Prep time: 1 hr 20 minutes (20 min active, 1 hr rest)
Cook time: 16 minutes
Serves: 4 dozen cookies

Merry Christmas, my friends! Due to our geographically spread family, today is my family’s Christmas celebration. I was up late baking to my heart’s content. What did I make? Well, only 4 cookie sheets worth of spiced nuts, 2 sheets of peppermint bark, nut snowballs, sugar cookies, and spritz cookies! It was well worth it. Our kitchen smelled amazing, holiday music played in the background, and the Christmas spirit was abounding. Plus, I now have my gifts in order and about 6 dozen cookies to munch on today!

This is another classic family Christmas recipe. These cookies are unsuspectingly delicious. So often we get caught up in making cookies that are either festive or filled with decadence. Don’t get me wrong- I have a batch of sugar cookie Christmas trees and snowflakes ready to decorate downstairs. But I think there’s room for everything! While this cookie doesn’t look like much, the buttery cookie dough and sweet raspberry jam really fill your soul. Also, you can eat like 10 of them and you won’t feel sick! Don’t get caught up in the shape of these cookies if it isn’t perfect. I am, despite years of practice, unable to roll out a perfect 10″ circle. And I am also unable to cut said circle into 12 even pieces. So I often end up with 8 or 10 normal size cookies, 2 really tiny cookies, and 2 monster cookies! The Holidays are a time to reflect on our humility, among other things, so don’t worry about the appearance of your cookies. Plus, the delicate flavor will make up for any shortcoming!

Ingredients

For dough:

2 C all-purpose flour

1 C butter, softened

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 tsp salt

1 T sugar

For filling:

8 T raspberry jam (divided)

4 T coconut (divided)

4 T chopped pecans or walnuts (divided)

sugar, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit.

2. Using an electric mixer, cream together butter and cream cheese. Slowly add flour, sugar, and salt.

3. Divide dough into 2 discs and wrap in saran wrap. Put it in the fridge for about an hour. 4. When dough is ready, using 1 disc at a time, split each disc in half. Return one half to the plastic wrap, and roll the other half of the dough out onto a floured surface, into a 10″ circle. 5. Using a spatula, spread 2 T raspberry jam all over the shoulder. Do not leave any space uncovered, including the edge of the dough. Then spread 1 T coconut and 1 T nuts all over.   6. Using a pizza cutter or paring knife, divide the dough into 12 “even” slices. 7. Tightly, yet gently, roll each slice from the thickest end to the narrowest end. Sprinkle with sugar and place on cookie sheet. 8. Repeat steps 2-7 with the remaining dough, then again with the second “disc.” Eventually you will have 4 dozen.

9. Bake for about 16 minutes, or until dough is lightly browned and flaky. Let the cookies rest on the sheet for about 2-3 minutes, and then transfer to a cooling rack.

Voila! I hope you thoroughly enjoy whatever cookies you bake or traditions you practice this time of year.

Hungry for more great recipes? Explore more Lawyer in the Kitchen!