It’s no secret that I love holiday traditions and making Christmas cookies! Every year, I make sure to make family favorites with my grandma, but I also make some of my own at home. For me, baking around the holidays is not only about what you bake, but who you bake with. I love having friends over to bake with and having Brian taste test our creations. 

This year, I stuck with the classics; Kolaczki and Norwegian Christmas Cookies. Kolaczki have always been one of my favorites, and Brian doesn’t shy away from them either (I’m pretty sure they were almost gone before the weekend was over)! 

Norwegian Christmas Cookies

Makes about 12 dozen

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 sticks salted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar cubes, coarsely crushed, or pearl sugar

Preparation

Beat together 1 egg and sugar with an electric mixer until thick and pale. Sift in flour and baking powder and add butter. Beat on low speed until mixture forms a dough. Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Lightly beat remaining egg. Roll level teaspoons of dough into balls and arrange 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Press thumb into center of each ball to flatten, leaving a depression, and brush lightly with egg. Sprinkle crushed sugar in centers and bake in batches in middle of oven until golden, 12 to 18 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool completely.

Kolaczki

Makes about 1 dozen (I typically double this recipe, just cause I love them so much)

Ingredients

• ½ cup butter, softened
• 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup of your favorite jam (this year I used raspberry jam and some apple butter I picked up from Milwaukee Public Market, so good!)
• ¼ cup sifted confectioners’ sugar

Preparation

Beat butter and cream cheese in mixer bowl until light and fluffy. Add flour gradually, beating well after each addition.

Roll dough to 1/8 inch thickness on lightly floured surface. Cut into 2-inch circles. Spoon 1/4 teaspoon jam into center of each circle. Fold opposite edges together, slightly overlapping edges. (Brushing it with a little bit of egg white can also help hold the edges together.)

Place 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 15 minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar.

What are your favorite holiday traditions and recipes?