RESULTS FROM THE COOKIE CONTEST and the 1ST PLACE WINNERS IN BOTH CATEGORIES

LAUREL TARANTINO’S “SNOW BALL COOKIES” IN THE ADULT CATEGORY

AND MIKAYLA & FRANK CIOLINO’S “CHRISTMAS COOKIES” IN THE

YOUTH/FAMILY CATEGORY

thank you Thom Flazarano for these photos!

HERE ARE THE RECIPES AS WRITTEN BY THE CONTESTANTS:

First, Laura Tarantino’s Snowball Cookies:

1 cup butter (softened)

1 cup confectioners’ sugar (sift it, but you don’t have to)

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup fine chopped walnuts (I use a rolling pin to really mush them up)

Mix butter, sugar and vanilla.

Sift flour and salt together.  Blend into butter mixture.  Add walnuts, mix thoroughly.  Chill for a while, at least for a 1/2 hour.

DOUGH WILL SEEM ON THE VERGE OF BEING TOO FLAKY.  I GIVE IT A GOOD SQUEEZE WHEN ROLLING THEM.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Start rolling snowballs and put on an ungreased baking sheet.  Cookies do not spread so you can fit lot on one sheet.

Bake about 10 to 14 minutes, you just want them to cook through without turning brown.

While they are still warm, not hot, roll them in confectioners’ sugar.  Do not stack them on top of one another.  When completely cool, roll in sugar again, now you can stack them.

They are ready to melt in your mouth!   Makes approximately 3 dozen. Enjoy!

This is Thom’s photo of the happy winner when she heard the results–look at her supporters in the background!

And here are Mikayla’s Christmas Cookies:

4 eggs

1 tablespoon of vanilla

5 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

5 teaspoons baking powder

5 heaping tablespoons shortening

1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl beat eggs and vanilla.  Set aside.  In a larger bowl, mix dry ingredients.  Slowly mix shortening into dry ingredients using hands.  Dough will be crumbly.  Add egg mixture and continue to mix with hands.  Slowly add milk until dough forms a large ball (only add as much milk as neede to form the dough ball).

Roll out dough and cut into shapes, or make small balls which can be formed into a braid or wreath.  Place on greased cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes.  Let cool then frost.

Frosting:

1 pound confectioners’ sugar

1/4 cup milk (approx.)

Place sugar in a bowl and slowly add milk until the mixture forms a frosting.  Only enough milk as needed to form frosting.  Decorate as desired.

I will post the second and third place winner tomorrow and also my very long list of thank yous to everyone who made this great event possible.  And not to be overlooked but we raised some money and lots of food for The Open Door!  More on that tomorrow!

I will be making Mikayla’s cookies at some point in the near future and will post the photo.,