Flamikgirls

This year my husband asked me if I can make homemade cookies for his clients for Christmas.  I thought it was a great  idea, so I agreed. The cookie boxes turned out great, so now I am going to make lots more for our family and friends.

The things you need:
Tin cookie boxes
Muffin paper cups
Cookies

For my boxes, I made four different type of cookies:
Chocolate Chip Cookies with Orange Zest
Mexican Wedding Cookies
Rugelach Cookie
Sugar Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Long time ago my mother-in-law shared her secrete to her chocolate chip cookies.  She adds oatmeal to her dough.  You can never taste the oatmeal, but it add the extra softness on the inside and extra crunchiness on the outside.  So, now I always add oatmeal to all of my chocolate chip cookies.

Makes about 5 dozen (60) cookies
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup flour
1 cup oatmeal
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup Packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups of Semi-Sweet Chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts (optional)
Orange zest of 1 orange (optional)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375F degree.
Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Combine flour, oatmeal, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.  Separately, beat butter, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract and orange zest  until creamy.  Add eggs one at the time, mixing well after each addition. Slowly add the flour mixture while mixing. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.  Place the round cookies on the baking sheet and bake them for 9-11 minutes.

Once the cookies are ready, let them rest for about 5 minutes.  Get them off the sheet, put each cookie on the paper muffin cup and place them in the box.

Mexican Wedding Cookies

Makes 5 dozen (60) cookies
Ingredients
2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar + 1/2 cup for dusting
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cup walnuts, chopped

Directions
Preheat the oven to 275F degrees.
Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Beat together the butter and the sugar at low speed until creamy. Add in the vanilla.  Slowly add the flour while beating. Mix in the walnuts with a spatula. Flour you hands, take out about 1 tablespoon of dough and shape into ball, then pitch four sides making a star. Continue to dust hands with flour as you make more cookies. Place onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 40 minutes. Let the cookies rest for about 5 minutes then dust them with confectioners’ sugar.

Place each cookie on the muffin cup and add them to your box.

Rugelash Cookies

When I was a little girl, my family made rugelash for christmas every year.  Those little cookies is a something between a small croissant and a cookie.  The cookies require a little work, but trust me it is for sure worth your effort.  For Christmas I roll the soft and flaky crust with jam, nuts, cinnamon and orange zest.   However, you can roll anything inside:  nutella, cheese, any kids of jam etc.

Makes 4 dozens (~50) cookies
Ingredients:

8-ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 sticks butter, softened
1/4 cup + 6 tbs sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup walnuts
1 cup jam
orange zest of one orange
1/2 confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Directions
Beat together the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy.  Add 1/4 cup sugar, salt, and vanilla. Add the flour, and mix until the dough is smooth.  Turn the dough out onto a floured board. Roll the dough into a ball, and cut into quarters.

Flatten each out into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, make the filling. In a small bowl, combine 6 tbs sugar, brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and walnuts, orange zest. Set aside.

Roll the dough out into a 9-inch circle. Spread some of the jam on to the crust, leaving about an inch bare.

Sprinkle a generous amount of the walnut mixture on top of the jam.  Roll up the dough from the edges to the middle.

Refrigerate the rolled cookies for at least one hour before baking.

Bake in a preheated 350F degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes.  When cookies are ready, dust them with confectioners’ sugar.
Place the cookies on the muffin cups and add them to the cookie box.

Sugar cookie with Cream Cheese Frosting

These are the best rolled sugar cookies, the only down side, is that you have to make the dough two hours before baking.  The cookies turn out crispy and delicious. They also never break when you try to put frosting on them (the most important part for my kids when they decorate cookies).

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon milk

Frosting Ingredients
4 oz cream cheese
4 oz butter, softened
2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Directions
In  a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.   Separately, beat together butter and sugar in large bowl until creamy. Add egg and milk and beat together.   Gradually add flour mixture, and beat until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375F degrees.

Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough and the rolling-pin with flour.  Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time, cut each pack on 4 pieces.  Take each piece and roll quickly until the dough is about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes and place the cookies on the baking sheet.  Repeat the same with all 8 parts.  The reason you want to roll small parts because you want to dough to stay cold while you rolling and cutting it.  If the dough become sticky and warm, place it back in a refrigerator for 10-15 minutes.
Place the cookies 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet or parchment and bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges.  Let the cookies rest on baking sheet for 5 minutes.

When cookies are completely cooled down they are ready for frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting
Beat butter, cream cheese, vanilla until creamy.  Slowly start adding confectioners’ sugar while beating.  When the frosting become creamy and uniformed apply it on the cookies.  Sprinkle the frosted cookies with holiday sugars or coconuts.

Put the cookies on the muffin cups and add them to your cookie gift boxes.