This month we review our blog feature for the 2012 holiday season – the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies! We baked a new cookie each day starting with National Cookie Day on December 4th. Enjoy!

December 4th is National Cookie Day! We first made these for our Holiday Open House in 2011. These cookies are delicious and festive! Perfect for a holiday party, or just a special treat!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine brown sugar, peanut butter, shortening, milk and vanilla in large bowl, and beat until well blended. Then add egg and mix to combine.

Add in flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in until well blended.

Form dough into 1 inch balls. To make reindeer-shaped cookies, pinch the bottom of the ball to form a point, then flatten the ball with your hand.

Space cookies 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 8 minutes.

Remove from oven, and gently press two brown M&Ms for the eyes, one red one for the nose, and then add the mini pretzels onto the tops of the cookies for the antlers.

Allow to cool on baking sheet then transfer to wire rack. The antlers can fall off if you are not careful! Make sure the entire cookie is on the cooling rack.

Makes about 30 reindeer cookies.

Originally Made From: Bakergirl

Recipe #12 in our 2012 edition of the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies. This grand finale recipe of our series is one of Kevin’s favorite cookies: shortbread. And the lemon glaze adds a refreshing flavor twist. We like to mix the flavors up; some lemon glazed, some sea salt caramel glazed, and some plain. Chocolate glazed would be good too.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high, beat butter until smooth, about 8 minutes. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Reduce mixer to low, add flour and salt, and beat until combined.

Divide dough into 4 equal pieces and pat each into a square. Roll out each square between 2 sheets of lightly floured parchment to 1/4 inch thickness. Transfer to a baking pan, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate, about 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Remove and unwrap 1 dough square. Using a 1-inch square cutter, cut out 24 cookies (or slice across horizontally and then vertically into squares). Transfer to 2 parchment-lined baking pans, spacing cookies about 1 inch apart. Bake until light golden and firm around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough squares.

Lemon Glaze Recipe:

To make glaze, in small bowl combine confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice, and corn syrup. Dip cookies in glaze on the diagonal, then gently swipe bottom edge to remove excess. Sprinkle with lemon zest. Set cookies on wire rack placed atop a sheet of waxed paper to catch any glaze drips. Allow glaze to completely harden overnight.

Recipe #11 in our 2012 edition of the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies. These chewy toffee cookies will become a tradition.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease cookie sheet.

Beat butter, sugars, vanilla and salt in large bowl until blended. Add eggs, beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Gradually add to butter mixture, beating until blended. Stir in toffee bits.

Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheet.

Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly.

Recipe #10 in our 2012 edition of the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies. Mix it up with different flavors of kiss candies.

In a large bowl, cream peanut butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until blended.

Roll into 1-1/4-in. balls. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until tops are slightly cracked. Immediately press one chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Yield: 2 dozen.

Recipe #9 in our 2012 edition of the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies. We cut out gingerbread boys, angels, bears and snowmen; and let the kids decorate.

Mix brown sugar, shortening, molasses and water in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients except Creamy Frosting. Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours or until firm.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Lightly grease cookie sheet. Roll one-fourth of dough at a time 1/4 inch thick on floured surface. Cut with floured gingerbread cookie cutter or other favorite shaped cutters. Place about 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched in center. Remove from cookie sheet. Cool completely before decorating.

Creamy Frosting Recipe:

Prepare Creamy Frosting, mixing all ingredients until smooth. Spread or pipe on cookies.

Yield: About 2 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies, or about 5 dozen 2 1/2-inch cookies.

Recipe #8 in our 2012 edition of the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies. Make a few pans, this fudge is a favorite.

Line loaf pan, 9x5x3 inches, with aluminum foil, leaving 1 inch of foil overhanging on opposite sides. Grease foil.

Mix granulated sugar and cocoa in 2-quart saucepan. Stir in butter, milk and corn syrup. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring frequently. Boil and stir 1 minute; remove from heat. Cool without stirring about 45 minutes or until bottom of pan is lukewarm. Stir in vanilla and nuts. Stir in powdered sugar until mixture is very stiff.

Press in pan. Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until firm. Remove from pan, using foil to lift. Cut into 1-inch squares.

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen candies.

Recipe #7 in our 2012 edition of the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies. Our favorite tradition is to bake these on Christmas Eve. Leave them in the oven overnight – and open for a Christmas morning surprise. (Helpful hint: Leave a note on the oven door for the other cooks in your house, so they don’t preheat the oven to bake a Christmas morning breakfast dish while these cookies are still in the oven.)

Place eggs whites in a large mixing bowl; let stand for 30 minutes.

Beat egg whites with vanilla, cream of tartar and salt on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved, about 6 minutes.

Drop meringue by teaspoonfuls onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes. Hint: Use star tip of Pampered Chef Easy Accent Decorator to form meringue drops.

Bake at 250 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until firm to the touch. Turn oven off; leave meringues in oven for 1 1/2 hours. Remove to wire racks. Store in an airtight container.

Recipe #6 in our 2012 edition of the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies. Chocolate in the center of vanilla dough lends a new twist to a holiday classic cookie.

Melt chocolate in small heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly; set aside. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour and salt in medium bowl; gradually add to butter mixture. Reserve 2 cups dough. Beat chocolate into dough in bowl until smooth. Cover both doughs and refrigerate until firm enough to handle, about 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Roll out vanilla dough between two sheets of waxed paper to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut into 5×4-inch rectangles. Place chocolate dough on sheet of waxed paper. Using waxed paper to hold dough, roll back and forth to form a log about 1 inch in diameter. Cut into 5-inch long logs. Place chocolate log in center of vanilla rectangle. Wrap vanilla dough around log.

Press dough onto ungreased cookie sheets 1 1/2 inches apart.

Bake about 10 minutes or until just set. Remove cookies with spatula to wire racks; cool completely.

Yield: 4 dozen cookies