New Zealand Holly Cookies

Submitted by Debbie Smith

"Almost too pretty a cookie to eat, but they taste so good! I actually won first prize for these cookies when I was a girlscout at age 13. Although I am unsure of the origin of the recipe, I thought it was too good to keep to myself. If you're creative and are up for a challenge, this is a perfect recipe for you. (requires a clean small paintbrush)"

 

• Ready In: 1hr 10mins
• Ingredients: 13
• Serves: 15

ingredients

• For Cookies

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3⁄4 teaspoon baking powder
• 2⁄3 cup raspberry jam
• 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1⁄2 cup butter or 1/2 cup margarine
• 1⁄4 cup milk
• 1 large egg, beaten

• For Decoration

• 2 -3 teaspoons milk
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• red cinnamon candies
• green food coloring

directions

1. Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt.
2. Cut in margarine (like pie dough).
3. Make a well in the center of the dough.
4. Combine egg and 1/4 cup milk and pour them into the well.
5. Stir dough until moist.
6. Flour a flat surface and roll dough out to 1/8" thick.
7. Cut into 2" circles.
8. Bake at 375°F for 8-10 minutes.
9. Place on a rack to cool.
10. Once cooled, place 1/2 tsp jam on the bottom of one cookie.
11. Cover the jam with another cookie, ie cookie- jam- cookie.
12. In a small bowl stir together powdered sugar, vanilla and enough milk to make a glaze.
13. Glaze the top of one side of each double cookie and place 2-3 cinnamon candies into the glaze.
14. The candies are to be the holly berries.
15. Allow glaze to set.
16. Use a small clean paintbrush to paint several holly leaves and a stem on each cookie using green food coloring.

Reviews

[MaryW 4361226]

While making these today, I refreshed my memory as to how many years I've been making these cookies. My recipe is the orignal page that I pulled from Better Homes and Gardens magazine, dated December 1985. They were the $1000 grand prize winner submitted by Kate Beckman from Chino, CA. I'll never forget stepping back from the finished product the first time I made them...those with me and I were in awe....make them just one time and they'll become a tradition in your family too.

 

[Toni C.]

These have been made in my family as long as I can remember but 85 was my first Xmas. That said we use a toothpick to draw the holy leafs.

 

[monica in hondo]

Thank you so much for sending this in. I used to make these almost 20 yrs. ago and always got rave reviews. I lost the recipe and have searched endlessly. The one thing to remember is be sure to use seedless jam. I hve decorated these to match many different holidays square flags, oval Easter eggs etc. I'm soooooo happy to have the recipe again.

 

[melting pot]

These are so beatiful! They're abit time-consuming, but not difficult to make. Mine came out abit bigger because my cookie cutter was 2 1/2" wide, so I baked them for about 12 minutes. That was good, but I still think next time I'll make them smaller because you have to remember that you're really eating two cookies at one time - they're wonderful! Thanks for a festive, elegant cookie!

 

[Candy Rose]

These cookies have become our favorite Christmas cookie of all times. It's just not Christmas without them. I've been making them for many years and thought I would never find the recipe again until I looked here and found Debbie's. Thanks so much...our tradition will carry on.