Homemade Christmas cookies warm just about everyone’s heart. Find a favorite recipe that you can pass on for generations to come. Image courtesy of Debbie Morrow, All Rights Reserved.

The days are ticking quickly by and if you are anything like me, you already have your supplies on hand. No? Well, I can offer you my most requested cookie/candy recipes that have been pleasing people for over 35 years. Since some directions are longer than others, multiple posts will be needed as follows:

Part 1:                                    Part 2:  Chocolate Italian Balls
Spicy Gingerbread Cookies               Peanut Butter Balls
Italian Butter Balls                                 Almond Sugar Cookies
Rum Balls

Part 3:                                    Part 4:  Butterscotch Haystacks
Chocolate Fudge                                 Coconut Balls
Italian Neapolitan Cookies                  Truffles (multi-flavored)

Part 1: Spicy Ginger Bread Cookies

Gingerbread men image courtesy of What Ronronia Wants @ blogspot.

If you enjoy a robust, flavorful gingerbread cookie, this one is for you.

Supplies:
1/2 cup Butter or Margarine
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Molasses
1 Egg
2 cups Flour
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
3/4 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp each of Cinnamon, Cloves, Ginger and Nutmeg
A Rolling Pin and Cookie Cutters
Directions:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1) Cream the butter and sugar. Add the molasses and egg, mix well. Add the rest of ingredients.
2) Lightly flour your rolling surface, roll out the dough, and use various cookie cutters.
3) Place cut-outs on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes. Remove cookies from sheets to cool.

Italian Butter Ball Cookies (My family’s recipe)

Butter ball cookie image courtesy of thehungrymouse.com

Supplies:
1 cup Soft Butter (no substitutions)
1/2 cup Confectioner’s Sugar or also known as 10x sugar. (plus about a 1/2 cup for rolling)
2 1/4 cups Flour
1 cup Chopped Walnuts

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter and sugar, mixing well. Add flour, mixing thoroughly. Add nuts, dispersing them well throughout dough. Pour about a half cup of 10x sugar into a small bowl. Roll out dough into small balls and roll each in the 10x sugar and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 5-6 minutes or until the bottom of each cookie is slightly brown around edges.

Rum Balls

Rum ball image courtesy of Bettycrocker.com

Supplies:

2 1/2 cups Crushed Vanilla Wafers
1 cup Powdered or 10x sugar (plus extra for rolling)
2 Tbsp. Baking Cocoa Powder
3 Tbsp. Corn Syrup
1/2 cup Rum
1 cup Finely Chopped Walnuts
Optional: Chocolate Chips, Maraschino Cherry Slices, Sprinkles, Colored Sugar, or Cocoa

Directions: Mix the wafer crumbs, sugar, and cocoa together well. Add rum, corn syrup, and mix well. Add the nuts, dispersing thoroughly. Add optional chips or cherries, if desired.  In a small bowl, roll dough balls into 10x sugar (or optional extra cocoa powder, sprinkles, colored sugar, etc.)

Rum balls are most flavorful after about a day in fridge. But who has that willpower?

Let me know how your cookies/candies turn out or if you added an extra ingredient that makes the recipes better. Look for the next installments as  Parts (2, 3, and 4): Let the Baking Begin!