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Girls Night Out

We've entered that point in the holiday season where, if life were like a movie, it would be time for the musical montage.

There was Black Friday, the official start of the holidays, followed by 10 days or so of careful planning. But the next few weeks are going to go by in fast forward. Gift shopping, holiday parties, decorating the tree, office potlucks, wrapping presents, secret Santa exchanges, the arrival of hoards and hoards of relatives and, finally, inevitably, Christmas. It's all going to fly by, set to the tune of "Carol of Bells" – at least in my mind.

And with so much to do and time slipping away so quickly, it's hard to squeeze in a spare minute for a some quality time with your best girlfriends. Sadly, it's often the people we care about the most who end up getting bumped when the schedule is tight.

But a little creative thinking is all takes to ensure that you get some time with your friends this Christmas, without sacrificing anything on the To-Do list. A night of Cookies and Cocktails is the perfect Girls Night Out for the holiday season.

We all know that cookies make terrific holiday presents, office potluck offerings or treats for out-of town guests. And cocktails – well they just make the holidays terrific. Not into cocktails? Just skip that part or omit the liquor from these delicious holiday drink recipes.

So in celebration of the holidays and the women who celebrate Girls Night Out, the ladies of Richmond.com have shared their classic family holiday cookie recipes. All you have to do is print and gather the ingredients and the girls and you've got a ready-made Girls Night Out just in time for the holidays.

If you're looking for more Girls Night Out ideas, check out last month's column devoted to wine specials around town. And we'd love to hear your favorite holiday cookie recipe, just add it to the Comments section below.

Richmond.com's Holiday Cookie Recipes   

"It was a hard choice and came down to these and thumbprint cookies, but I always loved these best. My mom says I should note that I always requested these cookies, but rarely helped make them." – Karri Peifer, arts and entertainment writer

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon red food coloring

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix well the shortening and butter, sugar, egg, almond and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix flour and salt and add to shortening mixture. Divide dough in half. Blend red food coloring into one half. Roll 1 teaspoon of the red dough and 1 teaspoon of the white dough on lightly floured board into 4 inch strips. Place strips side by side and press lightly together and twist like a rope. Curve top of rope down to look like the handle of a candy cane. Bake 9 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove while still warm.

"My mom and I make these every year. They're our favorite because they come out so yummy." – Stephanie Brummell, editorial assistant

INGREDIENTS:

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups oatmeal

2 cups sugar

2 sticks butter or margarine

6 tablespoons flour, sifted

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon in vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt margarine. Add all ingredients. Spoon 6 teaspoons of dough onto Reynolds wrap-covered cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake 13 minutes.

"The truth is that my grandmother and I used to eat all the batter from the melted butterscotch, so we only ever made like seven. I'm really not even sure what the cookie actually tastes like." – Magan Young, advertising manager

INGREDIENTS:

12 ounces butterscotch chips

3 tablespoons peanut butter

5 ounces chow mein noodles

DIRECTIONS:

Melt chips and peanut butter in microwave (about 2 minutes, stir halfway through). Stir in chow mein noodles and drop one large tablespoon onto wax paper.

"These are my favorite because it was my grandmother's recipe and every year my mother and I try to duplicate it and still can't get it right." – Christie Newman, office manager

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups finely ground almonds

4 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1/3 cup confectioners' sugar for rolling

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream butter or margarine in a bowl; gradually add confectioners' sugar and salt. Beat until light and fluffy. Add almonds and vanilla. Blend in flour gradually and mix well. Shape into balls (or crescents) using about 1 teaspoon for each cookie. Place on ungreased cookie sheets and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Do not brown. Cool slightly, and then roll in the extra confectioners' sugar.

"These cookies and all butter and sugar, they're so bad for you but too good to resist. Every year I try not to eat any … and I eat 20." - Meg Brackett, sales coordinator

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

2 sticks softened butter (don't use margarine)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

¼ teaspoon maple flavoring

DIRECTIONS:

Combine flour and salt. Cream sugar and butter until smooth. Beat eggs, vanilla and maple flavoring together and add to butter and sugar mixture. Then add dry ingredients gradually, blending well to make a stiff dough. Cover with Saran Wrap and chill for three or more hours until dough is stiff enough to handle easily. Roll out about 1/3 of the dough at a time to 1/4 inch thickness on a floured board. Use Christmas cookie cutters to cut into shapes. Bake 10-12 minutes on an ungreased baking sheet at 350 degrees until cookies are light brown. Cool before frosting.

Butter Cream Frosting

DIRECTIONS:

Melt about 3 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a saucepan over low heat. Beat in about ¾ cup confectioners' sugar and a dash of salt until smooth. Add more sugar a little at a time until mixture holds its shape for spreading.

"Everywhere we go in December, everyone always asked for these. I looked forward to them because I got to lick the bowl." – Dionne Waugh, news writer

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds confectioners' sugar

1 cup cocoa

½ cup milk

2 sticks margarine or butter

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

Stir together the confectioners' sugar and cocoa in a large microwaveable bowl. Place the two sticks of margarine on top. Pour the half cup of milk on top – Do Not Stir. Microwave on high for 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from oven and stir in the vanilla extract. To smooth it out, you can use a hand blender, if desired. Other options include stirring in nuts, if desired. Pour into plastic wrapped lined containers and let cool at room temperature. Makes 3 pounds.

"My mom always made these and I ran around the kitchen like an idiot trying to catch myself on fire with my brother and sister, but it was a family Christmas tradition." – Summer Jowett, account executive

INGREDIENTS:

2 egg whites

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

½ cup white sugar

2 peppermint candy canes crushed (great way to take out holiday frustration!)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with foil. In a large glass or metal mixing bowl, beat egg whites, salt, cream of tartar to soft peaks. Gradually add sugar, continue to beat until whites form stiff peaks. Drop by spoonfuls 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Sprinkle crushed candy canes over the cookies. Bake for 1 ½ hours in preheated oven. Meringues should be completely dry on the inside. Do not allow them to brown. Turn off the oven and keep the door ajar. Let meringues sit in the oven to cool. Loosen from foil with metal spatula. Store in loosely covered, dry place. Makes 4 dozen.

"OK, so we're not exactly Russian, but my family loves these balls of goodness … and they're so easy to make." – Thi Nguyen, project manager

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup chopped walnuts

1/3 cup confectioners' sugar for decoration

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, cream butter and vanilla until smooth. Combine the 6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar and flour; stir into the butter mixture until just blended. Mix in the chopped walnuts. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. When cool, roll in remaining confectioners' sugar.