1 cup margarine
1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar and 1/4 cup honey (or 2 cups sugar)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
5 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
hard candies (such as lollipops or life savers)

1. Mix margarine, shortening, sugar, honey, eggs and vanilla.
2. Add flour, soda and salt. Add flour and chill the dough for
at least 1 hour.
3. On waxed paper roll out the dough and cut shapes with cookie
cutters. Then cut out areas for “windows”.
or
Roll dough into “snakes”. Shape the snakes into cookies–leaving
some open spaces.
4. Place the cookies on a well-greased cookie sheet. Fill the
openings with crushed hard candies or a whole life saver.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 7-8 minutes. Let cookies cool for 5
minutes before removing them from the cookie sheet.

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
2 egg yolks
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
2 teaspoons finely shredded orange peel
2 teaspoons orange juice
1/2 teaspoon anise seed, crushed (optional)
1 recipe Decorator Frosting (see recipe below) or 2 cans vanilla frosting
Red, blue, green, pink, and/or black paste food coloring
Small round candies (optional)

1. Grease and flour twenty-four 3-inch madeleine molds; set aside. Stir together flour and baking powder; set aside.
2. In a medium mixing bowl beat egg and egg yolks with an electric mixer on high speed 5 minutes or until thick and lemon colored. Add powdered sugar; beat on low speed until combined, then on high speed about 5 minutes more or until very thick and satiny. Beat in butter with an electric mixer on low speed. Add flour mixture, beating at low speed until combined. Stir in orange peel, orange juice, and, if using, anise seed. Carefully spoon batter into the prepared molds, filling each three-fourths full.
3. Bake in a 375 degree F oven about 10 minutes or until edges are golden and tops spring back. Cool in molds on rack 1 minute. Loosen cookies with a knife. Invert cookies onto a rack and cool completely.
4. Divide frosting, leaving about half of it white; color one-third with red and/or pink food coloring and remaining with green, black, and/or blue food coloring.
5. To decorate, fill a decorating bag fitted with a small star tip with white frosting. Pipe on hat trim at an angle about a third of the way down from narrow end of cookie. Fill decorating bag fitted with a small star tip or plain tip with red or pink frosting; pipe on hat. With white frosting, pipe on mustache, beard, and pom-pom hat. Fill decorating bag fitted with a small round tip with green, black, or blue frosting; pipe on eyes. Using red frosting, pipe on mouth. Pipe on other frosting decorations. (Or, use small round candies for eyes, nose, mouth, and cheeks, attaching them with frosting.) Wrap cookies tightly to store. Makes 24 cookies.

Decorator Frosting: Beat 1 cup shortening and 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla on medium speed for 30 seconds. Slowly add 2 cups sifted powdered sugar; beat well. Beat in 2 tablespoons milk. Gradually beat in 2-1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar and enough milk to make piping consistency.

3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup almond paste* (about 1/3 of an 8-ounce can), crumbled
4 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour
Small multi-colored decorative candies and/or colored sugar

1. In a large bowl, beat butter, shortening, sugar, and almond paste with electric mixer on low speed until well combined. Add egg whites, vanilla, and salt; beat until fluffy. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour with a spoon.
2. Drop dough by small spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten slightly. (Or, force unchilled dough through cookie press onto an ungreased cookie sheet.) Sprinkle with some colored decorative candies and/or sugar.
3. Bake cookies in a 350 degree F oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are firm, but not brown. Remove cookies and cool on a wire rack. Makes about 96 cookies.
*Note: For best results, use an almond paste made without syrup or liquid glucose.

1 cup butter (no substitutes)
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract or 4 to 6 drops oil of cinnamon
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon red food coloring
1/4 teaspoon green food coloring

1. In mixing bowl, beat butter 30 seconds. Add powdered sugar. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl often.
2. Beat in egg and peppermint extract or cinnamon oil. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in remaining flour. Divide into thirds.
3. Knead red food coloring into one portion of the dough. Knead green food coloring into another portion. Leave the remaining dough plain. Cover and chill dough 30 minutes or until easy to handle.
4. To make candy canes, on a lightly floured surface, shape a 3/4-inch ball of the plain cookie dough into a 5-inch rope. Repeat with a 3/4-inch ball of red cookie dough and one of green dough.
5. Place the ropes side by side and twist together. Pinch ends to seal. Form into a cane shape. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
6. Bake in a 375 degree F oven 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

Makes about 36 cookies.

4 (1-ounce) chocolate candy coating squares
96 pretzel sticks
1 (16-ounce) package peanut butter sandwich cookies
64 candy-covered green, blue, or brown chocolate pieces
32 red candy-coated chocolate pieces or red cinnamon candies

Microwave chocolate candy coating in a small shallow glass dish at HIGH 3 minutes, stirring once.

Place 2 pretzel sticks in peanut butter filling of each sandwich cookie, forming large antlers. Break remaining pretzel sticks in half, and place 1 half pretzel stick next to each longer pretzel stick, forming smaller antlers.

Dip 1 side of green chocolate pieces in melted candy coating, and place on cookies for the eyes. Dip 1 side of red chocolate pieces in candy coating, and place on cookies for the noses.

Note: For testing purposes only, we used Nabisco brand Nutter Butter peanut butter sandwich cookies.

Yield: 32 cookies

1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cocoa
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
3/4 cup coarsely crushed peppermint candy (about 8 large candy canes)

Beat butter and shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugars, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla.

Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; add to butter mixture, beating until blended.

Fold in chocolate morsels and crushed peppermint candy; drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls, 3 inches apart, onto lightly greased baking sheets.

Bake at 350° for 12 to 14 minutes (do not overbake). Transfer to wire racks to cool.

Yield: 2 1/2 dozen

1 (10-ounce) jar maraschino cherries
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate morsels
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

Drain cherries, reserving 3 teaspoons juice. Cut cherries in half, and set aside.

Beat butter and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; add egg, vanilla, and 2 teaspoons reserved cherry juice, beating until blended. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients; gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating until blended after each addition. Shape dough into 1-inch balls, and place on ungreased baking sheets. Press center of each ball with thumb, and place 1 cherry half in indentation.

Cook chocolate and milk in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until melted. Stir in remaining reserved cherry juice. Cool slightly. Spoon 1 teaspoon mixture over each cherry half.

Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Freeze up to 3 months.

Yield: Makes 6 dozen

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
1 tablespoon orange juice
Chocolate Cookie Variation (recipe follows)
Royal Icing (recipe follows)
Paste food colors OR: soft gel paste food colors

Recipe Directions
1. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt onto waxed paper.
2. Beat butter and sugar in bowl until smooth. Beat in egg, orange rind and juice. Add flour mixture, a third at a time, stirring well after each addition.
3. Shape dough into ball; flatten slightly. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
4. To bake, heat oven to 350°. Lightly grease baking sheets.
5. Roll out half of dough on floured surface to generous 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into shapes, using Halloween cookie cutters, 1 1/2- to 5 3/4-inch. Place cookies 1/2 inch apart on prepared baking sheets.
6. Bake in 350° oven for 9 minutes or until light golden around edges; cookies should not brown. Transfer cookies to rack to cool. Repeat with second half of dough and scraps.
7. Prepare Royal Icing.
8. Decorate cookies: Using small fine-tipped paintbrush, coat cookies with thinned icing. Let stand until dry. Decorate cookies with thicker icing, piping with pastry bag fitted with writing tip.

Chocolate Variation: Add 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder to flour before sifting in Step 1. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar, for total of 1 cup.

Royal Icing: Beat 3 tablespoons meringue powder or powdered egg whites, 4 cups (1-pound box) confectioners’ sugar, sifted, and 6 tablespoons water in bowl until peaks form, 10 minutes (makes 3 cups). Divide icing in half. To make base coat for glaze: Thin half with water, a drop at a time, until consistency of sour cream. Use thicker second half for piping. Tint icing with food colors.

Note: Silver dragées (used for eyes) are not FDA-recognized as edible. Use for decoration only; remove before eating.

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Decorator Icing (recipe follows)
Assorted food paste colors

Recipe Directions
1. Heat oven to 350°.

2. Beat together butter, sugar and egg in large bowl until fluffy. Stir in flour, salt and baking powder. Divide dough in half; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

3. For Easter egg cookies: On lightly floured work surface, roll half of dough out to 3/16-inch thickness. Use Easter egg template on this page to trace eggs onto dough; cut out with sharp paring knife. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Repeat with other half of dough. Or for bunny cookies, roll half of dough out to 1/8-inch thickness.

With 21/2-inch bunny or other animal cookie cutters, cut out animal shapes. Place on ungreased baking sheets.

4. In 350° oven, bake egg cookies until lightly golden, about 10 minutes, or bake bunny cookies for 7 to 8 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheet placed on wire rack.

5. Divide Decorator Icing in half. To one-half, add water, drop by drop, to make good spreading consistency. Divide among small bowls; tint with food paste colors. Spread icing evenly over cookies; let dry.

6. Divide remaining thicker icing among small cups. Tint with food paste colors. Spoon into pastry bags, one fitted with medium-size writing tip and another with medium-size star tip. Decorate as pictured. For carrots, use bag with writing tip, squeezing bag very firmly, to make thick carrot.

Decorator Icing: Using packaged meringue powder, prepare 1 recipe of Royal Icing according to package directions. Makes 3 to 4 cups. Meringue powder is available in stores where decorating and baking supplies are sold.

2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons each finely chopped candied cherries and citron
OR: orange rind
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Recipe Directions
1. Heat oven to 350°. Grease 12-cup 3-inch muffin or muffin-top tin; or for free-form cookies, line baking sheet with aluminum foil; grease.
2. Combine sugar, butter, corn syrup and milk in saucepan. Over medium heat, cook until mixture registers 235° (soft ball stage) on candy thermometer.
3. Remove pan from heat. Stir in almonds, flour, cherries, citron, vanilla. Drop by teaspoonfuls into prepared cups or 4 inches apart on foil.
4. Bake in 350° oven until edges brown, 7 to 8 minutes. (If free-form, shape into circles while warm.) Loosen cookies with small spatula; remove from cups to wire rack to cool. If cookies stick in cups, return to oven for 30 seconds. Repeat with remaining batter.
5. Melt chocolate chips in bowl over hot (not boiling) water. Spread smooth sides of cookies with chocolate; sandwich 2 cookies, chocolate sides together. Chill to set chocolate.