Food Network--12 days of cookies 2004

[cinnabun]

Just read this online,
Inspired by our popular newsletter! Take a look at our nation's favorite holiday cookies, hear stories from
fellow home bakers like you, and preview this year's 12 Days of Cookies recipes. Premieres Thursday, December 2 at 9pm ET/PT.
They do have some of the recipes online already.

Edited to add: I thought this would be a good place to put all of them from the newsletter as we get them. Hope there are pictures with them too. None of the ones below have any photos with them. A visual does help sometimes.

[cinnabun]

This is from the special, not sure if these will be the ones in this years news letter. (Although, it does say preview this year's 12 days of cookies.)

12 Days of Cookies
Join us as we take a heartwarming look at some of our nation's favorite holiday cookies and learn the stories behind their creation. Take a peek inside the homes of cookie makers from around the country as they recall tales of their own cookie traditions.


Recipes
Merry Cheesecake Cookies
Candy Cane Cookies
Christmas Cutout Sugar Cookies
Italian Fudge-Filled Cookies
Biscochitos

[cinnabun]

Merry Cheesecake Cookies Recipe courtesy Mildred Butler

Show: Food Network Specials
Episode: 12 Days of Cookies

Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 10 to 12 cookies


1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped toasted nuts of any kind
Filling:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Red and green sanding sugar, for decorating, optional


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line an 8 by 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Let parchment come up over the sides of the pan to use as "handles" when unmolding after baking. In a mixer bowl, combine flour, butter, and brown sugar. Blend at low speed until incorporated and mixture is like sand, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in nuts. Reserve 1 cup of mixture for topping. With your fingers, press remaining mixture into pan. Bake on the middle rack of the oven until crust is set and golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool on a rack while assembling the filling.

In a clean mixer bowl, combine cream cheese and sugar. Blend until smooth, then add the remaining filling ingredients, beating until smooth. Spread evenly over baked crust. Sprinkle the reserve crust mixture over filling. Bake until top is golden brown and filling is set, about 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack, then use parchment "handles" to remove from pan in 1 piece. Cut into bars, squares or festive shapes with cookie cutter of your choice. Sprinkle with red and/or green sanding sugar, if desired.


This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.

[cinnabun]

Candy Cane Cookies Recipe courtesy Nani Bertola

Show: Food Network Specials
Episode: 12 Days of Cookies

Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 3 dozen cookies


1 cup butter, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon red food coloring
24 pieces round peppermint candy
1/4 cup sugar
Melted chocolate, for drizzling, optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a mixer bowl or by hand, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in egg, almond extract, vanilla, and salt. Blend flour into

mixture in several additions, beat until just combined.

Remove half the dough from the bowl. Blend red food coloring into the half remaining in the bowl until the coloring is even. Cover dough a kitchen towel to keep it from

drying out as you work. Use a floured teaspoon to measure 1 teaspoon each of white and red dough for each cookie. Roll into 4-inch ropes on a lightly floured surface. Place

a red and white rope side-by-side, press together lightly and twist to form a spiral. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Curve top down to form handle of a candy cane. Bake

until set, about 9 minutes. While the cookies are baking, put peppermint candies in a resealable plastic bag and crush into small pieces with a rolling pin. Mix the candy

with the sugar. Place cooling rack over shallow pan. Immediately remove cookies from cookie sheet and gently place onto cooling rack. Sprinkle with candy/sugar mixture.

Optional: Cool cookies, drizzle with melted chocolate, and add more candy mixture on top of chocolate.


This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested

this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.

[cinnabun]

Christmas Cutout Sugar Cookies Recipe courtesy Lynn Krikorian

Show: Food Network Specials
Episode: 12 Days of Cookies


Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 24 cookies

4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Colored Icing, recipe follows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a bowl, stir together flour and baking powder. In another bowl, beat butter with sugar until fluffy and light. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture, a third at a time to make a stiff dough. Divide dough into 4 pieces. Roll out a portion of cookie dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out shapes using cookie cutters. Place on lightly greased or nonstick cookie sheets. Bake until lightly golden, about 10 minute, rotating baking sheet halfway through cooking time. Cool completely on pans about 5 minutes, transfer to cooling racks and cool completely before decorating.


Colored Icing:
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons water
3 to 4 drops food coloring, plus more as needed
Colored sprinkles, optional
In a small bowl, mix sugar and water to form a thick, smooth icing. Stir in food coloring to reach desired shade. Drop icing onto cookies using a small teaspoon and smooth with the back of the spoon. Make additional bowls for additional colors.

Additional multi-colored sprinkles can be added on top of icing before it dries for more decorative cookies, if desired.


This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.

[cinnabun]

Italian Fudge-Filled Cookies Recipe courtesy Connie Terry

Show: Food Network Specials
Episode: 12 Days of Cookies

Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 5 hours
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 12 cookies


Dough:
3/4 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
Filling:
1 (1-pound) bag chocolate chips
2 cups chopped walnuts
2 cups sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
1 teaspoon butter

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
For the dough: in a mixer, beat together the shortening and brown sugar. Add the milk and the egg, and beat until combined. Add the salt, baking powder, vanilla and

flour. Mix until everything is thoroughly combined.

Remove dough from bowl, cut in half. Roll each half of dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper. Peel waxed paper off the bottom of 1 of the layers and place it in a greased

9 by 13-inch baking pan. Press dough with hands into the corners of the pan, trimming any pieces that come over the sides. Peel off the waxed paper from the other side.

Meanwhile, stir all the filling ingredients together. Evenly pour fudge filling on top of first layer in pan. Remove waxed paper from 1 side of top dough layer and place that

side over filling. Then remove waxed paper from the top side. Bake until top is brown, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool on a rack for 4 to 5 hours or even overnight. Sprinkle

with powdered sugar and cut into serving pieces


This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested

this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.

[Gecko]

Thanks for the heads-up. I went to sign up and have a look at what is posted. I am not sure if these were last years cookies but I'll post the link.

12 Days of Cookies (http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/et_hd_christmas/article/0,1972,FOOD_9832_1753129,00.html)

[cinnabun]

Can't access the last one.

[cinnabun]

Hey, You found the link. I looked all over the place for that one. Yes, they are last years because I remember that Sandra Lee recipe that used the frosting. I did come here and find all of them also by doing a search here.

[Gecko]

Originally posted by cinnabun
they are last years because I remember that Sandra Lee recipe that used the frosting.

You never can forget a Sandra Lee recipe with frosting can you? ;) :D

[cinnabun]

Originally posted by Gecko
You never can forget a Sandra Lee recipe with frosting can you?

No, you can't.

[Linda in MO]

Originally posted by cinnabun
Merry Cheesecake Cookies Recipe courtesy Mildred Butler

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped toasted nuts of any kind
Filling:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

I've made these before and they're yummy! My version only calls for 1/3 c. brown sugar and 1 T. lemon juice though. You can also garnish them with a little cherry pie filling.