Five-Minute Cookies

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Combine one cup of Crisco with 1 teasoon of baking powder, and set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together 1 teaspoon of vanilla with two eggs, 1 teaspoon of baking soda soaked into 1/3 cup of milk and 1 cup of sugar. Pour the second mixture into the first and roll out.

  Cut out the cookies with your choice of Christmas cutters. Bake for five minutes. Allow to cool and then decorate with sprinkles and icing.

Honey Lemon

• These cutout cookies have a rustic flavor. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Mix 1/3 cup sugar with 1 egg, 1/3 cup of shortening, 1 teaspoon lemon flavoring and 2/3 cup of honey. In a separate bowl, combine 1 teaspoon of baking soda with 1 teaspoon of salt and 2 and 3/4 cup of all-purpose flour. Combine the two bowls and mix well. Form the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap and chill it for one hour in the refrigerator. Flour a flat surface and roll out the dough to about 1/4 inches thick. Cut out the dough with your favorite Christmas cutters and bake for eight to 10 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool and then decorate them.

Confetti

• These cookies use candy sprinkles in the dough to make them look like confetti. Heat your oven to 375 degrees. Mix one pouch of a sugar cookie mix with 2 tablespoon of all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup of butter and one egg until the mixture reaches a dough-like consistency. Then, kneed about 2 tablespoon of green, red and white candy sprinkles into the dough until they are evenly distributed.

  Roll out the dough to about 1/4 inches thick and cut out different designs with your Christmas cookie cutters. Bake for seven to nine minutes or until the cookies turn golden brown around the edges. Cool the cookies completely before decorating.

Tip

• Experiment with bagged and boxed cookie doughs to make Christmas cut out cookies. Make the dough according to the directions and then add about 2 cups of sugar, an egg and 1/3 cup of margarine or butter. Mix thoroughly and roll out to about an 1/4 inch thickness. Bake as directed, but check the cookies often to make sure they do not burn. Decorate with store bought sprinkles and frosting.