On the Seventh Day of Christmas Cookies

OMG!!

Christmas is a mere 6 days away - actually FIVE at this hour - and I still have LOTS to do!  Three stockings left to finish, a pair of Christmas pants for Sheep and appetizers for a progressive dinner to prepare by tomorrow night!  Can't wait to tell you all about it (It's going to be so much fun!!), but no time to talk tonight!  In the mean time, here's a great Christmas cookie for you to try.  My dough is chillin' right now and I am desperately wishing that I could do the same!  So, I will update you with a couple of pics tomorrow AND hopefully a stocking tutorial as well -  they are soooo stinkin' cute!!

 Holiday Thumbprint Cookies

3 sticks of butter
1 C sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3 1/2 C flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg beaten with 1 T water
7 ounces sweetened coconut flakes
Raspberry or strawberry jam

Cream butter and sugar in mixer until smooth.  Add vanilla.  Sift together dry ingredients.  Add flour mixture and blend until dough starts to come together.  Turn out onto floured board and roll together into a flat disc.  Wrap in plastic and chill for 1 hour.  Roll dough into 1 inch balls.  Dip each ball in egg wash and roll in coconut.  Place on cookie sheet and press indention into cookie with your finger.  Drop 1/4 tsp. jam into the center of each cookie.  Bake 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees or until coconut is golden brown.  Makes 3 dozen cookies.

P.S.  It is apparently important to cook these while still very cold.  After getting them ready, I had to go take care of a minor kid crisis (SO unusual around here - ha!) and forgot about them for an hour a wee bit - and when they went into the oven at room temperature - well, see for yourself!!

They still tasted FABULOUS - and we ate every last one of 'em too - but certainly not the pretty presentation I usually get from these cookies.  Note to self - next time save the cookies, not the kids :o)

Don't forget to share your own Christmas favorites at my Christmas Cookie Exchange!