Killer Bunnies

In honour of Postmodern Hausfrau's birthday the girls and I mailed off some Killer Bunnies. The original recipe was for Christmas Mice cookies, very cute with little liquorice tails but somehow not quite right for dearest PH. It was the most fun I've had with the girls in the kitchen for a while. There was minimal mess, no rolling pin wars and each girl got to roughly handle their own ball of dough without infringing on each others territory or my sanity. I put out a bunch of slivered almonds in a bowl for them to stick in their dough balls and make cookie 'monsters'. This distracted them totally and gave me enough time to make these funny little bunnies. Unbaked they sit up quite perkily and when in the oven they slump a bit so it became unclear if they had front feet or giant bunny fangs a la Bununcula (one of my personal childhood favourites which I can't even find a link to send you to for a trip down memory lane).
The recipe for these bunnies or any creature you dream up is as follows:

3 c all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 c butter, softened
3/4 c sugar
1 tsp almond or vanilla extract
1 large egg
Slivered almonds
Candies of your choice
Melted chocolate to glue candies to cooled cookies

In a large bowl, cream butter 2 mins. Add sugar and cream a further 3 mins until pale and fluffy. Add extract and egg, beat to combine.
In another bowl whisk together flour and salt.
Add flour to butter mixture 1/3rd at a time.
Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.
This recipe is meant to make 40 cookies so make fairly small balls. Shape them as desired and stick all over with almond extremities.
I tried sticking the candies into the dough but they didn't stick well. I found it easier to stick their eyes on with melted chocolate after they were baked.
Bake at 350 F for 10-15 mins depending on the size. They should just be turning golden brown on the bottoms.
Cool on racks. Decorate. Enjoy.

Peppernuts

For the past few years I have been getting together with about a dozen friends in early December for a cookie exchange. If you haven't done one before it works something like this:
step 1. organize your group and finalise the number who will be participating.
step 2. pick your top 2-3 recipes and call everyone to make sure all of you are
not making the same chocolate chip recipe off the bag of chips.
step 3. bake like mad until you have 1 doz. cookies for each person in the group
including yourself.
step 4. get everyone together for a cup of hot chocolate, glass of wine etc. and
at the end of the night you go home with x dozen different cookies all
ready to be plated at a moments notice when holiday guests stop by
unexpectedly.
step 5. glow and blush when everyone notices how organized you have been and
gobbles down the beautiful selection of treats you have set out.

This year I (with much help from Eden and Arlo) am making the most delicious Peppernuts. The recipe I will not give out as it is a family one from Postmodern Hausfrau and I don't want to infringe or start a family feud. But, it must be said, is the greatest slice and bake cookie ever. In part of course this is due to the absolutely tiny size of the cookies, totally irresistible, but the spices make it. I have had my nose stuck in Baking in America by Greg Patent for a while and I suddenly realized how limited my repertoire has become. Everything doesn't have to be chocolate? Heresy! But it's true and these cookies are proof.
**Notice the pan I forgot in the oven when we went out to see our small town's Christmas Light-Up. I am sooooo lucky I did not burn down our house in pursuit of Christmas cheer.