Sugar Cookies are part of our traditional holiday baking for us to enjoy and share. This year I decided to try a new recipe from the Half Baked Harvest blog, these Easy Vanilla Bean Christmas Lights Cookies.

This will definitely be added to our Christmas Cookie recipe files. So delicious! This sugar cookie recipe has brown butter – which always gives such a depth of flavor to baked goodies and it has double the vanilla as most recipes. I did roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and let it chill before cutting out the shapes.

The vanilla icing recipe also added to the deliciousness of these cookies. Along with the powdered sugar, you add maple syrup, and again, twice the vanilla as usual. What a difference that makes! To decorate, you can melt chocolate chips to create line for the “lights.” Use Holiday Mini M&Ms set on their sides for the lights.

Or just top the cookie with frosting and add your favorite sprinkles. Sprinkles always make cookie baking more fun.

Such a yummy variation of the traditional sugar cookie! The secret is the brown butter, double vanilla and the maple syrup in the icing. Merry Christmas!!!

For the recipe and more photos, click on the link below:

My sister-in-law, Kari, gave me this beautiful embossed rolling pin! These would make great Christmas gifts for the bakers on your list – or for yourself! You can create elegant cookies without frosting!

There are so many designs out there! If you do a search, you will find ones for all seasons and celebrations. There are Etsy shops that will even create a special one just for you.

To use the embossed rolling pin, you roll out your favorite cutout cookie dough about 1/4 inch thick with your regular rolling pin. Using a pastry brush, lightly flour your embossed rolling pin. Then check to make sure that there are not any clumps of flour in the design crevices. Then just roll the embossed pin over the dough, pressing firmly. You really need to press pretty hard to get a really defined design.

Transfer your cookies to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone mat. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Let cool for about 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then finish cooling on a rack.

So much fun and so pretty! Wouldn’t this make a lovely shortbread design?

So fun to have a new “toy”! Thank you Kari! Enjoy!

This is my favorite cake of all time! I usually only make it on Thanksgiving, Christmas and when my daughter requests it for her birthday. Why??? Because I would eat the whole thing (if no one was watching). The tartness of the cranberries in the cake combines with the sweet creamy butter flavored sauce to create a bit of heaven on earth. This sauce is so amazing!!!

This is one of the recipes from my first recipe box – I think I wrote it down as I was getting ready to move to Iowa for my first teaching job after I graduated from college. The recipe is for a 9 x 13 pan, but I made half a batch for these photos, which fits into a 9 x 9 pan.

Cream the butter and sugar (it doesn’t get really creamy), add vanilla and mix. Add dry ingredients alternately with the milk. Mix well. The batter will be thick.

Add the cranberries and gently fold in.

Bake about 35 minutes or until slightly browned on top. Let it cool for about 10 minutes. You want to eat this cake warm. But you can warm up individual pieces in the microwave for about 30 seconds.

Yum! So pretty and so delicious!

A repeat….this is best warm and very best right out of the oven…and you need to have the Hot Butter Sauce ready to flood the plate. It is really best to use a bowl – so you can add more sauce. You won’t believe how wonderful this cake is. If you make it, it will become one of your family’s new traditions. You might want to try it this weekend…just to see if you want to add it to your Thanksgiving menu this year. Happy Weekend! Enjoy!

Print Recipe

Cranberry Cake

Absolutely the BEST cake ever! Another long time traditional family recipe.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time35 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Cranberry, Holidays

Servings: 16 servings

Author: Mary Beth

Ingredients

Cake

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 4 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups milk
• 4 cups whole raw cranberries

Hot Butter Sauce

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup cream

Instructions

Cake

• Cream butter and sugar, add vanilla. Mix well.
• Sift dry ingredients and add to the creamed mixture, alternately (beginning and ending with dry ingredients) with the milk. Fold in cranberries.
• Pour into sprayed 9 x 13 dish. Bake at 400 degrees for about 35 minutes, until slightly browned on top and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
• Cool about 10 minutes. Cut in squares and serve with Hot Butter Sauce

Hot Butter Sauce

• Melt butter in pan over medium heat. Blend in sugar and add cream. Simmer 3-4 minutes. Pour over warm cake.