Recipe. You Won't Want to Miss This! — thehummingbirdpost.com

Dec 9

Dec 9 Recipe. You Won't Want to Miss This!

Recipes, Desserts, Happy Holidays, Donna Wetjen

Favorite Christmas Cookies!

Donna Wetjen shared a few of her favorite Christmas cookie recipes that she has added to her repertoire over the years. Resources have been credited below, with many thanks. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Snowballs

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup mini chocolate chips

Additional powdered sugar, for rolling

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Mix butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, and vanilla until fluffy. Add flour and salt and mix until the dough holds together.

Stir in the chocolate chips. If dough is too soft, chill until you can handle it to prepare cookie dough.

Scoop 1 tablespoon balls of dough and place on prepared cookie sheet.

Bake cookies for 7-10 minutes until bottoms are just slightly brown. Remove cookies from oven and cool for just a minute, until you can hold them in your hand.

Roll the balls one at a time in a small bowl filled with powdered sugar. Place on a rack to cool.

When the cookies have cooled, if you like, roll them again in powdered sugar.

Makes 4 dozen snowballs

Source: Crazy for Crust

Snickerdoodles

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup shortening

2 eggs

2 3/4 cups all purpose or unbleached flour

2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Heat oven to 400°F.

Mix 1 1/2 cups sugar, butter, shortening and eggs in large bowl. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.

Shape dough into 1 1/2 inch balls. Mix 1/4 cup sugar with cinnamon. Roll balls in sugar mixture and place on ungreased cookie sheets 2 inches apart.

Bake 8-10 minutes, until set. Cool on wire rack.

Makes 4 dozen cookies

Source: Betty Crocker/General Mills

Hot Cocoa Cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter

12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups brown sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

25 large marshmallows

Icing

2 cups powdered sugar

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup hot water

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Assorted sprinkles

Melt the butter and chocolate in a saucepan, stirring frequently. Once melted, set aside to cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the sugar, eggs and vanilla on low speed until well combined.

Add the cooled chocolate mixture to the sugar/eggs/vanilla and blend until just combined.

While mixing, add the flour mixture slowly and blend until just combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl, then cover the dough and refrigerate about 1 hour. If making the dough a day ahead, let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before shaping.

Preheat oven to 325°F. and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Use a tablespoon (or a tablespoon sized cookie scoop), scoop the dough, then roll the dough gently in hands to create balls.

Arrange the balls about 2 inches apart on your baking sheets, then flatten slightly.

Bake cookies for approximately 12 minutes.

While the cookies are baking, cut the large marshmallows in half (crosswise). When the cookies have baked, remove them from the oven and press one marshmallow half (cut side down) into the center of each cookie.

Return the cookies to the oven and bake another 2-3 minutes. Allow cookies to cool a few minutes, then transfer cookies to cooling rack.

Prepare cookie icing by combining all ingredients in a medium bowl and mixing together with a whisk. Place wire cooling rack (with cookies on it) over a baking sheet (to catch excess icing). Spoon a small amount of icing onto the top of each marshmallow, and use the back of the spoon to spread. After icing just a couple cookies, top with sprinkles before the icing dries.

Allow icing to set up before serving—about 30 minutes.

Makes 50 small cookies.

Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Source: Rachael Ray recipe adapted by Glorious Treats

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Donna Wetjen

Donna grew up on Long Island, the youngest child of two deaf parents. Her childhood was somewhat of a role reversal as she was the person who communicated with the outside world and made sure her parents were okay and not being taken advantage of. Donna believes that witnessing and experiencing the cruelty and discrimination toward people who are “different” shaped her into the compassionate person she is today.

Starting in banking at 16, Donna worked her way up the corporate ladder from Bank Teller to Director of Branch Operations for an East End bank. This position allowed her to feed one of her passions - writing - as she managed many of the Bank’s policies and procedures. Banking did not however, do much for Donna’s other great passions – rescuing animals and cooking.

Feeling lost and alone after her mother passed away from breast and ovarian cancer, on a whim and in the throes of grief, she and her husband sold their LI home and moved to a little house on 17 acres in the rural mountains of North Carolina. Here Donna was able to begin to feed her other passions, as they started a small hobby farm with mostly rescued animals of every variety including sheep, mini-horses, chickens, dogs, cats and a blind chicken named Winky. Shortly after moving there, Donna was diagnosed with breast cancer. After a grueling year-long regimen of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, Donna is happily cancer-free, but forever changed. She now spends her time nourishing all of the things that make her soul happy. She has a small organic garden and has learned the fine art of canning. She spends a good deal of time making up, changing or combining recipes to test on her husband, with considerable success. Donna is currently in the process of writing 2 books based upon her experiences with both cancer and rescuing animals. Donna loves her volunteer work at the county shelter and rescue organization, and is proud of her lifetime of advocacy that began as a child in support of her parents and continues today through her rescue and volunteer work.