Instructions: * Decorative candies (colored sugar, crystal sugar, multicolored sprinkles, powdered sugar).

Kids love to help roll and bake holiday cookies. With this recipe you can use balls of dough to shape trees, wreaths, candy canes, snowmen, snowflakes, letters and ornaments.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease cookie sheets.

In a large mixer bowl, combine sugar, butter, egg and vanilla. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add flour, baking powder and salt to butter-sugar mixture.

Continue beating, scraping bowl often, until well mixed, 1 to 2 minutes.

Divide dough into three equal portions. Leave one portion in mixer bowl. Add 5 to 6 drops green food coloring to dough in mixer bowl. Beat at medium speed until well mixed, about 1 minute.

Place one portion of plain dough in a medium bowl. By hand, stir in chocolate. (Now you have green dough, chocolate dough and white dough.)Use hands to roll dough into 1/4 -inch to 1/2 -inch balls. Place balls on prepared cookie sheets slightly touching each other to form desired shapes, as described below.

Bake in a 375-degree oven for 7 to 8 minutes, or until set.

Cool 1 minute. Carefully remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely.

Trees: Place 10 green or plain balls to form a solid triangle. Use 1 chocolate ball for tree trunk. Balls should touch slightly. Decorate with candies.

Wreaths: Place 8 green, chocolate or plain balls to form a circle. Balls should touch slightly. Decorate with candies.

Candy canes: Place 7 chocolate or plain balls to form a candy cane. Balls should touch slightly. Decorate with decorator candies or sprinkle with powdered sugar after baking.

Snowmen: Roll dough into 1-inch or 2-inch balls. Place 3 balls to form snowman. Slightly flatten each ball with bottom of glass that has been buttered and dipped in sugar.

Makes 3 to 5 dozen. jmerrill@prodigy.com

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