Christmas Cookie Slices

By ctaubenheim

Variety this recipe will make: Christmas Trees, Cookie Tarts, Holiday Sugar Slices, Nutmeg Slices, Nutty Slices, Peppermint Pinwheels, Ribbon Bar Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup margarine or butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

Preparation

Step 1

Mix sugar, margarine, eggs and vanilla. Stir in remaining ingredients. Divide into 3 equal parts. Shape each part into roll, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Heat oven to 400. Cut rolls into 1/8 inch slices. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until edges begin to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. About 7 dozen cookies.

CHRISTMAS TREES: Shape roll into triangle. Coat sides with green sugar. Continue as directed. Cut tree trunks from several slices; attach trunks to tree on cookie sheet, overlapping slightly.

COOKIE TARTS: Cut out centers of half of the unbaked cookies with 3/4 inch cutters, or design your own patterns. Spoon 1/2 tsp red jelly or jam onto uncut slices; top with cutout slices. Press edges to seal.

HOLIDAY SUGAR SLICES: Coat rolls with red or green sugar or multi-colored candies.

NUTMEG SLICES: Add 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg with the flour. Coat rolls with mixture of 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg.

NUTTY SLICES: Coat rolls with chopped nuts.

PEPPERMINT PINWHEELS: Decrease vanilla to 1 tsp; add 1 tsp peppermint extract. After dough is mixed, divide into halves. Stir 1/2 tsp red or green food color into one half. Cover both halves and refrigerate 1 hour. Roll plain dough into rectangle, abut 16x9 inches, on lightly floured surface. Repeat with colored dough; place on plain dough. Roll doughs together about 1/4 inch thick. Roll up tightly, beginning at 16 inch side. Wrap and refrigerate. Continued as directed.

RIBBON BAR COOKIES: Decrease vanilla to 1 tsp; add 1 tsp peppermint extract. After dough is mixed, divide into halves. Stir 1/2 tsp red or green food color into one half. Cover both halves and refrigerate 1 hour. Shape each half into 2 strips, each about 9 x 2 1/2 inches, on very lightly floured surface. Layer strips, alternating colors; press together. Wrap and refrigerate. Continued as directed.