Old-fashioned Christmas cookies from my grandmother’s recipes aren’t fancy or trendy, but they still taste the best, and it wouldn’t be Christmas without them.
I know Instagram and Pinterest are plastered with photos of cookies that are far more beautiful than these*. That’s OK, that’s not what these cookies are about. They’re meant to be simple, to look homemade, to let the pure taste of molasses or lemon or butter be the focus.
My grandmother had a circle of girlfriends she traded recipes with, some of whom I knew but most are just mysterious names on her old recipe cards. I have no idea who Mrs. Weber was but her sugar cookies were the ones we left out for Santa every Christmas Eve when I was growing up. I think Gladys Williams of molasses cookie fame was a neighbor, and Edith of Edith’s Shortbread was Mamie’s aunt, who died many years before I was born.
What I love most about these old recipes is the absence of directions, the assumption that everyone knows what it means to “mix as for pie crust”, or that “combine, cut in shapes and bake” is enough said without even specifying an oven temperature.
In my translations of these recipes I’ve filled in those gaps, and in some cases I’ve adjusted a few of the ingredients to suit my taste and to accommodate for the difference in the way I measure flour. Mamie measured flour by scooping her cup directly into the canister, which results in a heavier cup than you’d get using the standard I follow. My recipes provide the flour measurement in weight as well as volume for accuracy. See the FAQ on my About page for more about measuring flour for baking.
Mrs. Weber’s Christmas Cookies
Mrs. Weber’s Christmas Cookies are classic sugar cookies, ideal for rolling out and cutting into shapes. The method for mixing the dough for this recipe is unusual – instead of creaming the butter and sugar together, you mix the butter into the flour as if you were making pie crust. It seems strange but it works, and it does make a difference in the texture of these cookies, which are a little more pastry-like than your usual sugar cookie.
(*Updated December 4, 2021 to correct the amount of sugar – apologies for the previous typo that listed the sugar amount as 1½ cups.)
Mrs. Weber's Xmas Cookies
Roll the dough out very thin for these cookies, so they bake up nice and crisp. Because they're thin, they brown quickly, so watch carefully during the last few minutes of baking.
Ingredients
- 4½ cups (19 1/8 ounces or 540 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or ½ teaspoon Morton's)
- 1 cup (16 tablespoons or 8 ounces) cold unsalted butter (preferably European-style), cut into ½-inch pieces
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemon (about 2 teaspoons)
Directions
- Step 1 In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, baking powder and salt, and stir the mixture on low speed until combined. Add the butter and stir on very low speed, stopping and starting at first so the butter won’t fly around too much and kick flour out of the bowl. Once the butter starts to break down, increase the speed to low or medium low and mix until the butter is incorporated into the flour, with the largest pieces about the size of peas. Transfer this mixture to a medium bowl and set it aside.
- Step 2 In the same bowl (no need to wash it out in between), beat the eggs and sugar on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the milk, lemon juice and lemon zest, and beat briefly to combine.
- Step 3 Add the flour mixture and stir on low speed until the mixture comes together in a smooth, firm dough.
- Step 4 Chill the dough for 15 minutes. Meanwhile heat the oven to 350 degrees and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Step 5 Lightly flour a wooden pastry board. Roll out the dough very thin (1/8 inch to no more than 1/4 inch thick). Cut the dough into shapes, transfer the cookies to the baking sheets, and decorate with colored sugar or other decorations as desired.
- Step 6 Bake the cookies one sheet at a time on the center rack for 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden but not brown. (Watch carefully to make sure the tips and edges don’t brown.) Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Gladys Williams’ Molasses Cookies
These are real, old-fashioned molasses cookies, soft and moist with a flavor and texture much like gingerbread cake. When I was little I used to stand on a stool next to the counter so I could watch as Mamie sifted the dry ingredients directly into the batter. As the white flour started to drift down onto the dark, molasses-laced dough we would chant, “It’s snowing in the cookies! It’s snowing in the cookies!” I don’t sift anymore – a whisk does the job – but this is one of my favorite memories of cookie baking with Mamie.
The frosting on these is not royal icing, it’s a soft glaze made with confectioner’s sugar and milk – it doesn’t harden which means you can’t stack these, you have to store them in a single layer after they’re frosted. And while you’re mixing this glaze, be sure to add the sugar gradually. If you add it all at once it will seem way too dry and difficult to stir, and you’ll think you need more milk, but if you add more milk it will end up being too thin. Finally, don’t wait until you’ve frosted all the cookies before you start adding the sprinkles or colored sugar – the glaze dries quickly and it needs to be wet in order for the decorations to stick.
Gladys Williams' Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
- 2½ cups (10 5/8 ounces or 300 grams) flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or 1/4 teaspoon Morton's)
- 1/8 teaspoon ground clove
- 1/3 cup (5 tablespoons plus one teaspoon, or 76 grams) unsalted butter (preferably European-style), softened
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup plus 3 tablespoons whole milk, divided
- 2 cups (8 ounces, 227 grams) confectioner’s sugar
- Colored sugar or sprinkles
Directions
- Step 1 Combine the flour, baking soda, spices and salt in a medium bowl, and whisk them to combine.
- Step 2 In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 minutes. Beat in the molasses, then the egg, until the mixture is thick and smooth.
- Step 3 With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients, alternating with ½ cup of the milk, in two additions each, beginning with dry and ending with milk. Beat just enough to blend the ingredients. Don’t over-mix. The batter will be very soft.
- Step 4 Chill the batter for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350, and line two large baking sheets with parchment.
- Step 5 Drop the dough by heaping tablespoons onto the parchment-lined sheets, spacing the cookies 2 inches apart. The dough will be sticky. After spooning out the balls of dough onto the pan, moisten your fingers with a little water and lightly smooth the edges into neat, round shapes. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time on the center rack for 10 to 13 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through. The cookies are done when they are just dry on the tops – they will still feel soft if you press on them, and the bottoms should be about the same color as the tops, not dark brown.
- Step 6 Remove the cookies from the sheet to a cooling rack, and let them cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough
- Step 7 To make the glaze, put the remaining 3 tablespoons of milk in a small bowl. Gradually add the confectioner’s sugar, stirring with a whisk and getting all the lumps out before adding more. When you’ve added all the sugar, the glaze should be thick enough to coat the cookies with a schmear, but still slightly runny so it spreads and runs down the sides. While the glaze is still wet, sprinkle the tops of the cookies with colored sugar or other decorations.
Edith’s Shortbread
Edith’s Shortbread are the oldest of the old-time cookies and the simplest cookies you’ll ever make. Mamie’s recipe had just three ingredients. I’ve added a fourth (salt), and also increased the sugar — her recipe had such a small amount the cookies were barely sweet, more like tea biscuits than cookies. Confectioner’s sugar behaves like flour in this recipe, so I was able to leave the quantity of flour the same – but I do recommend that you weigh the sugar as you would flour, to make sure you’re not using more than you think.
Edith's Shortbread
European-style butter is soft enough for this recipe right out of the fridge, no warming or softening required. If you're using American style butter, let it sit out to soften to room temperature. Either way, don't chill the dough after mixing, just roll it out right away.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (8½ ounces or 240 grams) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (3 ounces or 85 grams) confectioner’s sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or 1/8 teaspoon Morton's)
- 1 cup (16 tablespoons or 8 ounces) unsalted butter (preferably European-style)
Directions
- Step 1 Heat the oven to 300 degrees.
- Step 2 Combine all of the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Start on low speed and mix, increasing to medium-low speed once the butter starts to break down into the dough. It will look too dry and as if it will never come together, and then all of a sudden it will. Stop mixing when the dough forms small but moist clumps, with no dry crumbles of flour remaining.
- Step 3 Bring the dough together into a ball with your hands. Lightly flour a wooden pastry board and roll the dough out to 1/3-inch thick. Cut it into shapes, move the cookies to two large ungreased, unlined baking sheets, and decorate with colored sugar or other decorations as desired.
- Step 4 Bake the cookies one sheet at a time on the center rack for 15 to 20 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through, until the cookies are just getting light golden on the edges – don’t let them brown. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining cookies.
Making Christmas cookies ahead and what to do with leftovers:
- Mrs. Weber’s cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 days. They also freeze well, and since this recipe makes a larger batch than the others, I often make a big batch at the beginning of December, freeze most of them, and then bring them out a few at a time to enjoy throughout the season.
- Edith’s Shortbread cookies also keep well at room temperature and freeze well.
- Gladys Williams’ Molasses Cookies are softer and therefore more prone to going stale. The other issue with these cookies is the glaze and – particularly – the colored sprinkles. After a day or two the color from the sprinkles will start blend into the glaze and discolor it. They’ll still taste amazing, but won’t look quite as pretty. It may seem fussy, but for the very best presentation I like to frost them a few at a time, frosting only as many as I’ll use in a day or two. The others will keep, well sealed at room temperature, for a few days, and freeze well. As with the other types, I often freeze most of the batch unfrosted, and take out a few at a time and frost as needed.
*On the subject of beautiful cookies can I just say that I think royal icing is the worst thing you can do to a cookie? Royal icing is made with confectioner’s sugar and egg white, and it dries to a hard shell, which makes it perfect for painting reindeer faces and Christmas sweaters onto cookies, which can then be stacked and packed without smudging. Unfortunately, royal icing doesn’t taste very good, and it has an unpleasant chalky texture. So, while I might admire a cookie that’s a work of art, I’d rather eat the one that tastes good.
