Annie's Molasses Cookies make a lot! I use a melon baller to measure the dough to roll into balls and probably got 6 dozen, easily.

Chewy Molasses Cookies
(Annie CF)

1 1/2 cups of shortening (I use half and half with butter, but all butter makes them too crispy for my taste)
1 cups granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup of dark molasses
4 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
Chopped crystalized ginger, optional, to taste. I used about half a cup, finely chopped and wish I'd have used more but I love ginger.

Coarse sugar or turbinado sugar for rolling

Cream the shortening and sugars. Add the molasses and eggs and mix until well blended. Sift the flour (yeah right, I don't, LOL) and measure 4 1/2 cups into a separate bowl. Add the spices, salt, and baking soda and whisk to combine. Turn the mixer to low or stir, and add the flour slowly until well mixed. Stir in the chopped ginger and chill the dough for at least an hour.

After the dough has chilled for an hour, roll tablespoonfuls of the dough into balls and roll the balls in the coarse sugar to completely coat. Place the dough balls about an inch apart on a greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

The cookies will puff up and crack. When the cookies are done the cracks should still look a little wet, but the outside should look dry. They'll "fall" a little as they cool, let them sit a couple of minutes on the sheet before you try to move them to cooling racks.

Here's an older thread with a ton of great cookie recipes. Two of my favorites are the Ricotta Cookies and the Chocolate snickerdoodles.

Here is a link that might be useful: christmas cookie recipes

Linda, that recipe for the cherry balls make a lot, but it's candy, not cookies. Amanda loves the darned things. I do cut even mini-marshmallows in half so I don't get a huge piece of marshmallow, and I use home canned brandied cherries.

Annie

Barnmom beat me to it. I second Annie's Molasses cookies. I just made them to pass out as goodies to my girlfriends at our holiday dinner, and it made more than 7 dozen. I had enough to give each of my six friends a dozen, eat a couple right out of the oven, and still have a dozen left for my own self! Ya baby.

We went caroling Sunday and took cookies to shut-ins from our church. I made Date Pinwheel cookies. They had a nice buttery crisp flavor.

Here is the site that I used for the recipe.

Here is a link that might be useful: Date Pinwheel cookies

Okay, so I have added Cranberry Lemon Cookies to the list of possibilities. Thanks for the link, Tracey!

Yep, Annie, I know the Cherry balls are candy, but the girls wouldn't mind, and they sound so good!

Not a huge fan of molasses or dates, but I swear I will try both of those recipes soon! The 7 year rule keeps running thru my head! LOL

Linda

These are my go-to cookie exchange offering. I also give them as client gifts.

Chocolate-Walnut Biscotti

Yield: 3-4 dozen

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts (you can toast these lightly if you want, I don't)
4 oz. good quality unsweetened chocolate (I use Ghirardelli 100% Cacao Unsweetened Baking Bar)
5 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 pound semi-sweet chocolate, melted for dipping

Instructions

1. In a double boiler over simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter together. Remove from the heat and stir until smooth. Let cool for 10 minutes.

2. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder. In a large bowl, beat the eggs lightly. Add vanilla, beat. Gradually beat in the sugar.

3. Stir in the cooled chocolate/butter mix until blended.

4. Stir in the flour, salt, and baking powder until incorporated. Fold in the chopped walnuts.

5. Cover a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

6. Dough will be soft. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes until it can be formed with your hands. Turn out in two portions onto lightly floured board and with floured hands shape into logs about 12 inches long, 3 inches wide and 1 inch or so high.

7. Place about 4 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 50 minutes, or until the logs are firm when pressed in the center. Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Do not turn off the oven.

8. Carefully move the logs (they are brittle at this point and break easily) to a cooling rack. Let cool for 10 minutes. With a thin serrated bread knife, carefully cut each log diagonally into 1/2-inch slices. Place slices on 2 cookie sheets with fresh parchment. Return to the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes longer (switching racks halfway), or until crisp. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

9. Dip one side or bottom edge in melted chocolate and place on parchment, waxed paper or release foil on cookie sheets. (I place them briefly into my upright freezer to set the melted chocolate quickly.)

Just ran across one in my Land-O-Lakes baking cookbook that I have made in the past and forgot about. These might be another option.

PEPPERMINT TWISTS

Tastes like your favorite peppermint candy but with a cookie's buttery crunch. This cookie is a perfect make-ahead sweet treat!

Preparation time: 1 hrs Baking time: 11 min
Yield: 3 dozen cookies

1/2 cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 to 4 drops red food color
36 large chocolate chips or mini-kisses

Heat oven to 350°F. Place butter and sugar in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add egg yolk, peppermint extract and vanilla; beat until well mixed. Reduce speed to low. Add flour and salt; beat until well mixed.

Remove half of dough from bowl. Add small amount of red food color to dough in bowl; mix well.

Divide each half of dough into quarters; roll each quarter to 9-inch log. Place 1 red log next to 1 white log; twist gently to swirl dough. Roll gently to smooth. Repeat with remaining dough.

Cut each swirled rope of dough into 9 pieces; roll each piece gently into a ball. Place onto ungreased cookie sheets. Press 1 chocolate chip in center of each ball. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes or until edges are lightly browned..

Linda

Hi Linda,

I posted these bars on the Recipe Forum earlier.

Los Angeles Times: These delicious little bars combine a dense graham cracker base with a velvety custard filling rich with brown sugar and chopped pecans. Sweet, but not overly so, each bar is like a perfect miniature pecan pie baked over a wonderfully crumbly graham cracker crust.

Graham cracker chewy bars
Total time: 45 minutes, plus cooling time
Servings: 24 bars

Note: Adapted from "Celebrating With Julienne" by Susan Campoy. Campoy writes, "I adapted this recipe from one of my favorite books, 'Nantucket Open-House Cookbook,' by Sarah Leah Chase. I love watching people's expressions when they bite into these bars for the first time. The textures and flavors -- rich toffee, a chewy center and a crunchy bottom -- make everyone smile. The secret is not to over-bake the crust. Serve them at room temperature, so the flavors meld together."

Crust
3 cups graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the graham cracker crumbs, butter, sugar and flour until moist and well-blended. Press the mixture firmly and evenly over the bottom of a 13-inch by 9-inch baking pan. Bake until the crust is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

Topping and assembly
2 1/2 cups brown sugar
4 extra-large eggs
2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 prepared crust
Powdered sugar, if desired

1. While the crust is baking, in a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and eggs to blend. Whisk in the graham cracker crumbs, vanilla, salt and baking powder until well-blended. Stir in the pecans.

2. Spread the mixture over the baked crust and return to the 350-degree oven until the filling is dark-golden on top and jiggles slightly when tapped, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and cool completely.

3. Sprinkle a light coating of sifted powdered sugar over the pan if desired, and cut into 24 bars. The bars can be made 1 day in advance. Wrap in plastic and keep at room temperature.

Oh! Tracey_oh I think I just hit the mother overload. I was collecting Christmas cookie recipes this week. I've got a lot already. Didn't find this site until a couple months ago. I just saved the thread. Too many to sort though now. I will definitely be busy next year trying new recipes. Thanks for the link. Mike

You picked the right time to post this question. I just posted a bunch of my favorite cookie recipes on the new recipe blog I started. Some recipes are very rich. Others are fat-free (banana walnut and pumpkin cookies). All are tasty (in my opinion). Good luck making all of those cookies! I hope you find some recipes that you like.
Kim

Here is a link that might be useful: Recipes by KIM

Linda, I just made these Cream Cheese Pecan Drop Cookies and they are really good. I liked that they went together in a hurry and easy to make. They are not so sweet, moist in the middle and crispy around the edges. The recipe would be easy to double.

Cream Cheese Pecan Drop Cookies
15 min : 5 min prep; Serves 36, Makes 3 dozen

1/2 cup butter, softened
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped and toasted pecans

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a mixing bowl, beat together butter, cream cheese and milk.
Beat in sugar and vanilla.
Gradually mix in flour. Stir in toasted pecans.
Drop by tablespoonful 2-inches apart on to ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 10 minutes or until edges begin to slightly brown. (I baked these at 370 on convection for 7 minutes.)

Definitely adding that one to my list, Claire! Thanks!

Kim, I will be sure to look at your blog when I get home from work!

Linda

Glad to help Mike and Linda! I promise you fill some great recipes on that thread. Looking back there really made me crave the chocolate snickerdoodles!

Tracey

I haven't tried this one but it looks pretty good. It's a spritz cookie recipe to use with a cookie press. Some of the reviewers said you could get a lot of cookies out of just one batch. I may try it for my next tea party.

Here is a link that might be useful: Butter Snow Flakes