My Favorite Christmas Cookies
My Favorite Christmas Cookies
Tis the season for baking and giving! One of my favorite things to do during the holidays is bake cookies with my son. There is nothing better than quality time with family dunking hot cookies in milk on a cold winter night. This year I have gathered up my favorite Christmas cookies to share with you and your family.
Whether you enjoy classic gingerbread cookies or festive Santa’s whiskers, there is a recipe here I’m sure that will delight you. All of the recipes are fairly easy to bake and sure are scrumptious to indulge in or even give away as a gifts!
Gifting Cookies
What is a better gift than homemade cookies? Bake up a few batches this holiday season and give them to your neighbors and friends. There are so many great cookie containers available these days. Simply place them in a cookie tin and wrap them up with a beautiful ribbon. Check out Amazon for some great cookie wrapping options.
I hope you enjoy baking my favorite christmas cookie recipes, Enjoy!
Recipes
Everyone’s favorite christmas cookie in my family is the snowball! Make them and find out why! Sooo rich and buttery, and great for gifts!
Snowball Cookies
Equipment
- 1 cookie sheet
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup butter unsalted
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degreesLine baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, cream butter, salt, and powdered sugar.1/2 cup butter, unsalted, 3 heaping TBSP of powdered sugar (more for rolling),1/4 tsp sea saltAdd flour and mix until crumbly. 1 cup of flour.Pour in vanilla and water then stir until smooth.1 tsp vanilla,1 tsp waterFold in pecans. Use about 1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped.Using a cookie scoop, scoop dough and roll into balls and place them on a prepared baking sheet. Bake for 18-20 minutes, rotating halfway through.Cool completely on a wire rack. When cookie are cool, roll cookies in powdered sugar. Tip: pour powdered sugar in a large gallon ziplock bag and very gently shake them around until coated. This saves time and a mess.Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week or freeze.
Notes
- This is a small-batch recipe, so you won’t have an excess of cookies to consume (unless, of course you want to – then see #2).
- You can easily double the recipe to make an even 3 dozen cookies.
- There is no rolling ‘required’ for this recipe – just mix, scoop, and bake. However, if you want your cookies to be perfectly round, you can always hand roll them prior to baking them aka the old-fashioned way.
- You can add more powdered sugar to the dough, up to 1/2 cup to make the cookies sweeter, but this will also make them more dry and crumbly.
- The cookies need to be completely cool before rolling them in powdered sugar or the powdered sugar will melt and become sticky.
A gorgeous cookie for the holiday season. Oh and they are so tasty too!
Santa’s Whiskers
Equipment
- 1 cookie sheet
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp cold milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or almond extract
- 21/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 3/4 cup finely chopped red or green candied cherries
- 3/4 cup flaked coconut (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add milk and vanilla and beat well.Next add flour and beat until well mixed. Stir in cherries and pecans. Divide dough into thirds. Shape each portion into a 7-inch-long log. Roll each log in 1/4 cup of the coconut to coat. Wrap and chill in the refrigerator at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.Cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool cookies on a wire rack. Makes about 70 cookies. Enjoy!
My son loves baking these cookies with me. Not only are they fun to make but they are so yummy! Decorate them however you wish, this is the fun part!
The Perfect Gingerbread Cookie
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2/3 cup molasses
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2" piece grated fresh ginger ( optional)
- 1 orange fresh orange zest
- sugar cookie icing for decorating
Instructions
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, and molasses until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined.In a medium bowl, whisk flour, spices, baking soda, and salt until combined. With the mixer on low, gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, as well as fresh ginger, orange zest, until dough just comes together. Don't over mix.Divide dough in half and create two discs. Wrap each in plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 2 to 3 hours. Divide dough in half and roll each piece of dough between two pieces of parchment to 1/4" thick. Chill until firm.)Preheat oven to 350° and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Place one disc of dough on a lightly floured surface and roll until 1/4" thick. (Alternatively, peel off both sheets of parchment from dough, then replace one sheet of parchment back underneath dough.) Cut out gingerbread men with a 3" wide cutter and transfer to baking sheets.Bake until slightly puffed and set, 9 to 10 minutes, depending on the size of your cookie cutters. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. Step 6 Repeat with remaining disc of dough. Decorate with icing and sprinkles as you wish. Enjoy!
These thumbprint cookies are my all time favorite. They are so elegant and festive as well. Cuddle up with a cozy blanket and your favorite cup of tea! Enjoy this rich buttery cookie all season long.
Tip: You can make this recipe with or without the glaze.
Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies with Almond Glaze
Equipment
- 1 baking sheet
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup raspberry jam
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 2 tbsp almond milk
Instructions
- Glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, extract and 1 tablespoon of almond milk. Add enough of the remaining milk until you reach the consistency that you like. If the mixture is too thick, add more liquid. If it is too thin, add more sugar. Using a spoon or a piping bag, drizzle glaze over the cooled cookies. Let set for 1-2 hours.
- Cookie Directions:Cream the butter and sugar together for a couple of minutes using a mixer on medium speed. Add the vanilla and salt and continue to beat on medium until fully incorporated. Add the flour gradually until your mixture has formed a dough. Shape the dough into a ball (it will be a little crumbly). Tightly wrap the dough with plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour in the refrigerator.Preheat oven to 350 F.Roll dough into 1 inch balls, and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Make an indentation with your thumb (or the back of a small spoon) into the centre of each ball. Fill the indentation with jam. But be careful that you do not overfill the indentations.Place cookie tray into refrigerator while the oven preheats.Bake the cookies for 13-15 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
Notes
If you enjoyed this post, make sure to check out my other recipes about holiday coffee drinks!
