Those Thanksgiving Cookies

For the past several years I have not hosted Thanksgiving dinner at my house, so I bring cookies! These are three of my stand-bys and ones that everyone loves. The first two are ones my mother-in-law used to bring to gatherings, and the third I learned from my own mom. They go fast, so make a lot of them.

Walnut Filled Cookies
from Phyllis Kelly
Ingredients
Dough:
   4 cups flour
   2 cups butter
   1 1/2 cups sour cream*
   2 egg yolks
Filling:
   2 cups walnuts, finely chopped
   2 cups sugar
   2 tablespoons cinnamon
   2 egg whites, unbeaten

   Cut the butter into the flour, as for pie crust, until it is like cornmeal. Add the sour cream and egg yolks and mix well. If the dough is very sticky, add a little flour. Divide into 10 balls, wrap in wax paper, and chill overnight.
   Mix sugar cinnamon and nuts. Add egg whites and stir until thoroughly moistened. Cover and store with the dough until ready to assemble.
   Roll one ball of dough at a time into a large circle. Top with 4 heaping tablespoons of the  nut mixture. Use a knife or a pizza cutter to make twelve wedges. Roll as for crescent rolls and bake on a cookie sheet for 30 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
*Use pure sour cream, with no bean gum or carrageenan, for best results. (I use Daisy brand)

Chocolate Toffee Bars
from Phyllis Kelly
Ingredients
2 sticks of butter or margarine
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
6-8 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I use walnuts)

   Cream together butter and sugar. Then beat in the egg and vanilla. Stir together flour and salt and then mix into the butter mixture. Spread the dough into a 13x9x2-inch cake pan. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit and then pull out the pan and sprinkle the chocolate chips on top and bake for 6 more minutes. Remove from oven. Spread the melted chocolate chips over the entire top and then sprinkle with the chopped nuts. Cut into 2-inch squares. (I like to cut these diagonally in one direction, but then you do have odd bits left over.)
Note: I was having trouble with the step of melting the chocolate chips. Sometimes they would melt beautifully and other times not. When it does not work it is very frustrating to spread. So last time I made these I let the dough keep cooking for the full 21 minutes and I melted the chocolate chips in the microwave oven on 50% power for about 90 seconds. Then I spread it over the cooked dough.

Russian Teacakes
from Nina Ownby
Ingredients
1 cup butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup finely chopped nuts (I have used walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts)

   Cream together butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Blend the salt with the flour and mix into the butter mixture. Stir in the chopped nuts. Chill.
   Roll into 42 balls and bake on cookie sheets at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes. Let cool for about 3 minutes and then roll in powdered sugar and put on a plate to cool completely. Then roll each cookie in powdered sugar again.