The Rage Monthly's Family Cookie Recipes

KEVIN'S OLD-FASHIONED SUGAR COOKIES

This recipe is the oldest in my mother's recipe card file and has been passed down through my family over many generations. It was always a favorite of my brother and myself and we couldn't wait to get our grubby little hands on them during Christmas. To this day, my mother still sends me a cookie-filled box from her home in Nebraska. She was kind enough to share it, so give it a try.

COMBINE:
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup shortening
3 eggs

SIFT TOGETHER:
1 cup sour cream
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
� teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon or 2 teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all ingredients and chill dough 2 to 3 hours for easier handling. Cookie dough can be rolled in balls or use a teaspoon to drop cookies on a sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

JAY'S NO-BAKE COCONUT DATE BALLS

Ready in 25 minutes!

These bring back fond memories of my mother, sister and I working in the kitchen making cookies for family, neighbors and of course, the carolers that came by the house during the holidays! I just love making these hot fruity balls and then rolling them in the sweet coconut.

INGREDIENTS:
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup white sugar
1 cup chopped dates
� cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon butter
3 cups crispy rice cereal
1 cup flaked coconut

DIRECTIONS:
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the eggs, sugar and dates.
Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally and boil for 4 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla.
Mix in crispy rice cereal and walnuts. Butter hands and roll the mixture into walnut-sized balls, then roll the balls in coconut to coat.
Chill in refrigerator for one hour (or until firm) if desired and serve. Store in an airtight container.

BRAD'S DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CANDY CANE KISS COOKIES

Take some time this holiday season to enjoy the pleasures of baking. This decadent cookie combines two of my family's all-time favorites this time of year, chocolate and peppermint. Indulge in holiday celebrations with these easy-to- make treats. Crushed candy canes make a sweet and crunchy topping for these festive cookies that are sealed with a kiss of chocolate. Make sure to share some with your friends and family and you'll enjoy them even more!

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 � cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
� teaspoon baking soda
� teaspoon salt
1 � cups white chocolate chips
� package Hershey's Candy Cane Kisses.
8 candy canes, coarsely crushed

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and peppermint until light and fluffy.
In a large bowl stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
Slowly add flour mixture to butter mixture until well combined.
Stir in white chocolate chips.
Use cookie scoop to drop cookies onto un-greased baking sheet.
Press candy cane pieces on top. Bake 10 to 12 minutes.
Remove from oven, cool for 5 minutes. Press a Hershey's Kiss into center of each cookie.
Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely.

JOEL'S POLISH KOLACHKI COOKIES

What memories do you have of your mother's cookies? Stop it, you know that's not what I meant. I grew up in an area that had a large Polish settlement, so as a child, I had the pleasant honor of learning about their cultural foods. Cookies and sweets were a big part of that tradition. I love this particular confection because of their uniqueness. My mother obtained this recipe from one of her dear friends, Mart, whose specialty they were. Now, sworn to secrecy... I have spirited the recipe away from her. I was never good at keeping secrets, now was I, Ma?

YIELD:
About four dozen small cookies. These delicacies are best eaten
the same day.

INGREDIENTS:
2 sticks unsalted butter
2 packages cream cheese (8-ounce) (Greek if you can get it, though that's my addition.)
2 � cups flour (plus additional for rolling Fruit preserves (cherry or apricot, though the apricot is by far my favorite.) Confectioner's sugar for dusting

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Line a baking pan with parchment paper of a Silpat.
In the medium bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and cream cheese together on medium-high speed, until fluffy.
Scrape down sides of bowl and with the mixer on low, add flour and continue to mix until dough is smooth.
Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and form into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight (don't try to skip this, it won't work). Roll dough out to 1/8-inch thickness and cut into rounds.
Add about � teaspoon of fruit preserves to the center of each cookie.
Bake for 10 minutes or until golden on the bottoms (careful, they're easy to burn).
Let cool completely and dust with confectioner's sugar.

CESAR'S TRADITIONAL MEXICAN WEDDING COOKIES

I always find it interesting to know the history behind the names attached to foods. In this case, of course, it's cookies. "Mexican Wedding Cookie/Cakes"didn't appear in the American culinary vocabulary until the early'50s, after which, the term popped up in virtually every basic cookbook.

Around the same time, recipes for"Russian Teacakes" began to disappear from those same books. Russian Teacakes and Mexican Wedding Cookies are virtually the same, in both ingredient, method and final product. Historians speculate, that the Mexican version was used to replace the Russian, due to the strained U.S. relationship, during the Cold War with Russia happening at that moment in time.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup butter, softened
� cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 � cups sifted flour
� teaspoon salt
� cup chopped walnuts
Powdered sugar
(To roll baked cookies in)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cream together butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy; stir in vanilla.
Whisk together flour and salt; add gradually to butter mixture; stir in chopped nuts.
Chill dough if it seems too soft.
Form dough into 1 1/4"balls and place onto parchment-lined or un-greased baking sheets.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or just until the cook- ies start to turn light golden-brown; remove from oven and allow to cool slightly; while cookies are still warm (but NOT hot) remove them from baking sheets and roll, a few at a time, in powdered sugar until evenly coated; cool cookies completely on wire racks. Cookies may (optionally) be rolled in powdered sugar a second time once cooled to room temperature.

NOTE:
Forming dough into 1" balls will increase yield to 48 cookies.