• Wi-Fi enabled
• Plays MP3 through built in speakers
• Kodak's Quick Touch Border
• Access the latest news, weather, sports, and more
• Automatically send and receive pictures from KODAK Gallery members right on your frame with the Picture Mail feature

So, I have an idea for you…

If you are looking for a special, creative gift for someone, buy them a Kodak Wireless Digital Frame.

And then enter here. Because if you win, it will be OUR Christmas gift to YOU!

Kodak is also generously providing an EASYSHARE W820 Wireless Digital Frame with Home Decor Kit to one of our Under the Tree sponsored families.

If you want to win an EASYSHARE W820 Wireless Digital Frame with Home Decor Kit valued at $219.95, we have one to give away to one of our lucky commenters.

Isn't this cute?

Get your own Family Sticker Maker & MySpace Layouts.

Thanksgiving 2008