In article >,
"Nancy Young" > wrote:

> "Julia Altshuler" > wrote
>
> > I was going to say that any cookie could be a Christmas cookie. As long
> > as it is rich and special (butter, sugar, nuts, dried fruit, chocolate,
> > jam, somewhere in the recipe), it works for Christmas. But then, I've
> > never celebrated Christmas so what do I know. What if we phrased the
> > question the other way and asked if there's any cookie or baked good
> > that's NOT appropriate for Christmas?
>
> There's something about chocolate chip cookies that doesn't say
> Christmas to me.
>
> > If you made hamentaschen (triangular shaped filled cookies traditionally
> > made for Purim), and no one knew they were hamentaschen, couldn't they be
> > brought to a Christmas celebration and wouldn't they fit right in?
>
> Sure, and rugelagh (sp), lots of cookies say Christmas to me. To me
> a good rule of thumb is lots of butter and maybe nuts. Oh, and I like
> those pecan tassies? I have a cookie cookbook that has a section for
> Christmas cookies and the other half is everyday cookies. The Christmas
> section is heavy on butter cookies.
>
> nancy

In my mind, a Christmas cookie is one you don't make any other time of
the year, likely not because of the xpense of ingredients or degree of
difficulty. Holidays are often the times when folks on a budget pull
out the stops and do 'extra.' For some, it's any cookie if they don't
bake them year 'round; for others, it's the degree of difficulty or
putziness. Or, if the recipe makes a boatload and you've only got an
innertube's worth of eaters year 'round but a boatload during the
holiday season, that would be a factor, too. My favorite
cookie/pastry for Christmas are rozhky -- yeast in the dough that is
prepared like pie dough (cutting in fat), resting the dough, rolling,
cutting the shape (trapezoidal), filling, and baking. Filling must be
prepared -- apricot and pineapple and nut filling. Makes a boatload.
Mine are as good as mom's. Sister Julie's fill the need for The
Desperate.
--
http://www.jamlady.eboard.com, updated 12-22-05