Christmas Cookie Recipes

Gaining Weight During the Holidays

My take on it is that there is nothing wrong with that. Go ahead, stuff yourself, after all, it is called stuffing. Eat two, or three, or even four helpings of dessert, that is why desserts are made so tasty.

To heck with all these people advising you to not eat and to limit yourself. After all, they are called holidays for a reason, the reason being to celebrate. What could be more celebratory than having a great meal with some friends?

And speaking of a good meal, what could be better than extra-chocolaty treats like these:

Hidden Treasures

Makes about 48 (24 if you make them doublesized)

2/3 cup Butter Flavor or Golden Crisco3/4 cup sugar1 egg1 tablespoon milk1 teaspoon vanilla1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon baking soda48 maraschino cherries, well drained on paper towels

White dipping chocolate:
1 cup white melting chocolate, cut in small pieces
2 tablespoons Butter flavor or Golden Crisco

Dark dipping chocolate:
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons Butter flavor or Golden Crisco
finely chopped pecans
slivered white chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cream Crisco, sugar, egg, milk and vanilla in large bowl until wellblended. Combine flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Beat into creamed mixture at low speed. Divide into 48 equal pieces. Press dough into very thin layer around well-drained cherries. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes. Cool 1 minute on baking sheet. Remove to wire rack to cool completely.

For dipping chocolate: place chocolate of choice and Crisco in glass measuring cup.Microwave at 50%. Stir after 1 minute. Repeat until smooth. Or, melt over double boiler.Drop one cookie at a time into chocolate. Use fork to turn over. Cover completely withchocolate. Lift cookie out of chocolate with fork. Allow excess to drip off.If the chocolate becomes too firm, reheat. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheet.Sprinkle chopped pecans on top of white chocolate cookiesbefore the chocolate sets. Sprinkle white chocolate on dark chocolate cookies beforechocolate sets. Chill in refrigerator to set chocolate.

Enjoy and forget the guilt. Make them several times and share with friends.

Eleanor Robinson is a mother of five and runs Family Sized Recipes, which can be found at http://www.familysizedrecipes.com/