Two tone Christmas cookies

I adore everything about the Christmas season...the colours , the stories of sharing and caring , the treats , the beautiful tree all lit up, the special meals, the weather , the christmasy songs whether belted out by Frank Sinatra or carollers coming to your home at night and sharing their melodies...I love it all ! My favourite memories of Christmas as a child was of course the sweet little tree that mum always had with the gifts peeking underneath it but also of carol singers landing up at our doorstep and we waiting sleepily in our 

nightwear and offering them a warm drink and some home made cake and savouries...what a great feeling !

As an adult the reasons I look forward to Christmas is mainly the opportunity to give...to be able to bring cheer to the ones most deserving,in your own small way...I hold very close to my heart the memory of baking cupcakes along with some dear friends,for the small children of a school run by a very large hearted human being...I look forward to re-living that experience again this year !

We also look forward to the amazing array of home baked goodies that show up at our doorstep every year...how fortunate to have such great friends across the seas who never fail to fill my larder with their yummy bites of confectionery that taste of love and hugs !

I share with you a recipe given to me by a friend...quite easy once you do make it,not to mention delicious !!!

Recipe for two tone cookies

Ingredients

3/4 c soft butter
2/3 c sugar 
1 tbsp sugar 
1 tsp baking powder 
1 1/2 tsp vanilla essence/extract (extract is more superior)
1/2 tsp salt 
1 large egg 
2 c  flour (you may use wholemeal flour instead)
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder

1. In large bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat  butter and 2/3 cup sugar until blended. Increase speed to high; beat until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; add baking powder, vanilla extract, salt, egg, 1 1/2 cups flour, and 2 tbsps water; beat until blended.
2. Place half of dough in medium bowl; stir in 1/2 cup flour. Into dough remaining in large bowl, stir cocoa.
3. Grease and flour 2 large cookie sheets or baking trays. On a floured surface, with a floured rolling pin, roll the vanilla dough  about 1/8th " thick. With floured 4" star cookie cutter, cut dough into as many cookies as possible.
4. Place vanilla cookies on 1 cookie sheet, about 1/4 inch apart. Reserve trimmings. Repeat with chocolate dough, placing chocolate cookies on second cookie sheet.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. With 2" star-shaped cookie cutter, cut out small stars in the centre of each vanilla and chocolate cookie. Fit a small vanilla cookie cutout into centre of each chocolate cookie and a small chocolate cookie cutout into centre of each vanilla cookie to make two-tone cookies.
6. Sprinkle cookies lightly with 2 teaspoons sugar. Bake cookies on 2 oven racks 12 to 15 minutes until golden, rotating cookie sheets between upper and lower racks halfway through baking time.
7. Remove the cookies to wire racks to cool. 
8. Continue to  repeat with remaining vanilla and chocolate doughs and remaining 1 teaspoon sugar.
9. Store cookies in an airtight container...not that I expect them to  last very long ;))))

Note :You can also make these with any other shaped cookie cutter you have,hearts,flowers,leaves....although a Santa cutter may be a bit of a challenge ;D