What's Your Favorite Christmas Cookie Recipe?

We do way more baking around Christmas time and I'm always on the lookout for new cookie recipes. Ideally, the recipe should be pretty easy to make, work every time (reproducible) and have a unique yummy taste.  A friend gave me this recipe for English Ginger Snaps, it came from Maida Heatters Book of Great Cookies.  They are super fantastic.  It's the only cookie recipe I've ever seen that calls for black pepper, and the pepper really gives it a kick.  The cookies are rolled into balls which form perfect rounded mounds as they cook.  Very pretty, great spicey fragrance as they cook, and delicioso! 

Please pass on your fave cookie recipes in the comments, or mail me a recipe or a link.  I need more, more, more!!  Thanks in advance and Merry Christmas!

2-1/4 cup flour                                6 oz butter (1-1/2 sticks!)
2 tsp baking soda                           1 cup brown sugar                      
1/2 tsp salt                                    1 egg
1 tsp cinnamon                               1/4 cup molasses     
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp black pepper

Cream the butter and sugar together (learn more about that here), then add egg and molasses. Mix the flour, baking soda, salt and spices, and then add to the creamed butter/sugar mixture.  Chill the dough in the refrigerator about a half hour.  Roll a rounded teaspoonful of dough into balls approximately one inch across.  Optional: roll the balls in granulated sugar.  Bake at 370 deg F for 10-12 minutes.  Don't overbake!  I use parchment paper on a heavy cookie sheet. This photo from BB's Blog is exactly what they look like.

What's your favorite Christmas cookie? 

Comments

[Zeeza]

Walnut honey cookies from Arianna Huffington:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/11/arianna-brings-favorite-g_n_150331.html

Heavenly!

[Jeanine]

Try these, Hillary's chocolate chip cookies:

http://www.alithelazydog.com/2008/06/hillary-clintons-chocolate-chip-cookies.html

[Sissy Willis]

Forget Huffington and Hillary! and let Pillsbury do the mixing for you:

Homemade Christmas Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing.
http://sisu.typepad.com/sisu/2004/12/from_now_on_our.html

More decorating ideas here:
http://sisu.typepad.com/sisu/2003/12/the_icing_is_on.html

Merry Christmas, and keep on bakin'!

[Sissy Willis]

Here's the link for that Royal Icing in my previous comment:

http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/recipeprint.php?recid=42

[Jeanine]

Also saw these Xmas cookie recipes today, they look delish:

http://makeitfromscratch.blogspot.com/2008/12/christmas-cookie-favorites.html

[Stephanie]

Thanks to Jeanine for linking to my favorites! :)
I have to say of the four listed there the double ginger cookies are my favorite. There is just something so good about ginger cookies. The black pepper in your recipe has me intrigued though!