Hannah"s 1st Note: If you decide to use the Vanilla Cream Glaze instead of the half walnuts on top of your cookies, make the glaze first. If you want to decorate your cookies with the half-walnuts instead of the glaze, read on...

Hannah"s 2nd Note: Unless you have a very strong stirring arm, use an electric mixer to make this cookie dough.

Place the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer.

Place the b.u.t.ter, which must be softened to room temperature, on top of the sugar.

Turn the mixer to LOW and mix for one minute. Gradually increase the speed of the mixer, sc.r.a.ping down the sides of the bowl frequently and beating for one minute at each level, until you arrive at the highest speed.

Beat at the highest speed for at least 2 minutes or until the resulting mixture is very light and fluffy.

Turn the mixer down to LOW and add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Then add the salt. When that"s mixed in, add the baking soda and mix until it"s incorporated.

Measure out a cup and a half of mincemeat. Turn the mixer on LOW speed and add the mincemeat to your bowl.

Add the flour in one-cup increments, mixing after each addition. Shut off the mixer and sc.r.a.pe down the sides of the bowl. Give the mixture a final stir by hand. (The resulting cookie dough should be fluffy, but not at all stiff like sugar cookie or chocolate chip cookie dough.) Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper. It"s the easiest way to bake these cookies. If you don"t have parchment paper and you really don"t want to go out to get any, grease your cookie sheets heavily, or spray them thoroughly with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray.

Using a teaspoon (not the measuring kind, but one from your silverware drawer), drop rounded teaspoons of cookie dough on your baking sheet, 12 to a standard-size sheet. If you are NOT going to glaze these cookies with Vanilla Cream Glaze (recipe follows below), top each cookie with a half-walnut, pressing it down slightly.

Bake your Mincemeat Cookies at 375 degrees F., for 12 minutes. Take the cookies out of the oven and slide the cookie-laden parchment paper onto a wire rack to cool. (If you used greased cookie sheets, you"re going to have to let the cookies sit on the cookie sheets for 2 minutes and then remove them to a wire rack with a metal spatula.) Yield: Approximately 4 to 5 dozen tasty and attractive cookies.

*VANILLA CREAM GLAZE.

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

cup less 1 Tablespoon heavy (whipping) cream

3 cups powdered (confectioner"s) sugar

Place 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract into a quarter-cup measuring cup.

Fill the quarter-cup measuring cup with heavy cream and set it on the counter.

Measure 3 cups powdered sugar and place them in a small bowl. Do not pack it down in the cup when you measure it, but do level the top off with a table knife.

Whisk the vanilla and cream into the bowl with the powered sugar until it"s well blended.

Cover the glaze with plastic wrap and set it aside to wait for the cookies to be baked. Then brush the warm cookies with the glaze and let them cool completely.

Hannah"s 3rd Note: If there"s any glaze left over, add a little more powdered sugar and mix it until it"s of frosting consistency. Let the kids spread it on graham crackers or soda crackers (salt side down) for a special treat.

Yield: Approximately cup glaze.

*MINTY MARVELS.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

2 cups (4 sticks, 16 ounces, 1 pound) salted b.u.t.ter, softened

1 cup powdered (confectioners) sugar (pack it down in the

cup when you measure it)

teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg, beaten (just whip it up in a gla.s.s with a fork)

cup finely chopped pecans (chop them until they"re

almost powdery)

4 cups all-purpose flour (scoop it up in the measuring cup

and then level off the top with a table knife)

8 dozen Junior Mints (approximately 6 small boxes)

1 cup powdered (confectioners) sugar (don"t pack it down

this time around)

1 Tablespoon red decorating sugar

1 Tablespoon green decorating sugar

Hannah"s 1st Note: I used an electric mixer when I made these. The dough has to be very well mixed.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the softened b.u.t.ter, powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Mix it on MEDIUM speed until it"s light and fluffy.

Turn the mixer down to LOW speed and add the egg and the pecans. Mix well.

When the pecans are incorporated, add the flour, one cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Shut off the mixer, sc.r.a.pe down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, and mix a bit more.

Take the bowl out of the mixer, give it a final stir by hand, and set it aside on the counter.

With your fingers, shape a Tablespoonful of cookie dough into a ball around one Junior Mint.

Place the dough b.a.l.l.s at least 1 inch apart on an ungreased or parchment-lined cookie sheet. Press them down slightly so that they won"t roll off on the way to the oven.

Bake the dough b.a.l.l.s at 350 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies are "set" and the bottoms are just beginning to turn golden. (To judge this, you"ll have to open the oven and lift one cookie up just a bit to see.) While your cookies are baking, place the powdered sugar, red decorating sugar, and green decorating sugar in a small bowl. Mix it all up with a fork. You want the colored sugars to be as evenly distributed as possible.

Hannah"s 2nd Note: If you"d like these cookies to really sparkle with color, use colored decorating sugar with large sugar crystals. It"s available in grocery stores during the holiday season and you can also find it in some cake decorating stores.

Let your cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, and then move them to a wire rack. (This is easy if you"ve used parchment paper just pull it off the sheet and onto the rack.) While they"re still hot, roll the cookies in the bowl of sugars, one at a time, and then place them back on the wire rack or back on the parchment paper if you"ve used it. Don"t worry if the powdered sugar soaks into the cookie in some spots. You"re going to roll them in the sugars again after they"ve cooled completely.

Once the Minty Marvels have cooled approximately 25 minutes, roll them in the sugar a second time.

Hannah"s 3rd Note: These cookies freeze well. Just let them thaw at room temperature and then roll them in a bowl with the sugars again to refresh the pretty sugar coating.

Yield: Approximately 8 dozen cookies, depending on cookie size.

MOCK TURTLES.

DO NOT preheat oven dough must chill before baking.

1 and sticks chilled b.u.t.ter ( cup, 6 ounces)

2 cups flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)

cup powdered (confectioner"s) sugar

teaspoon salt