Fun Christmas Cookie Recipes

There's nothing like fresh, home-baked Christmas cookies hot out of the oven. If you haven't done your holiday baking yet, here are a few ideas from FamilyFun magazine's cookbook, Family Fun's COOKIES FOR CHRISTMAS demonstrated by Senior Editor Deanna Cook.

Deanna showed CBS This Morning Co-Anchor Thalia Assuras a few of her 50 best holiday cookie recipes created by the magazine.

CBS 'This Morning' Co-Anchor Thalia Assuras (right) watches as Deanna Cook decorates cookies.(CBS)

Since sugar cookie dough is very versatile, Cook says. You can play with the color of the dough with food dye, or the flavor with extracts, not to mention the decorations - M&M candies, gumdrops, and jimmies all can be used to make the cookies more festive.

Rudolph The Red-nosed Cookie:

Best-ever Sugar Cookie dough from Family Fun's Cookies for Christmas (see below)
3-inch-long teardrop cardboard pattern
Pretzels
Cookie frosting
M&M's
Red hots

Roll out the cookie dough to a ¼ inch thickness. Set the cardboard pattern on the dough. With the point of a sharp knife (parents only), cut out the reindeer's head. Bake as directed.

Let cool. Break apart the pretzels to form antlers and attach them at the top of the reindeer's head with dabs of frosting. Add M&M eyes and don't forget the red hot nose. Makes 40 cookies.

The Rudolph Cookie. (CBS)

Best-ever Sugar Cookies:

3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

In a medium-sized bowl, mix the flour and salt. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar, stir in the egg, then the corn syrup and vanilla extract. One third at a time, add the flour mixture until thoroughly mixed. Pat the dough into two disks, wrap them in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours, or until firm enough to roll. If the dough is too firm, soften at room temperature for about 5 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll the dough to a &frac4;-inch thickness between two pieces of waxed paper or plastic wrap. Remove the top sheet of waxed paper and cut out the cookies with cookie cutters. Using a spatula, transfer the shapes to an ungreased baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch between the cookies. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cookies start to brown lightly around the edges.

Set the baking sheet on a wire rack and cool for about 5 minutes. Transfer the cookies to racks and cool completely. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 month and for up to 3 days at room temperature before you frost them. Makes 12 to 50 cookies, depending on their size.

Tasty Gift Tags:

Best-ever Sugar Cookie dough
Pastry wheel or sharp knife
Cookie frosting
M&M's Minis and other tiny candies

Roll out the cookie dough to a ¼-inch thickness. Use the pastry wheel or knife (parents only) to cut out 3- by 4-inch rectangles. Bake as directed. Once the tags have cooled, fill a pastry bag fitted with a writer's tip with frosting. Pipe names and designs onto the cookies and add candy decorations. Makes 24 tags.

Marshmallow Christmas Trees. (CBS)

1 10-ounce bag large marshmallows
6 tablespoons butter
Green food coloring
6 cups cornflakes
½ cup red hots
Nonstick cooking spray

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the marshmallows with the butter, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and add the green food coloring, cornflakes, and red hots, stirring well after each addition.

Once the mixture has cooled slightly, spray your hands with the cooking spray and mold cone-shaped trees, then add extra red hots. Place the trees on a waxed paper-lined tray to cool completely. Makes 12-18 trees.

Candy Glass Ornaments:

Large holiday cookie cutters, at least 3 by 3 inches
Heavy-duty aluminum foil
Nonstick cooking spray
Hard candy, such as Jolly Ranchers
Colored sprinkles
Chopstick
10-inch length of ribbon

For a mold, tightly wrap the bottom and outsides of a cookie cutter with foil.

Candy ornaments. (CBS)

When almost cool, carefully remove the foil and gently pry the candy from the mold with a sharp knife (parents only). Hang with the ribbon. Make as many as you like.

Reprinted from FamilyFun's COOKIES FOR CHRISTMAS: 50 Recipes for You and Your Kids, edited by Deanna F. Cook and the experts at FamilyFun Magazine. Copyright c. 1998 by Disney Enterprises, Inc.