A Great Cookie To Make With Kids: Russian Teacakes aka Snowballs

I've been making this recipe with my mom since I can remember; it's kind of our Christmas tradition. I have many fond memories of making these cookies.

At any rate, the teacakes are not only one of the easiest things I've ever baked, but are also very kid friendly. There are many jobs kids can participate in while making these; measuring ingredients, rolling the dough into balls, and covering them in confectionery sugar when they come out of the oven. The best part is, however, is that there are no eggs in this recipe, so mom's don't have to worry about their kids taking a little nibble of the dough or licking their fingers.



Russian Teacakes
Makes approximately four dozen cookies

Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 confectionery sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour, sifted
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup finally chopped (walnuts) nuts (optional, to be stirred in last)
extra confectionery sugar for rolling





Sift the dry ingredients (flour, salt) together and set them aside.





Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla together.





Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and stir together.



Once the mixture starts coming together, use your hands and form a ball with the dough.



Refrigerate the dough until firm (usually 30 minutes to 1 hour). Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.



Form once inch balls with the dough by rolling them in the palm of your hand.



Place the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet quite close together (they don't really spread much).



Bake for approximately 10 minutes. I can tell they are cooked with they start to slightly crack at the top.






Cool for a few minutes, but while still warm, roll all the cookies in confectionery sugar. After rolling all the cookies once, roll them for a second time. Then allow them to cool completely before storing.

Chewy and Rich Chocolate Cookies

I don't think anything beats a cookie that reminds me of my mom's fudge sauce. This cookie recipe, which I got off the back of a package of Baker's Unsweetened Chocolate, just looked like it might be tasty, and I was very pleasantly surprised.



It's also really easy to make. I'd recommend doing it in a mixer if you have one, because the dough gets very stiff at the end, but it's nothing that a little muscle can't handle either.



If you are in need of a chocolate fix, these cookies are certainly for you!



Chocolate Cookies
Makes between 60-70 cookies

Ingredients
4 squares of Baker's unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour



Place chocolate and butter into a microwave safe dish. Microwave the chocolate and butter until melted. This will probably take approximately 2 minutes, but depending on the strength of your microwave, might be slightly more or less. It's important not to microwave the chocolate and butter too long; you risk the chance of burning the chocolate. If you are worried about the strength of your microwave, try microwaving just a minute, and then giving the chocolate and butter a stir. When it's almost melted, bring the cooking interval time down to 30 seconds.

Once the chocolate and butter are completely melted, stir until completely blended. Next, mix in the sugar. The mixture will look kind of grainy.

Stir in the eggs and vanilla. I like to lightly beat the eggs before mixing them in so that they blend in well and are not mostly yolk in one place, and white in another.

Finally, stir in the flour. Do this in three or four additions, so that the flour doesn't go everywhere. The dough will feel quite stiff.



If it's not firm and easy to roll, place the dough in the refrigerator for up to an hour.



Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Shape the dough into 1 inch balls, and, on to a greased cookie sheet, place approximately 2 inches apart.



Bake for 8 minutes. The cookies should be just set. This will ensure that they stay nice and chewy. Cool the cookies on the sheet for a minute, then remove to a cooling rack.



I ate a couple when they were still warm, and they were soft and chewy and delicious!

Snickerdoodles

Even in today's world of easy and inexpensive communication, it's difficult to really show how much you love someone. Some people exhibit their love through letters, and some through sending gifts in the mail; some people even send telegrams.

Lillian Cairns spends a lot of her time in Colorado baking cookies and mailing them countrywide to her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. By sending something homemade, she spreads the message that she is spending time and effort to get something off in the mail that her relatives will really enjoy and will remember her every time they take a bite of one of her delicious treats. Since Ms. Cairns cannot be there in person, sending cookies is her way of being present in the lives of her dear ones.



I've gotten to sample a few of Ms. Cairns cookies and her Snickerdoodles are my favorite (so far). They are not too sweet, which is one of the things I like so much since I do not have much of a sweet-tooth.



Snickerdoodles
Makes 5-6 dozen cookies

Ingredients
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 cup flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix the butter, 1 1/2 cups sugar and eggs until smooth. In a separate bowl, blend the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. In 3 or 4 additions, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until well mixed.

In a small bowl, mix the remaining sugar and cinnamon. Roll the cookie dough into one inch balls and roll in the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Place two inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.



Bake for 8-10 minutes. If you like cookies soft and chewy, make sure the cookies are removed from the oven before the bottom of the cookies brown. If you prefer crunchy cookies, leave them in the oven until the bottom is golden brown.

Let them cool on the sheet for a few minutes before removing the cookies to a baking rack until they are completely cool.