Christmas Cookie Recipe – One Batch, Five Different Cookies

Adhering to time-honored Christmas traditions means cooking at least seven different types of biscuits or cookies, for the ‘Juletide’ feast. In today’s fast paced lifestyle, time-poor families need a shortcut if they are to maintain these customs. It was a mere  error or perhaps, serendipity that created an opportunity for such a discovery in my kitchen. This recipe makes at least four, if not five, different types of cookies, from the one mix,  thereby reducing the workload in the kitchen. [See recipe below.]

The Rationale or Explanation:

I am used to being the sole cook in my kitchen, yet Christmas is always frenetic. There is more people in the house, more to do, more excited conversation, more spontaneity, and thus ever more distractions. This is not conducive to concentrating on the task at hand: i.e. to make seven varieties of cookies following several recipes at once. Add to that another increased layer of difficulty:the recipes are hand-written by me in my marginally legible handwriting similar to that you would find on a Doctor’s prescription! So, it should come as no surprise that I stuffed up and missed adding an extra cup of flour to the basic recipe for Jam drops.

The result was Jam drops that were flat as a pancake, looking more like a Brandy snap that had a blood spattered head injury! Embarrassing to put on the Christmas table, to say the least. (Yet, ironically, it was these same cast-offs, which my food- fussy husband gobbled up, well before I had a chance to photograph them). So with a little skill they could still be presented as an edible Christmas treat!

Upon further analysis of this major cooking mishap, I realized I had omitted a second cup of flour, from the recipe and that the rest of the, as yet uncooked mix, could definitely be salvaged.  Thus I added, the missing cup of flour and cooked a second tray-ful, (which hubby didn’t like as much, so were available to photograph).

After which, I thought, well, why stop there? Thus I added white chocolate chips, cooked a third tray, and then added cocoa and cooked a fourth and final tray.  Now more than half the xmas cookie baking is done. Thank goodness for serendipity!

Recipe Tray 1 (makes one full baking tray of biscuits)

Jam Snaps

1  1/4 cup butter

3/4 cup  castor or fine white sugar

2 eggs

1   1/4 cups Self-raising flour

N.B. (Self raising flour = Plain Flour with 1 Tsp Baking powder per 1 cup Plain flour)

1/2 cup jam

Cream  butter and sugar together in a bowl.

Add eggs and beat well.

Gradually add flour, mixing thoroughly each time.

Drop teaspoonfuls of mix on a greased/lined baking sheet, 5 – 10 cm apart ( these cookies spread significantly)*

Wet your thumb and press into each biscuit, creating a dent. Drop a small dollop of jam in each one. (about 1/4 teaspoonful is fine)

Bake for 10 minutes in a moderate 180 degree celsius (375 F) oven, or until browned. Cool on wire tray

*Only spoon out enough for one tray of cookies, and save the rest for making Recipe 2, see below.

 

Recipe 2 (makes one full baking tray of biscuits)

JAM DROPS

Gradually Add 1 full cup of Self Raising Flour to the existing Mix and stir thoroughly.

N.B. (Self raising flour = Plain Flour with 1 Tsp Baking powder per 1 cup Plain flour)

*Drop teaspoonfuls of mix on a greased/lined baking sheet, 5 – 10 cm apart

Wet your thumb and press into each biscuit, creating a dent.

Drop a small dollop of jam in each one. (about 1/4 teaspoonful is fine)

Bake for 15 minutes in a moderate 180 degree Celsius (375 F) oven, or until browned. Cool on wire tray.

*Only spoon out enough for one baking sheet of cookies, and save the rest for making Recipe 3, see below.

 

Recipe 3 (makes one full baking tray of biscuits)

White chocolate chip Cookies

Into the existing mix,

Add:

50 g white chocolate chips and mix thoroughly

Drop teaspoonfuls of mix on a greased lined baking sheet

Cook 15 minutes in moderate 180 degree Celsius (375 F) oven or til browned

Cool on wire tray

*Only spoon out enough for one tray of cookies, and save the rest for making recipe 4, see below.

Recipe 4 (makes one full baking tray of biscuits)

Chocolate cookies with chocolate chip *

Leftover Mix from Above

Add 3 tablespoons cocoa powder and mix thoroughly **

Drop teaspoonfuls of mix on  a greased lined baking sheet

Cook 15 minutes in moderate 180 degree Celsius (375 F) oven or til browned

Cool on a wire tray

** This mix could also be made with only 2 tablespoons cocoa stirred through lightly with the result being a marbled cookie, making a fifth variety of cookie!!

Now that is 5 cookies done and dusted. Two to go….

Cooking Tip:

If you live, as I do in a humid environment, and your home-baked biscuits, once cooked, tend to go too soft too quickly, here is a solution: Pop them in a 180 degree C (375 F) oven for five minutes and then turn the oven off, leaving them in the oven to cool for a further 10 – 15 minutes, in the oven, and voilà: crispy cookies, that will last well into Christmas.

 

Merry Christmas Everyone from Something to Ponder About