Welcome to cookie season

It's the time of year when neighbors organize holiday cookie exchanges, churches host cookie walks and various community organizations host bake sales. Last weekend offered a number of opportunities to purchase home-baked goodies, and the weekend ahead is also full of venues for visiting Santa and buying cookies.

One of our neighbors bakes special cookies each year to deliver as holiday gifts. These confectioners-sugar-coated gems have been given several different names: Mexican Wedding Cookies, Jewish Wedding Cookies, Russian Tea Cakes and Walnut Snowball Cookies. Their shape is usually round, but I've also seen them in elegant crescents.

The key ingredients are lots of butter, vanilla flavoring and finely chopped nuts, either walnuts or pecans. These require a bit of patience, as the dough needs to be refrigerated to firm up before the cookies are shaped. They also require nimble hands to roll the hot cookies in confectioners sugar. But, the effort is worth it – these are addictive.

When you start planning your baking, consider the time and energy required. Bar cookies are the easiest types to make in large quantities. Dough is spread in a shallow pan (similar to brownies) and cut into squares after baking. A great gifting idea is seen in the photo, individual chocolate chip cookies baked in a miniature cast-iron skillet. Or, you can bake a larger one and slice it into wedges.

You can use any recipe for traditional chocolate chip cookies or oatmeal cookies. In fact, the recipes printed on the bag of chips or box of oatmeal are perennial winners. The key to getting the cookie out of the pan is to melt butter in the skillet while the oven is preheating. Although, if you decide to serve it drizzled with chocolate syrup and topped with a scoop of ice cream, you'll be eating it directly from the pan.

Drop cookies are next on the easy-to-bake list, as rounded spoonfuls of dough are simply dropped onto the baking sheet. In fact, many drop cookie recipes can be converted to bar cookies in the baking step. These will puff up a bit when they bake, so be careful not to super-size them. I've included a recipe for peanut butter cookies that begins with balls that are flattened with a fork to create a grid pattern on the top.

Pressed cookies (also known as spritz cookies from the German word spritzen meaning to squirt) are made by squeezing the dough through a cookie press. Cookie press kits are usually sold with several disks of different-shaped cutouts that fit into the end of the tube; you can find everything from trees to stars to wreaths. These are even more festive when decorated with maraschino cherries. As in the recipe below, these are rich and buttery, flavored with almond extract. The key to success is the consistency of your dough: too soft and the shapes melt into blobs when they bake; dough that is too tough will give you cookies that are as dry as dust. The proper cookie press technique to pop out perfect shapes is to keep the cylindrical press vertical, not at an angle, where it meets the cookie sheet.

Now that you've finished baking (whether for a cookie exchange, gifting to friends or family sharing) it's time to pour a glass of cold milk and taste test your goodies.

Mexican Wedding Cookies

1 C softened butter
1/2 C confectioners sugar
1 1/2 t vanilla extract
2 1/4 C sifted flour
1/2 t salt
1 C finely chopped nuts*
1 1/2 C confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 375 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, flour and salt; mix until smooth. Fold in nuts, mixing to combine thoroughly. Place dough in the refrigerator for about 15 to 20 minutes. Form dough into small (one-inch) balls and place on the prepared cookie sheets. Bake just until the cookies start to brown slightly, about 12 to 15 minutes. When cookies are still warm (but not too hot to handle) roll them in confectioners sugar until evenly coated. Allow to cool on a rack and store in an airtight container. Yield: 4 dozen cookies. *Note: either walnuts or pecans may be used.

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 C peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
2/3 C sugar
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Cream together the peanut butter and sugar. Lightly beat the egg; mix it into the peanut butter until combined. Use a melon baller or spoon to place dough scoops on cookie sheet about 1 inch apart. Lightly flatten each cookie with the tines of a fork to create a grid pattern. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Cool slightly before removing to a rack to finish cooling. Store in an airtight container. Yield: About 1 1/2 dozen cookies.

Skillet Cookies

3/4 C sugar
3/4 C brown sugar
1 C softened butter
1 t vanilla
1 egg
2 C flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
2 C semisweet chocolate morsels

Preheat oven to 375 F. If making standard cookies, line cookie sheet with parchment paper; set aside. If making skillet cookies, place 1 t butter in the skillet and place in the oven while preheating. Cream together sugars and butter.

Lightly beat the vanilla and egg into the mixture. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt; add to butter mixture and mix to completely combine. Fold in chocolate chips, making sure to distribute evenly. If making standard cookies, drop spoonfuls of dough onto the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart; bake 8 to 10 minutes and cook on a rack. If making skillet cookies, pour off any excess melted butter and pat dough into the pan, 3/4 of the way from the rim. Bake until cookie is lightly browned and cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes. Makes 3 dozen cookies, or 1 12-inch skillet cookie or 4 mini-skillet cookies.

Spritz Cookies

1 C softened butter
1/2 C sugar
2 egg yolks
1 t vanilla
1/2 t almond extract
2 C flour
candied cherries, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 F. Place cookie sheets in refrigerator while mixing dough. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, vanilla and almond extract; mix well. Gradually add flour, beating well after each addition until thoroughly combined. Place desired disk in the cookie press and fill cookie press with dough. Extrude cookies onto chilled cookie sheet about 2 inches part; decorate with candied cherries, if desired. Bake just until edges start to turn golden, about 10 to 12 minutes. Allow to cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes before removing to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container. Yield: 3 dozen.