Ingredient: anise seed, ground

There are certain plants that play important and often mysterious roles in holiday traditions and celebrations all over the world. From the Egyptians who decorated trees during the winter solstice, to the Pagans and Druids who used mistletoe in their winter customs, stories of ritualized plant use span continents and history and have become infused into the mythologies that span generations. I’ve always wondered how poinsettias and Christmas became intertwined. After a bit of research this is what I found.

It seems the story behind poinsettias is rich in history and lore. The vibrant plants are native to the rocky canyons of Guatemala and Mexico. Poinsettias were cultivated by the Mayans and Aztecs, who valued the red bracts as a colorful, reddish-purple fabric dye, and the sap for its many medicinal qualities.  The poinsettia was first associated with Christmas in southern Mexico in the 1600s, when Franciscan priests used the colorful leaves and bracts to adorn extravagant nativity scenes.

There is an old Mexican legend about how Poinsettias and Christmas come together, it goes like this:

There was once a poor Mexican girl called Pepita who had no present to give the baby Jesus at the Christmas Eve services. As Pepita walked to the chapel, sadly, her cousin Pedro tried to cheer her up.
‘Pepita’, he said, ‘I’m sure that even the smallest gift, given by someone who loves him will make Jesus happy.’

Pepita didn’t know what she could give, so she picked a small handful of weeds from the roadside and made them into a small bouquet. She felt embarrassed because she could only give this small present to Jesus. As she walked through the chapel to the altar, she remembered what Pedro had said. She began to feel better, knelt down and put the bouquet at the bottom of the nativity scene. Suddenly, the bouquet of weeds burst into bright red flowers, and everyone who saw them were sure they had seen a miracle. From that day on, the bright red flowers were known as the ‘Flores de Noche Buena’, or ‘Flowers of the Holy Night’.

The shape of the poinsettia flower and leaves are sometimes thought as a symbol of the Star of Bethlehem which led the Wise Men to Jesus. The red colored leaves symbolize the blood of Christ. The white leaves represent his purity.

Although it doesn’t pre-date Christianity like its Christmas counterparts, the holiday season wouldn’t be the same without the reds and greens of the poinsettia.

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Poinsettia Cookie Wreath

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Course

dessert

Cuisine

American

Keyword

poinsettia cookie wreath

Servings

MetricUS Imperial

Ingredients

Poinsettia Cookies

• 230 gm cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 2 3/4 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg white, whisked
• Red coarse sanding sugar, for decorating
• White coarse sanding sugar, for decorating
• Green coarse sanding sugar, for decorating
• 18-20 Yellow candy-coated chocolates, such as mini M&M's

Spicy Wreath Cookie

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp EACH nutmeg, cloves, ginger, cardamom & white pepper
• 3/4 tsp anise seed, ground
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp honey
• 1 egg, lightly whisked
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• Gel paste for anchoring cookies

Course dessert Cuisine American Keyword poinsettia cookie wreath Servings MetricUS Imperial Ingredients Poinsettia Cookies 230 gm cream cheese, room temperature 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 3 Tbsp sugar 2 tsp pure vanilla extract 1/2 tsp almond extract 2 3/4 cups flour 1/2 tsp salt 1 egg white, whisked Red coarse sanding sugar, for decorating White coarse sanding sugar, for decorating Green coarse sanding sugar, for decorating 18-20 Yellow candy-coated chocolates, such as mini M&M's Spicy Wreath Cookie 2 cups flour 1 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 2 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp EACH nutmeg, cloves, ginger, cardamom & white pepper 3/4 tsp anise seed, ground 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup sugar 1 1/2 Tbsp honey 1 egg, lightly whisked 1/2 cup butter, melted Gel paste for anchoring cookies

Votes: 1 Rating: 5 You: Rate this recipe!

Instructions

Poinsettia Cookies

1. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, sugar & flavorings with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
2. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the flour & salt until combined. Divide the dough between 2 large pieces of plastic wrap. Flatten each into a 1/2-inch-thick disk and wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.
3. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
4. Roll out 1 disk of dough between 2 heavy sheets of plastic wrap into a square about 1/8 inch thick. You should be able to cut (9) 3-inch squares from it as well as have some edges left for making about 18 leaves. Re-wrap & refrigerate dough scraps while you shape the poinsettias.
5. Cut a 1 1/2-inch slit in all four corners of each dough square to form 8 points. Fold over every other point, moisten tip with egg white & press into the center of the square. Arrange cookies on prepared cookie sheet. Refrigerate while you repeat the same procedure with the other disk of dough. 
6. Cut enough leaves out of the scraps using a sharp knife or a leaf-shaped cutter, making 2 leaves for each poinsettia. Arrange the leaves on plate & lightly brush with egg white, then sprinkle with green sanding sugar. Set aside in the refrigerator.
7. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
8. Lightly brush the poinsettias with egg white & sprinkle half with red sanding sugar & half with white sanding sugar. Brush the ends of 2 leaves & tuck underneath each poinsettia on opposite sides. (No need to press the dough; it will meld together as it bakes.) 
9. Bake, rotating the baking sheet halfway through, until the cookies are puffed and the edges are golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Immediately press a yellow (chocolate) candy in the center of each warm cookie. Let cool 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Spicy Wreath Cookie

1. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix until a dough forms. Roll dough into a long strip about 43-inches in length.
2. Preheat oven to 300 F.
3. On a sheet of parchment, draw a round circle about 13 1/2-inch circumference. Place on a baking sheet or use a large round pizza pan.
4. Lay the long strip of cookie dough in a circle following your pencil drawing to form the wreath base on the parchment lined baking sheet. Flatten gently to about 1-inch thickness. With a knife, make zig-zag indentations on the dough.
5. Bake for about 20 minutes until done but not overbaked. Cool.

Assembly

1. Using a bit of gel paste from a purchased tube, anchor each cookie in place on top of wreath base to form 'poinsettia wreath'. Finish with adding a ribbon or some holly leaves & pinecones or personalize to your own taste.

Recipe Notes

• I like to save the heavy plastic wrap from frozen puff pastry for recipes like this. When you roll the dough between two sheets of plastic wrap as opposed to using flour on your board, it really keeps the dough from becoming so dry.
• I found if I took the poinsettia cookies out of the oven about 5 minutes before they were finished baking & pressed the candy center in then returned them to the oven, the candies stuck to the cookies better.