Nothing gets me in the mood for Hanukkah quite like Hanukkah Cookies. This recipe is from my Bubby. She's been making them as long as she can remember and still does every year. I remember making them with her as a child and now I make them with my own children, unless we happen to be in Miami around Hanukkah time when I get to watch my children make them with their great-grandmother.
With this recipe you can make 3 types of cookies: Regular sugar cookies, Stained Glass Cookies or Flooded (iced) Cookies
Cookie Dough Recipe
Ingredients:
2 sticks margarine or butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3 t vanilla
2T milk (or parve milk substitute)
4 cups flour
3 t baking powder
t salt
sprinkles
Instructions:
Add dry ingredients in a bowl. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Mix and set aside.
Take out standing mixer and add butter or margarine and sugar. Cream the butter and sugar slowly. Add 2 eggs, milk, and vanilla. Mix until creamy. Add dry ingredients and mix. Scrape the sides down and mix again.
Place dough inside gallon ziplock bag, remove air and seal. Refrigerate overnight for up to 3 days!
Sugar Cookies
Instructions:
Roll dough in between sheets of parchment paper. Transfer to cookie sheet. Cut out shapes and
remove excess dough. Add sprinkles and press down. You can do an egg white wash to make them shiny and help the sprinkles stick. Bake at 350 until slightly brown (7-15 minutes - My grandmother says 15 minutes but here in Colorado they burn after just 10 so set a time for 7 and then take out when they look ready)
Stained Glass Cookies
In addition to the cookie dough you will also need:
lollipops
hammer
parchment paper
small cups
large and small cookie cutters (the same shape)
Instructions:
Genly hammer lollipops inside their wrappers. Empty onto parchment paper and pour into cup. Repeat with other colors and set aside.
Line cookie sheet. Roll out cookies on cookie sheet and cut out large shapes. Remove excess dough. Cut out small shapes inside of large shapes and remove (you can use these as small cookies but be careful as they will cook faster than the full sized ones.) Fill the holes with crushed lollipops.Bake at 350 until slightly brown (14-17 minutes).
Flooded Cookies
In addition to the cookie dough you will also need:
1 pound powdered sugar
3 egg whites (Pasteurized)
1 teaspoon vanilla or fresh lemon juice
Instructions:
Mix egg whites and vanilla or lemon juice in a standing mixer on medium until foamy. Slowly add the sugar until bright white peaks form (about 7 minutes)
If making multiple colors empty into bowls and add food coloring and mix well. Pour each color into a piping bag with a fine round tip (or you can just cut a small hole if you don't have one)
First pipe the border of the cookie and then once it hardens slightly add the inner icing. Wait until completely dried before applying another color layer.
If you are not using the icing make sure to seal in a ziplock bag as it will harden quickly.