Carolion's favorite Christmas Cookies

I was so excited to find that mom had actually written down 2 of her recipes! These are the cookies we would make together at Christmas and bring to share at the Shepherd Plays in Yellow Springs. I'm going to bake a batch of Mint Surprise this weekend. I'll add a photo to this post when I have one.


Starlight Mint Surprise Cookies
Sift together:
• 3 c flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
Cream:
• 3/4 c butter
• 1 c sugar
• 1/2 c brown sugar, packed
• 2 eggs
• 2 T water
• 1 tsp vanilla
Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients and refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 375.
• 2 pkg 6 oz mint wafers*
• 60 walnuts, halved (optional)
Roll dough into a ball in your palm and insert a mint* into the center of the ball. Optional: press a half walnut into the top of the dough ball. Place 2" apart on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake until done.
y=60 cookies

*My mom made these with either Andes chocolate mints or another kind that looks kind of like a peppermint patty--it has chocolate on the outside and a melty white mint filling. The idea is that the mint chocolate melts together inside the cookie, and the cookie looks plain on the outside, but has a delicious center. If you use Andes, use 1/2 mint per cookie. The other chocolate mint was, I think, 1/4 per cookie.




Almond Cookies
Sift together:
• 2 1/4 c flour
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Cream:
• 1 c butter
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1/4 c brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp almond extract
Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Form dough into logs, wrap and refrigerate 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350.
Slice dough into 1/2" medallions, place on ungreased cookie sheet and top slices with:
• 5 dozen whole blanched almonds
Brush tops with:
• 1 egg yolk + 2 T water, whisked together