It’s family tradition to make pressed Christmas cookies and thumbprint cookies every year. The only problem is both my mother and grandmother each had their own recipe so every year I was torn as to which recipe to use. Having experimented, I came up with a third generation recipe of my own. My version is based on my Grandmother’s recipe with a slight adaptation to make it easier to put through a cookie press.  It has a buttery yet caramel taste from the brown sugar.

For my Mothers recipe see Mom’s Butter Cookies and for my Grandmother’s version see Grandma’s Shortbread Cookies.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
• 2 egg yolks (keep whites if you are making thumbprint cookies)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 cups sifted flour (sift before measuring)

DOUGH

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Use ungreased cookie sheet.
2. Cream butter for 30 seconds.
3. Add brown sugar and cream until very light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Beat in egg and vanilla.
5. Mix in 1/2 of flour then once combined, mix in the second half.

PRESSED COOKIES

1. Press unchilled dough through cookie press, add any decorations.  We like to use milk chocolate or butterscotch chocolate chips as my family does not like candied fruit.
2. Bake 10 minutes.

THUMBPRINT COOKIES

1. Roll dough into walnut sized ball.
2. Roll ball in frothed egg white then in finely chopped pecans, walnuts or coconut.
3. Place on cookie sheet, press hole in centre of cookie with finger. This will flatten cookie somewhat.
4. Add small amount jelly in centre hole (raspberry or black current is best).
5. Bake 12-15 minutes.

Yield: varies, depend on size of cookies