Christmas Cookies Anyone?

Every year at Christmas my friend Linda gives me a plate of her delicious home-made Christmas cookies.  My sons don't eat the cookies because they are allergic to dairy, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts.  They don't even ask for them as they know they can't eat them...until this year.

Mikey went up to the plate Linda gave me and asked, "Mommy, can you make me some Christmas cookies?"  So I said to myself "Oh crap."  and to Mikey, "Of course I will.  We'll have to look for some recipes tomorrow and I'll see what I need."  I love to cook, but hate to bake.  I overcook things, put in baking powder instead of baking soda and at some point the kitchen ends up looking like a flour sack exploded in it.

One year I made Christmas cookies with a friend of mine so I went in search of  the recipes we had used which I put in my Chocolate Lover's Cookbook.  I looked in the cabinet that I thought it was in.  It wasn't there.  Oh no, it must be in the bookcase in the garage which was boxed in by some old toys, beach gear and outdoor furniture.  There was a small opening on one side where I began sliding cookbooks out and then smash.  A candle on the shelf fell and the glass smashed in a million pieces.  So I cleaned that up, replaced all the cookbooks and tried to figure out where on earth my cookie recipes were.  As it turns out, the book was in the cabinet over my refrigerator.  

I made my list and picked up the ingredients at the market in the morning.  

And had success!  I first made thumbprint cookies.

Thumbprint Cookies

1/2 C  Fleischmanns no salt margarine (dairy free)

1 C firmly packed brown sugar

1 egg replaced with Ener-G Egg Replacer 

1 tbsp vanilla

2 1/2 C quaker oats

2 C flour

1/2 teas salt

2/3 C apricot preserves

350 degree oven

Beat butter & sugar until fluffy - beat in egg and vanilla.  Combine oats, flour, salt in another bowl then add to butter mixture.  Form 1 inch ball, place on cookie sheet.  Press center with thumb and fill with apricot preserves.

Bake 12-15 minutes, then cool

makes approximately 3 1/2 dozen

The next batch of cookies I made were Craisins Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies.

Craisins Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

2/3 C Fleischmanns no salt margarine (dairy free)

2/3 C brown sugar

2 eggs replaced with Ener-G Egg Replacer

1 1/2 C old fashioned oats

1 1/2 C flour

1 teas. baking soda

1/2 teas. salt

1 5 oz pkg. Craisins

2/3 c (allergen free from Whole Foods) chocolate chips.

375 degree oven

Beat butter and sugar until fluffy - Add eggs mixing well.  Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl.  Add to butter mix in batches, mixing completely.  Add the craisins, then the chocolate chips.  Drop by rounded teaspoons full on ungreased baking sheet - Bake 10-12 minutes

Makes approximately 3 1/2 dozen.

Today we began with Butterballs.  The recipe I had made in the past called for regular sugar and was very dry.   My friend Cindy gave me a recipe which called for confectioners sugar and they came out nice and moist.  (I used the wrong measurement for the vanilla (more) and it came out great!)

Cindy's Butterball Recipe

1 cup Fleischmanns no salt margarine (dairy free)

1 teas vanilla (I used a tablespoon)

1/2 C sifted confectioners' sugar

2 1/4 C sifted flour

1/4 teas salt

(I omitted 3/4 c finely chopped nuts due to nut allergy)

325 degree oven

Mix all ingredients together - roll into 1 inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake to desired texture 20-30 minutes, I eyeballed it - Cool, not completely and roll in confectioners sugar.  Once cool, roll again in confectioners sugar.

My sons now have three different dairy, egg, and nut-free cookies.  They taste pretty good in spite of the substitutions.  Mikey's favorite is the butterballs!