Now what would Christmas be without special holiday cookies? The air conditioning is set low enough so I can enjoy a cup of yummy amaretto hot chocolate and Pavarotti (as only he can do) is giving me (more) goose bumps as he sings “Oh, Holy Night” on my favorite CD. 

Talk about putting myself in the mood for mixing, rolling, scooping, frosting, painting and sprinkling my way through batches and batches of cookie dough. What fun. 

Colorful tins chockablock full of my cookies will be delivered to dear friends and neighbors on Friday, winter solstice (and my birthday).

From my kitchen to yours, I’m wishing you all the joys of this glorious holiday season.

Amaretto hot chocolate

• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 5 oz. good quality milk chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 3 Tbsp. Amaretto (or other almond flavored liqueur)

Combine milk and cream in a small saucepan over medium heat; cook 3-4 minutes or just until simmering. Add the chocolate; whisk 2 minutes or until completely melted and mixture is smooth. Remove pan from heat; whisk in amaretto. Serve immediately. Yield: two servings.

Peanutty chocolate truffle cookies

• 1 cup peanut butter chips
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup finely chopped salted peanuts
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1-1/4 cups unsalted butter, softened
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup sifted powdered sugar

Combine peanut butter and chocolate morsels in top of a double boiler set over gently simmering water. Cook and stir until smooth. Remove from heat; stir in 1/4 cup powdered sugar and peanuts. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes or until mixture is firm enough to roll into balls. (Do not refrigerate.) Form into 3/4-inch balls; let stand until firm.

Combine flour, butter and vanilla in a large mixing bowl; beat on medium speed of electric mixer until blended. Shape dough into a 10-inch log; cut into 1/4-inch slices. Gently press a dough slice around each ball covering it completely and place on ungreased baking sheet. 

Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 18 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks; cool slightly and then roll in the powdered sugar. Place on wire racks until completely cool. Yield: about three dozen.

Eggnog cookies

• 2-1/2 cups all purpose flour 
• 1 tsp. baking powder 
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg 
• 1-1/4 cups granulated sugar 
• 3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 
• 1/2 cup commercially prepared eggnog 
• 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 
• 2 large egg yolks 
• Extra nutmeg for sprinkling 

Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg in a medium bowl; mix well. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream sugar and butter with electric mixer on medium high speed. 

Add eggnog, vanilla extract and egg yolks; beat on medium speed until smooth. Add reserved flour mixture and beat on low speed just until combined. 

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Sprinkle with a bit of nutmeg. (Use a gentle hand.) 

Bake in a preheated 300°F oven for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from pan and let cool. Yield: about three dozen cookies.

Coconut-apriot macaroons

• 3 large egg whites
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract 
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 pkg. (14 oz.) sweetened flaked coconut
• 1/2 cup soft dried apricots, coarsely chopped

Combine egg whites, sugar, almond extract and salt in a large bowl and whisk until very frothy. Add coconut and apricots and mix well.

Using very clean hands, shape mixture into mounds, each equal to 2 level tablespoons. Place 1/2 inch apart onto parchment lined baking sheets (macaroons will not spread) and bake in a preheated 325°F oven for 35-40 minutes or until pale golden brown. 

Transfer macaroons to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Yield: about 20 cookies.

Peppermint cheesecake bars

For the crust:

• 2 cups crushed Oreo or other crème-filled chocolate sandwich cookies (about 20 cookies)
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

• 1 pkg. (8-oz.) cream cheese, softened and cut into pieces
• 3 Tbsp. all purpose flour
• 1 can (14-oz.) sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
• 2 large eggs
• 8 drops red food color

For the garnish:

• 12 layered chocolate candy mints (like Andes), unwrapped and each cut into 4 triangles

To prepare the crust: Combine crumbs with butter and mix well. Press in bottom of ungreased 13x9x2-inch pan.

To prepare the filling: Place cream cheese in a medium bowl and beat on medium high speed of electric mixer until fluffy. Add flour; blend well. Add milk and beat until smooth. 

Add peppermint extract, eggs and food color, beating until well blended. Pour into crust-lined pan and bake in a preheated 325°F oven for 25-30 minutes or until center is set. Cool completely before cutting into bars and adding candy garnish. Yield: 48 bars. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Cardamom-orange sugar cookies:

• 2-1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1-1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1-1/2 tsp. finely grated orange zest
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• Coarse sugar (also called turbinado or demerara sugar)

Combine flour, cardamom, and salt in a medium bowl mixing to blend. Set aside. In another large bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on medium high speed for 2 minutes or until creamy. 

Gradually add 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. sugar; beat 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in finely grated orange zest, vanilla and egg; blend well. Add 1/3 of reserved flour mixture; beat on low speed just to blend. Add remaining flour in 2 additions, beating on low speed just until blended. Refrigerate until firm enough to shape, about 1 hour.

Divide dough in half; form each half into a ball. Flatten into disks and wrap in plastic. Chill 45 minutes in refrigerator. (Dough can be prepared one day ahead. Keep refrigerated.) Let chilled dough stand at room temperature for 15 minutes or until soft enough to roll out.

Roll out one dough disk on lightly floured surface to generous 1/8-inch thickness and cut out using your choice of cutters. Carefully transfer cookies to parchment lined baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart and sprinkle with raw sugar.

Gather dough scraps into ball. Flatten, cover and freeze dough until firm enough to roll out again, about 10 minutes.

Bake cookies in a preheated 350°F oven for 14-16 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove cookies to wire rack and let cool. Yield: about four and a half dozen cookies.

Paula Anderson is a freelance journalist specializing in food, entertaining and nutrition. She writes for several newspapers, as well as Maine Food & Lifestyle Magazine. She divides her time between Scarborough and Big Pine Key, Fla., where she lives with her husband Peter. Correspondence can be addressed to her at the Boothbay Register, P.O. Box 357, Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538 or the Wiscasset Newspaper, P.O. Box 429, Wiscasset, ME 04578. You can also write to her directly via email at pander@maine.rr.com.