Poppy Seed Christmas Cookies
My Favorite Christmas Cookies
My favorite Christmas cookie as a child is still my favorite one today. It's a Poppy Seed Christmas Cookie. In a way, it looks like a Peanut Butter Blossom but it has a much different taste to it.
This recipe originally came out of one of the Wisconsin Electric Power Company Christmas Cookie Recipe Books. I don't remember exactly which one it is but it's from the 1960s and is still my favorite recipe after all these years.
I remember when I was little, I was afraid to try these cookies because of the poppy seeds. I didn't know what they were and they looked like little bugs to me. My mom finally convinced me to try them and that was it, I was hooked! I have loved these ever since.
Cook Time
Prep Time: About an hour
Ingredients
- 1 cup of butter
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla
- 2 cups of flour
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 3 Tablespoons of poppy seeds
- Chocolate Stars or Chocolate Kisses
Instructions
- Cream butter. Add sugar gradually. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Add flour, salt, and poppy seeds. Chill. Shape into one inch balls. Place one inch apart on greased cookie sheet. Put a depression in the center of each cookie and bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Once you've taken them out of oven, set on top of the stove. While the cookies are still on the tray, add a chocolate star or Kiss on each one and leave on the tray until the chocolate has heated through.
- I prefer to use Brach's chocolate stars but if you have a hard time finding them, any other brand that you can find will work.
Get Your Cookie Book!
Waiting in Line
Every year, my coworkers and I have a tradition where we go wait in line to get our Cookie Books. The Wisconsin Electric Company started the cookie book tradition back in 1928 but we've only been doing this for a few years now. They only recently started doing the car distribution for the last few years too. You used to have to go inside a building that had them but now they stand outside and give them to you as you drive past. You can have 2 per person. It's amazing that they have to block off roads to accommodate all of the people coming to get their books. Each year, the books seem to get smaller and smaller but it's still fun to have one. I didn't make any of the cookies in the book this year but one of my coworkers did and it was pretty good. I think I prefer the old books better but what a fun holiday tradition these books are!
The Electric Christmas Cooky Book - 1966
This is my favorite one! Some of my favorite cookie recipes have come from this book. I think this might even be the book that has the poppy seed cookie recipe in it but I'm not 100% sure. I know there's a lot of vintage recipes that I would never make but for the few good ones, it's worth owning the book if you can get your hands on it.
My Favorite Christmas Cooky Recipe Books
My very favorite Christmas cookies are all out of the old Wisconsin Electric Power Company cookie books. They are full of great recipes that were all tested right in their very own kitchens.
I remember visiting the Wisconsin Electric kitchens in downtown Milwaukee when I was a child. We took a school field trip there during the year. I was very young but I loved cooking and their words have always stuck with me. They now hold a special place in my heart. They taught us all about measuring and the proper way to do it. The told us about the differences between baking powder and baking soda. They told us to clean up right away when we were done cooking so that it went much easier. It was lots of little things like that but that is one field trip that I will always remember.
The cover of the 1970 book brings back memories. The sweet smell of cookies baking is the best! For some great cookie recipes in one place, check out a Wisconsin Electric Cooky Book. They may be old fashioned but they're home baked with love. You can't go wrong making any of these amazing recipes.
Do you have one of these books?
Find a Good Mixer
I never thought much about my mixer. I usually had a hand mixer that was the cheapest one I could find. Then someone gave me a KitchenAid for Christmas and now I know that there really is a difference. It's so much easier to make cookies!
With my KitchenAid, not only can I mix up cookie dough, but I can also make my own super delicious whipped cream and butter, and even whip up extra creamy frosting. These mixers really are worth the extra money.
I hope you can find a mixer that you love too!
Poppy Seed or Peanut Butter
Poppy Seed Christmas cookies look a lot like Peanut Butter Blossoms but they taste a lot different! A lot of people see them and think oh it's just another variation of the peanut butter blossom but they're very surprised when they try them. I've gotten many compliments on these cookies.
Which one do you think is better?
The Cookie Sheets
While these cookies are great no matter what you cook them on, sometimes the cookie sheet really makes a difference. If you're having problems with cookies burning, taking a lot longer to cook, or cooking unevenly, you might want to try a new sheet.
I love using both my Pampered Chef stoneware cookie sheet and my plain old aluminum one. The stoneware sheet keeps them from burning. They get a little brown on the bottom and that's usually it. I also like to make a batch or two that is a crispier brown on the bottom and that's when I get out the aluminum sheet. It all depends on how I want them to cook.