Favorite Christmas Cookies

I've already resigned myself to the fact that I'm going to eat too much over the next week and that Quinn and I will be walking around the neighborhood A LOT once the weather clears up!  Here are two of my favorite Christmas cookie recipes, one from childhood and one from college days:

Gingerbread Cookies
3 c. flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
3/4 t. salt
1 T. ground ginger
1 3/4 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. ground cloves
3/4 stick (6 T.) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 c. packed dark-brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 c. unsulfured molasses
2 t. vanilla
1 t. finely grated lemon peel (I omitted this)

1. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, & spices.
2. In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar and egg with mixer on medium speed until creamy.
Add molasses, vanilla and lemon peel and beat about 1 minute until smooth.
3. Gradually beat in about 1/2 the flour mixture.  With a large wooden spoon, stir in remaining flour mixture until blended.  Divide dough in half.  Wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours until firm or up to 4 days.
4. Place 1 rack in upper third of oven.  Heat to 375.  Coat cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray.  Have ready assorted cookie cutters.
5. Place 1 portion of dough (if dough is too stiff, let stand at room temperature 20 minutes before rolling) on a lightly floured surface.  Lightly dust dough and rolling pin with flour.  Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness.
6. Cut out cookies and place 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheets.  Repeat with remaining dough.  Reroll and cut out scraps.
7. Bake in upper third of oven 7 to 10 minutes until edges of cookies are slightly darker than centers.  Cool on cookie sheets 2 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

*I didn't make icing for these since we were working with a two year old but I found a simple icing recipe that you could try: 1 c. powdered sugar (sifted), 1/4 c. milk, and 10 drops of food coloring

Rachel, one of my college roommates, and her little girl, Ava, came over to help make the cookies.  I learned that you have to move fast to keep the gingerbread men from having lopped off heads and limbs. ;)

Ava & Quinn listening to Rachel read a story (and Ava helping rock Quinn).

And the other recipe has probably been my favorite since college.  Another college roommate, Rebekah, introduced these to me at a tailgate.  These are her mom's famous "Chocolate Mint Candies Cookies" or "Andes Cookies" as we affectionately call them.

3/4 c. butter

1 1/2 c. brown sugar

2 T. water

2 c. semisweet chocolate chips

2 eggs

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 1/4 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

3 (4.5 oz) packages Andes mints (I just used one package of Andes baking chips)

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, cook the sugar, butter and water, stirring occasionally until melted.  Remove from heat, stir in the chocolate chips until melted and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

2. Pour the chocolate mixture into a large bowl, and beat in the eggs, one at a time.  Combine the flour, baking soda and salt, stir into chocolate mixture.  Cover and refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease cookie sheets.  Roll cookie dough into walnut sized balls and place 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.

4. Bake for 8-10 minutes in the preheated oven, be careful not to overbake.  When cookies come out of the oven, press one mint wafer into the top of each cookie and let sit for 1 minute.  When the mint is softened, swirl with the back of a spoon to make a pattern with the green filling of the mint wafer.  For smaller cookies, break mints in half.

Mmm...chocolate and mint!