this page is dedicated to the many Cookie Holidays
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Cookie Holidays!
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About Christmas Cookies
Christmas cookies are traditionally sugar cookies (though other flavors may be used based on family traditions and individual preferences) cut into various shapes related to Christmas.
Cookies & Milk for Santa
In the United States, since the 1930s, children have left cookies and milk on a table for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, though many people simply consume the cookies themselves. The cookies are often cut into such shapes as those of candy canes, reindeer, and holly leaves.
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Traditional Christmas Cookies
Lebkuchen (or Pfefferkuchen) is a traditional German product baked for Christmas, somewhat resembling soft gingerbread. Similar cookies have a history that extends back to the Egyptians, but the style of the traditional Lebkuchen probably was invented by Medieval monks in Franconia, Germany in the 13th century. Lebkuchen bakers were recorded as early as 1296 in Ulm, and 1395 in Nürnberg. The latter being the most famous exporter today, of the product that is known as Nürnberger Lebkuchen (Nürnberg Lebkuchen).
Pizzelle (pronounced with ts sound, like "pizza") is a traditional Italian waffle cookie made from flour, eggs, sugar, butter or vegetable oil, and flavoring (often vanilla, anise, or lemon zest). Pizzelle can be hard and crisp or soft and chewy depending on the ingredients and method of preparation, although the traditional pizzelles are hard and crisp.
The cookie dough or batter is put into a pizzelle iron, which resembles a waffle iron. The pizzelle iron is held by hand over a hot burner on the stovetop, although some models are electric and require no stove. Typically, the iron stamps a snowflake pattern onto both sides of this thin golden-brown cookie, which has a crisp texture once it is cooled.
Pizzelle are popular during Christmas and Easter. It is also common for two pizzelle to be sandwiched with cannoli cream or hazelnut spread.
Gingerbread is a sweet that can take the form of a cake or a cookie in which the predominant flavors are ginger and raw sugar. As a cookie, gingerbread can be made into a thin, crisp cookie (often called a ginger snap) or a softer cookie similar to the German Lebkuchen. Gingerbread cookies are often cut into shapes, particularly gingerbread men.
Spritzgebäck refers to a sort of German Christmas cookies. They are relatively easy to make and require only common ingredients, including eggs, butter, sugar, and flour. When made correctly, they are crisp, fragile, somewhat dry, and buttery.
Spritzgebäck is a common pastry in Germany and served often during Christmas season. During this time, it is not unusual for mothers to spend the afternoons baking with their children for one or two weeks. Traditionally, mothers bake Spritzgebäck using their own special recipes, which they pass down to their children.
Pfeffernüsse (also spelled pfefferneuse in English, in Danish: pebernødder (plural) and pepernoten in Dutch; singular Pfeffernuss) are small, hard, round biscuits. The name translates to pepper nuts in German, Danish and Dutch, describing their spicy taste as well as the fact that many recipes actually call for a small amount of black pepper to be used.
Pepernoten are originally a Dutch treat, baked during 'Sinterklaas', a feast on 5 December (6 December in Belgium) on which little children receive gifts from the holy St. Nicholas, the inspiration for Santa Claus. In Germany, Pfeffernüsse are traditionally made during the Christmas season.
The chocolate chip cookie is one of the most popular cookies in United States with half the cookies baked in American homes being chocolate chip. No wonder this is a traditional cookie during the holidays.
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Christmas Cookies Are for Giving (the book)
Book Description
More than a cookbook, Christmas Cookies Are for Giving is a celebration of family, friends and the joy of giving. Stories, recipes, tips and more...
Smells of cinnamon...cookie cutters...rolling and baking...eating dough...warm times with friends and family...Christmas cookies are a universal symbol of sweetness and family tradition at Christmas. But the joy of Christmas cookies goes beyond eating. In Christmas Cookies Are for Giving, Kristin Johnson and Mimi Cummins reawaken the fun of giving Christmas cookies, as they remember doing when they lived next door to each other when young children.
From the original short story "The Giving Christmas Cookie," which shows a family brought together by a special cookie recipe at Christmas, to nearly 50 scrumptious recipes with mouth watering photos, to the timely, easy directions for making homemade "Gifts in a Jar," Christmas Cookies Are for Giving shows that old-fashioned Christmas gifts are an antidote to cynicism about Christmas. The secret to celebrating your family and friends may not be in the mall, but in your pantry where you’ll find the ingredients to make Butterball Santas, Cranberry Decadent Cookies, and Vanillekipferl—The Giving Christmas Cookie.
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