Some of my favorite recipes for the holidays come from my grandma’s kitchen… and more specifically from her 1950′s copy of Pillsbury’s Best Butter Cookies Vol II (no date, but the price on the cover is 20 cents!).

Since I get to start my holiday baking quite early this year (you know, because my hands will be full come the end of november!!) I was excited to make one of my favorite holiday treats! Fortunately these freeze wonderfully, otherwise I would have a hard time not eating them all… right now!

In my family, we have always called these cookies Sour Cream Sugar Twists. I actually didn’t know they had a different name until I saw the recipe in the pillsbury cookbook!

So yes, these are officially called “Starlight Sugar Crisps” but to me they will always be Sour Cream Sugar Twists.

Sour Cream Sugar Twists (Starlight Sugar Crisps) Recipe
“Senior First Prize Winner in Pillsbury’s 8th Grand National Recipe and Baking Contest by Mrs. Leland E. Ross, Roscommon, Michigan”

Ingredients:
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup very warm (but not hot! about 105º) water
3 3/4 cups flour (spoon gently into your measuring cup)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup cold butter, diced
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions:
Stir the yeast into the warm water and set aside to soften. In a large bowl whisk together the flour and salt. Cut in the butter until particles are the size of small peas. Blend in the eggs, sour cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla and the softened yeast. Mix thoroughly. Cover and chill at least 2 hours (or up to 4 days).

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. In a small bowl, combine sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla, stirring well to combine.

Roll out half of the chilled dough on a board that has been sprinkled with about 1/2 cup of the vanilla sugar. Roll out to a 16×8″ rectangle. Sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon more vanilla sugar.

Fold one end of the dough over the center. Fold the other end over to make 3 layers. Turn 1/4 way around and repeat rolling and folding twice, sprinkling the board and dough with additional vanilla sugar as needed.

Roll out to a 16×8″ rectangle about 1/4″ thick. Cut into 4×1″ strips. Twist each strip 2 or 3 times and place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake 15-20 minutes, until the cookies are light golden brown. Repeat the entire process with the remaining dough.

Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Exchange sponsored by Red Star Yeast!

When I start anticipating the holiday season each year, I get excited about all the smells and treats and the memories that go along with them.

To me Christmas is eggnog lattes, sour cream sugar twists, kransekake, lefse, krumkake, satsumas, rømmegrøt, and these cookies… a recipe from the 1950′s Pillsbury’s Best Butter Cookie Cookbook that I have updated slightly to have even more of an eggnog flavor!

Everything we love about eggnog in a fun ‘snow-covered-log’ cookie, these treats are always at the top of my list of Christmas baking!

Nutmeg Cookie Logs (with Egg Nog Frosting) Recipe

Ingredients:
for the cookies:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons rum flavoring
for the frosting:
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons eggnog
nutmeg, for sprinkling

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour and nutmeg to combine.

In your mixer bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and rum until well combined.

Slowly mix in the flour mixture, blending well. (This is a somewhat firm dough, and should mix up into a big ball).

On a lightly floured surface, roll pieces of the dough into long logs, about 1/2″ in diameter. Cut into 3″ pieces and place the pieces on parchment-lined baking sheets.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the cookies are just barely golden brown. Cool completely on a cooling rack before frosting.

To make the frosting: Cream together the butter and vanilla. Beat in 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon eggnog, 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon eggnog, 1 cup powdered sugar and the remaining tablespoon of eggnog (if needed) - beating well between each addition until you have a nice spreading consistency. Spread some frosting on the top of each cookie, and then sprinkle

This frosting will set up and not be too soft, making these cookies easy to store and transport. These also freeze wonderfully, and can be made weeks in advance!