Tried and True Christmas Cookie Recipes
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| Photo by severyanka at pixabay |
The Christmas tree is glowing warmly with it's colorful lights and the scent of pine fills the air. Cozy blankets are draped over the couches awaiting little ones to curl up in them as night falls and the wind beckons to come inside. These are the days where we don sweaters, wear comfy socks, and have soup for suppah'. While the soup simmers and the tea kettle sings I gather my sweet ones about me and let them help gather ingredients. Dimpled hands plunk butter and flour onto the counter. Older children grab the eggs and my eager six year old fetches his favorite ingredient... SUGAR! It is cookie baking weather and while Bing croons in the background, we whip up our holiday favorites to hand out to friends and family and hold back enough to enjoy ourselves. So grab your favorite cuppa and join us for our favorite recipes of the season.
Dawna's Sugar Cookie Recipe
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| Christmas Cookies by Jill111 @ pixabay |
Makes 45 cut cookies or 24 drop cookies
1 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
2 and 3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Beat in the egg and the vanilla. Add baking powder and flour, one cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Dough will be stiff; blend last bit off flour in by hand. No need to chill dough.
Divide dough into 2 balls. On a floured surface roll each ball into a circle, 12 inches in diameter and about 1/8" thick. Cut and bake 6 to 7 minute for cut cookies and 8 to 10 minutes for drop cookies, or until edges are lightly browned.
Cool and frost if desired.
Dawna's Candy Cane Kiss Cookies
Use the recipe above for sugar cookies but:
Add 1 tsp peppermint extract in addition to the vanilla extract.
Stir in 1/2 cup chopped candy cane Hershey Kisses (about 20) into the dough before baking. (Optional: you will need another 24 whole Candy Cane Hershey Kisses to use as toppers for your cookies once they are finished baking.)
Use drop cookie method to scoop dough into 1 tsp round balls and bake for 8 to 10 minutes or till edges are lightly browned.
Let cookies cool for a few minutes. While cookies are still slightly warm, press a whole Hershey Kiss into the center of the cookie and pop them into the freezer for about 15 minutes so the Kiss doesn't melt. Enjoy!
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| Cocoa by Terri C via Pixabay |
We love a good cinnamon laden, buttery cookie with a warm cup of coffee or tea. These cookies remind me of my Aunt's house. She would always bake up a batch of cookies when I came to visit as a child and Snickerdoodles are one of her favorites. I discovered Mrs. Sigg's recipe years ago and it has become a family favorite. The only changes we make is to substitute butter for the shortening (yes, that makes a full cup of butter for these decadent cookies.) Also, I use baking powder instead of cream of tartar due to the acidic taste. These cookies come out HUGE and make an impressive addition to any cookie basket. :)
These cookies smell like snow to me. When the winter weather kicks in you can be assured that I will break out the molasses and ginger and bake a batch of these beautiful classic cookies that remind me of Grammy's house. The only substitute I make to the recipe is that I use butter instead of margarine because I prefer the taste and texture it gives to my baked goods.
A very easy but addicting treat made from 3 simple ingredients; rolos, pretzels, and M&Ms. My little ones LOVE to help make these. When we run out of Rolos we use the extra Candy Cane Kisses and make pretty red and white striped pretzel turtles. ;) The recipe is easily adaptable. You can use a pecan to top each turtle instead of an M&M, or you could use different mini candybars (Milkyway, Snickers, Almond Joy) instead of Rolos. Enjoy!
Been whipping up this recipe for over a decade. This is one of my husband's favorite cookies so it is a must that I bake a few batches at Christmas time even though it is a year round cookie in our home. Classics are great and this recipe will not fail you! Don't tell anyone else but these are awesome for breakfast too. ;)
If you have a friend or family member on your list who is gluten sensitive then look no further than these decadent brownie bites from Chocolate Covered Katie. I began my gluten free journey several years ago and this woman's blog saved my sanity when I needed a chocolate fix. Not only is Katie adorable, but she loves chocolate and makes it healthy! Zip on over and whip up these super simple bars and serve em' up at your next cookie swap. * I substitute almonds for walnuts in the recipe because I almost always have them on hand.*
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| Breakfast by Pexels at pixabay |
King Arthur not only has a good gluten free flour blend, but they really mastered this recipe. It is hard to tell that this is a gluten free cookie. If you or someone you know has a gluten intolerance, give these a try. You'll be reaching for seconds in no time.
These are my ultimate favorite chocolate chip cookies, hands down. I love Ghirardelli's 60% cacoa chocolate premium baking chips. They are a nice, big chocolate morsel made from premium cacoa for a rich taste. Grab a big ol' glass of milk to chase these down with and don't forget the napkin because these are awesome warm out of the oven.
What are your favorite cookies to bake or enjoy this time of year? Please share with me in the comments below. Thank you for joining me for another Countdown to Christmas Saturday. May your days be Merry and Bright and your cookie jar be plentiful!
With love,
Dawna
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