Sage Institutional Advancement Favorite Holiday Cookie Recipes

Peanut Blossoms Ingredients: 1 & 3/4 cups flour 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1 tsp. baking soda 1 egg 1/2 tsp. salt 2 tbsp. milk 1/2 cup butter, softened (2 sticks) 1 tsp. vanilla 1/2 cup peanut butter 1 bag chocolate kisses 1/2 cup sugar

Directions: 1. Preheat the oven to 375o. 2. Mix flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. 3. Separately, with a mixer, cream together the butter, peanut butter, sugar, and firmly packed brown sugar. 4. Add the unbeaten egg, milk and vanilla into the bowl and mix. 5. Next add the flour mixture to the bowl and mix well. 6. Shape the mixture into small balls using a melon baller or spoon and place on baking sheet. 7. Bake the cookies for 6 minutes. 8. Remove from oven and press a chocolate kiss into each cookie until it cracks. 9. Return the cookies to the oven and bake for 2-4 more minutes.

*This will yield 30-70 cookies depending on the size of the scoops.

Magic Cookie Bars

Ingredients: 1 stick of butter 1 &1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs 1 can sweetened condensed milk 1 cup chocolate chips 1 cup peanut butter chips

Directions: 1. Preheat Oven to 350o. 2. Melt one stick of butter in a 9” x 13” pan. 3. Add graham cracker crumbs and mix together with butter well. 4. Pat down the mixture in bottom of the pan to form crust. 5. Pour sweetened condensed milk over the crust. 6. Add layer of chocolate chips and layer of peanut butter chips and fill in any extra space with extra chocolate chips. 7. Pat chips down into sweetened condensed milk with the back of a spoon. 8. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. 9. Cool and cut into bars. Chocolate Crinkles

Ingredients: 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups white sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1/2 teaspoon salt 4 eggs 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions: 1. In a medium bowl, mix together cocoa, white sugar, and vegetable oil. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. 2. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the cocoa mixture. Cover dough, and chill for at least 4 hours. 3. Preheat oven to 350o. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough into one inch balls. I like to use a number 50 size scoop. Coat each ball in confectioners’ sugar before placing onto prepared cookie sheets. 4. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Let stand on the cookie sheet for a minute before transferring to wire racks to cool.

Seven Layer Magic Bars

Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs 1/2 cup butter 1 cup chocolate chips 1 cup butterscotch chips 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350o. Spray a 9x13 inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside. 2. Melt butter in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in graham cracker crumbs until thoroughly combined. Press into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan to form the crust. 3. Evenly sprinkle remaining ingredients one by one over the crust to form layers, beginning with the chocolate chips, followed by the butterscotch chips, coconut, and walnuts. 4. Pour the condensed milk evenly over the top, and spread with a rubber spatula to make sure it’s evenly distributed. 5. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until edges are golden brown and the middle is set. Allow to cool completely before slicing. Enjoy! Pecan Snowball Christmas Cookies

Ingredients:

1 Cup All-Purpose Flour 3 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar 1 Cup Toasted Finely Diced Pecans 1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract Pinch of Salt Powdered sugar for coating the cookies 1 Stick Room Temp Butter

Directions: 1. Before making the cookies, toast your nuts in a dry pan until they start to slightly brown. Toasting the nuts wakes them up a bit after sitting in their container, helps release the oils which are what has flavor. Toasting is optional and not really even called for in the normal recipe but toasting nuts always add flavor. Just make sure to let these completely cool before chopping and adding to the mixture you’re about to make. 2. In a medium bowl, combine the sifted flour, pecans, and salt and stir to combine. Then, in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer or kitchen aid if you have, cream the butter and the sifted powdered sugar together. Add the vanilla and combine. Then add the dry ingredients to the wet in a couple batches, stirring with a spatula. Mix until it forms a dough. When it’s thoroughly combined, you’ll be able to form them into little balls. 3. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 4. Preheat oven to 350o. 5. Prepare a large baking sheet with a silt mat or parchment paper. Shape into 1 inch balls with your hands or using a small melon baller. 6. Place them about an inch away from each other. They won’t spread too much but you still want to give a little space in between. 7. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the top of the cookies have set and the bottom of the cookie is lightly browned. You don’t want any color on top of the cookies. The cookies should melt in your mouth. 8. Let sit for 5 minutes after taking them out of the oven before applying the first coating of powdered sugar. Makes about 20-24 cookies.

Chocolate Jam Balls

Ingredients: 1 pkg. chocolate instant pudding Seedless raspberry jam 1 C butter 1/2 C Chocolate chips 1 egg 3 T butter 2 C flour

Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350o. 2. Mix together pudding, 1 C butter, egg, and flour. Dough will be soft. 3. Roll dough into walnut-sized balls & roll each one in granulated sugar. 4. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes. 5. When you remove from oven, make a small depression in the top on each cookie. I use tip of wooden spoon and gently press to form small hole in each cookie. Do not do through cookie. Let cool. 6. Fill depression with 1/8 tsp jam. 7. Melt chocolate chips and 3 T butter together. Swirl over the top of each cookie making sure to completely cover jam. Let cool. Rugelach

Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup white sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 1 cup unsalted butter 1 cup finely chopped walnuts 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese 1/2 cup raisins 1/3 cup sour cream Directions: 1. Cut cold butter (or margarine) and cream cheese into bits. In food processor pulse flour, salt, butter, cream cheese and sour cream until crumbly. 2. Shape crumbly mixture into four equal disks. Wrap each disk and chill 2 hours or up to 2 days. 3. Combine sugar, cinnamon, chopped walnuts, and finely chopped raisins (may substitute miniature chocolate chips for raisins). 4. Roll each disk into a 9 inch round keeping other disks chilled until ready to roll them. Sprinkle round with sugar/nut mixture. Press lightly into dough. 5. With chef’s knife or pizza cutter, cut each round into 12 wedges. Roll wedges from wide to narrow, you will end up with point on outside of cookie. Place on ungreased baking sheets and chill rugelach 20 minutes before baking. 6. Preheat oven to 350o. 7. After rugelach are chilled, bake them in the center rack of your oven 22 minutes until lightly golden. Cool on wire racks. Store in airtight containers...they freeze very well.

Variations: Before putting the filling on the dough, use a pastry brush to layer apricot jam as well as brown sugar. Then add the recommended filling. You may also make a mixture of cinnamon and sugar and roll the rugelach in this prior to putting them on the cookie sheets.

Santa’s Whiskers Ingredients: ¾ cup butter, softened 2 cups all-purpose flour ¾ cups sugar ¾ cup maraschino cherries, drained and finely chopped 1 tablespoon milk ⅓ cup finely chopped pecans 1 teaspoon vanilla ¾ cup coconut Directions: 1. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer or KitchenAid on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar. 2. Beat until combined, keep scraping sides of bowl. Beat in milk and vanilla until combined. Beat in flour on low, as long as you can. Stir in the remaining flour. Stir in cherries and pecans. Shape dough into two 8 inch long rolls and roll in the coconut. 3. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 2-24 hours. 4. Cut into ¼ inch thick slices. Place 1 inch apart on to an ungreased cookie sheet. 5. Bake at 375o for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are golden brown.

Happy Holidays and Bon Appetit!

Office of Institutional Advancement