I don’t know how I forgot to start my favorite and most important list. The holidays just wouldn’t be the same for me without our favorite Christmas cookies. Some make an appearance every year. Others are special editions. Some cookies I only make at Christmas.

My most favorite cookie of all times is the Italian Chocolate/Pepper cookie! Yum, yum, yum. This is my Grandma Mary’s recipe and as far as I know, she only makes it at Christmas. I only make it at Christmas because I love this cookie so much, if I made it year long, I would eat nothing else. They are also my Dad and oldest son’s favorite cookie, so we make lots of them. I know the recipe sounds “different”, but try it once and you will be hooked!

Cookie Ingredients:

Mix butter, sugar, milk and eggs together thoroughly. Add dry ingredients slowly. Mix completely. (If you want, taste the dough. I like mine really spicy. Sometimes I need to add more pepper or other spices.) Take a piece of dough enough to form into a 1 inch ball. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 400°F until set to the touch, but not browned. Cool on parchment or wax paper.

To make the glaze, start with adding 3 tablespoons of the milk to the powdered sugar. You want the glaze to be the consistency of pancake batter. Add more milk if needed. When cookies are cool you can either dip them into the glaze or paint on the glaze with a pastry brush. Top with a pinch of candy sprinkles. This step is a must because that is how Grandma always did it! The glaze will harden and then you can store them.

Another cookie that shows up every year is my Mom’s favorite – Mexican Nut Kisses. These cookies have many names including wedding cakes and butter kisses. But, no matter what you call them – they are tasty!

Ingredients:

1 cup butter softened

1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar (plus extra for rolling cookies)

3 teaspoons vanilla (clear Mexican vanilla if available)

2-1/4 cups sifted flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup walnut pieces

Mix butter, sugar and vanilla together thoroughly. Add dry ingredients slowly. Mix completely. Take a piece of walnut (approximately 1/4 of nut) and a piece of dough (about a 1 inch ball) and form the dough into a ball around the walnut. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 400°F until set to the touch, but not browned. Cool on parchment or wax paper. Roll cooled cookies in powdered sugar until covered.

I will be sharing more of our favorite Christmas cookies and desserts in the next few weeks. As soon as I get some pictures of the cookies, I will post them so you can see how pretty they are. I really hope that you find something you like.