20 MUST MAKE CHRISTMAS COOKIES

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IT’S TIME TO START BAKING FOR OUR ANNUAL CHRISTMAS COOKIES PLATES! I’M GETTING LOTS OF INSPIRATION FROM THESE 20 MUST MAKE CHRISTMAS COOKIES!

It just isn’t the holidays until we start baking cookies. We love everything from shortbread to chocolate cookies, peppermint to cherry in our house. If it’s a cookie, it belongs in someone’s belly. This year we’ve put together some of our all-time favorite cookies recipes and a few that we’re currently drooling over. There’s something for everyone. So grab the family and get to baking these 20 Must Make Christmas Cookies!

Cream Cheese Cutout Cookies

Cream Cheese Cutout Cookies recipe made with softened cream cheese in the cookie dough.

Ingredients

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and cream cheese.
Add in sugar, salt egg and vanilla. Beat until creamy.
Gradually add in flour, 1/2 cup at a time, while mixer is on low speed.
Transfer dough to a zip-top bag or a plastic container with a tight-fitting lid.
Refrigerate 2 hours, or overnight.
Remove dough from refrigerator, open bag or unseal container lid, and allow to warm on counter until easily pliable – about an hour, but this depends on how warm your kitchen is at the time.
Divide the dough in half.
Roll out half the dough on a well floured surface, using a well floured rolling pin, until about 1/8 inch thick – on the thicker side is better than too thin!
Cut out cookies using various cookie cutters.
Place on ungreased cookie sheets (non stick baking mats work great) and decorate with sugar or sprinkles if desired (leave the frosting or gel decorations for after baking).
Bake at 375 degrees for 7 – 9 minutes, or until just slightly brown on the edges.
Transfer to cooking racks and decorate with icing when completely cool.

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PEPPERMINT TWIST MACARONS

Peppermint Twist Macarons are an easy macaron recipe with a buttercream filling. Perfect recette macarons for Christmas cookies and holiday parties.

INGREDIENTS

COOKIES:

FILLING

INSTRUCTIONS

In food processor or blender, pulse powdered sugar and almond flour for one minute, scraping down sides, until well blended and mixture starts to cling together.
Transfer to a sifter, sift into a small bowl. Repeat again, set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large metal mixing bowl, whip egg whites until white and frothy. Add pinch of cream of tartar and continue to whip until mixture has increased in size.
Continue to whip and add granulated sugar, continue whipping for 5 minutes or until mixture is stiff and peaks form and stand on their own without falling.
At this point, sift almond flour mixture for a third time directly into the meringue base. Fold by hand and gently. Do not use the electric mixer or you risk losing the air you created by whipping them.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a large pastry/frosting bag with a ¾ inch round tip and fill with meringue. Pipe 1 ½ rounds to a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Attempt to whip the tip around and prevent little nubs on the tops. I don’t always do such a good job of this- but then again, they still look pretty!
Tap baking sheet several times on the counter to get air bubbles out. Allow to sit at room temperature for 5 minutes.
At the same time that you place your cookies into the oven, reduce heat to 325 degrees. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until meringues are crispy on the outside and baked into the classic meringue shape with a little ridge along the bottom.
Remove and allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from baking sheet. Macarons should easily twist off parchment paper, but if not, spray water between parchment paper and baking sheet, the steam will release the cookies.
Allow to cool fully before attempting to sandwich.
Make frosting by combining softened butter, powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Add milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until frosting is a spreadable consistency. Leave at room temperature until ready to assemble.
Pair cookies with a similar size with a heaping teaspoon of frosting between each. Make sure you have enough in the center that frosting oozes out the side; this will be what candy canes crumbles will stick to.
Spread crushed candy canes on a plate or in a shallow bowl. Roll sides of macarons in crumbles, allowing them to stick to center frosting.
Store peppermint twist macarons in refrigerator.
If you’ve tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was!

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TRIPLE CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT COOKIES

Ingredients

1 1/4 Cups unsalted butter, softened
2 Cups granulated sugar
2 Large eggs
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 Cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
3/4 cups cocoa powder
1 1/2 Teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
9.90 Ounce bag White Chocolate Peppermint M&Ms (about 1 1/2 cups)
10 Ounce bag Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place parchment paper/silpat on baking sheets, set aside.
Beat butter, eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract together in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
Combine the cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, and salt then add to the butter mixture. Beat just until well combined.
Stir in M&Ms and chocolate chips.
Using a #30 cookie scoop {one ounce} drop rounded cookies onto prepared baking sheets {9 per pan}.
Bake in preheated oven until set, but still soft and chewy, about 16 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheet for 3 minutes before moving to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Store in a sealed container.

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Christmas Crinkle Cool Whip Cookies

Christmas Crinkle Cool Whip Cookies are a blast to make with the kids! Everyone loves these easy Christmas cookies, just be ready to get a little messy!

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Sil-Pat.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cake mix, egg, cool whip and vanilla. The dough will be thick and sticky.
Divide the dough in half and place one half in a second bowl. Add a couple drops of red food coloring to one bowl and a couple drops of green food coloring to the other bowl. Mix the food coloring into each half of the dough. Add more food coloring as needed until your desired color is reached.
Put the powdered sugar into a small bowl.
Use a small cookie scoop (or 1 tablespoon measuring spoon) to portion the dough into the bowl of sugar. One scoop at a time, place the dough into the sugar and roll it around until it is completely coated. Place the dough ball onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, leaving 2-inches between each cookie. (Seriously, the cookies spread A LOT.)
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the cookies are set. The center of the cookie will still be soft, that’s okay.
Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Peppermint Candy Cane Cookies

Peppermint Candy Cane Cookies taste like peppermint candy but are simply candy cane sugar cookies and are the best Christmas cookies!

Ingredients

Instructions

In a small bowl, combine flour and salt. Set aside.
In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. Scrape the sides, add the granulated sugar and powdered sugar and continue to beat until very light in color and fluffy, another 2-3 minutes. Scrape sides again and add the egg yolks, peppermint extract and vanilla , beat on low speed until well combined.
With the mixer running on low speed, spoon in the flour and salt mixture until all of the dry ingredients have been added and fully combine. Do not over mix.
At this point, remove half of the dough and place on a sheet of plastic wrap. If you’re a perfectionist, you should have about 28 ounces total, so you’d want to take out about 14 ounces of the dough. Add food coloring to remaining dough in bowl and mix just until the color has evenly blended in. Add the red dough to a separate piece of plastic wrap.
Shape both dough balls into a square that’s about 5-6 inches in length. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight (or longer if you’re making them ahead of time).
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat.
Roll each dough to a 9×9 inch square, then stack them on one another and roll to seal them together. Cut the dough down the center and refrigerate both halves. After the dough has chilled a bit, after maybe 15 minutes, take out one of the halves and start cutting short strips that are about ¼ inch thick. Roll each strip to lengthen and slightly twist at the same time. Roll in decorating sugar and then lay out on baking sheet in the shape of a candy cane.
Bake until just slightly brown on the bottoms, 13 to 15 minutes. Rotate your baking sheet half way though if your oven doesn’t bake evenly. Remove from oven and allow to cool on sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. Continue baking process with remaining dough, keeping it cool until ready to bake (otherwise your cookies expand too much).
Store in airtight container and segregate from other cookies as the peppermint flavor will transfer.

Italian Anise Cookies

Italian Anise Cookies!! These cookies NEED to be on your holiday cookie tray! Not a fan of anise? Use your favorite extract for a new flavor!

Ingredients

For the cookie dough

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
2 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. anise extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

For the glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
4-5 tsp. milk
1 tsp. anise extract

Additional ingredients

Nonpareils

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Beat the sugar, butter, eggs, milk and anise extract in a large bowl with a mixer until well blended. On low speed, beat in the flour, baking powder and salt until well blended.
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets.
Bake 8-10 minutes or until the bottoms are a light golden brown. Remove cookies to a wire rack to cool.
Prepare the glaze: Whisk the powdered sugar, milk and anise extract in a small bowl until smooth.
Dip the tops of the cookies in the glaze, and while the glaze is still wet, sprinkle on the nonpareils. Let set until glaze hardens.

Soft Baked Gingersnap Cookies

Ingredients

Instructions

Cream butter and brown sugar together until fluffy. Mix in egg, vanilla, and molasses until completely combined.
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add to wet ingredients until combined. CHILL dough for 2 hours or overnight.
Once chilled, roll dough into 1½-inch balls (about 1½ Tbsp each), roll in sugar and place on a silicone lined baking sheet. (Note: Some people have had to flatten the dough balls before baking. Consider doing a test cookie before baking a whole tray.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake cookies for 8 to 9 minutes. Keep extra dough cold until it is baked. For a crispier gingersnap, bake a few minutes longer. Allow cookies to rest on the baking sheet for a couple minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 5 days.

SOFT CHOCOLATE GINGERBREAD COOKIES

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, all spices, and salt, Set aside for a moment.
Place the butter and both sugars in the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat them together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
Add the molasses, egg, vanilla extract, and orange zest, and beat until well-mixed. The mixture might look a little broken at this point. Stop the mixer and add the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until just a few streaks of flour remain. Finish mixing by hand, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl well with a spatula.
Turn the dough out onto a piece of cling wrap, and wrap it well. Chill for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Pour some granulated sugar into a shallow bowl. Roll the chilled cookie dough into small 1-inch balls and roll the balls in granulated sugar. Place them 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 F for 7-8 minutes, until puffed and dry in the center, but still soft.
Remove the tray from the oven, and immediately press a chocolate star or unwrapped chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie. Let them cool completely on the baking sheet. These cookies keep amazingly well and, if stored in an airtight container at room temperature, will be soft and moist for up to a week after baking.

HOT CHOCOLATE COOKIES

Hot chocolate cookies are like hot cocoa in cookie form, with a soft, rich, chocolate cookie topped with melted chocolate and a gooey marshmallow! Just like your favorite cup of cocoa!

Ingredients

Instructions

Melt together your butter and chocolate chips in a small sauce pan over medium heat.
Allow chocolate to cool for 15 minutes.
In a large bowl combine your dry ingredients (Your flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt) Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl cream together your brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until smooth.
Add your slightly cooled, melted chocolate mixture to your egg mixture and stir until combined.
Slowly add in your dry ingredients while stirring until mixed.
Cover your bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours (The dough is like a thick cake batter before refrigerated, so you’ll need it to firm up a good amount).
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
Roll your dough into 1 1/2 -2 inch cookie dough balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone liner.
Bake for 10 minutes, until cookies start to crack.
Meanwhile, cut your marshmallows in half and cut your chocolate into 1/2 inch pieces (I cut each piece from the bar into 3 pieces)
Remove from oven and top each cookie with a piece of chocolate and marshmallow and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
Sprinkle grated chocolate over the top of your marshmallows if desired.

Dark Chocolate M&M Christmas Cookies

Ingredients

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 large egg, preferably room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup + 2 Tbsp. Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 Tbsp. milk
1 ¼ cups chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet)
Dark Chocolate M&M’s for topping the cookies

Instructions

1. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. In the bowl of an electric
mixer, combine the butter and sugars. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy,
2-3 minutes. Blend in the egg and vanilla, scrape down the bowl if needed.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add the
dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in the mixer on low speed just until incorporated. Mix in
the milk on the lowest speed and fold in the chocolate chips. Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.
3. Roll about 2 tablespoons of dough into balls and place on the baking sheets. Top cookies with
M&M’s. Place cookie sheet in freezer for 10-15 minutes. (Alternately you can chill the dough for
at least 2 hours or up to 36.)
4. Bake 10-11 minutes. Immediately top with more M&M’s if needed. Let cool on the baking sheets
for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

A classic Christmas cookies – rich, fudge-like chocolate cookies covered in powdered sugar.

Ingredients

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
Whisk together the brown sugar, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl. Combine the unsweetened chocolate and butter in a small bowl and microwave at 50 percent power, stirring occasionally, until melted, 2 to 3 minutes.
Whisk the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture until combined. Fold in the flour mixture until no dry streaks remain. Let the dough sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Place the granulated sugar and powdered sugar in separate shallow bowls. Working with 2 tablespoons dough (or a medium cookie scoop) at a time, roll into balls. Drop dough balls directly into granulated sugar and roll to coat. Transfer dough balls to powdered sugar and roll to coat evenly. Evenly space the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake the cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until puffed and cracked and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft (cookies will look raw between cracks and seem underdone), about 12 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Let cool completely on sheet before serving. The cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Red Velvet Cheesecake Cookie Recipe

Red velvet cookies with a creamy cheesecake filling and a drizzle of white chocolate. These bright red cookies are perfect for Christmas or Valentine’s Day.

Ingredients

For the cookies:

For the cheesecake filling:

For the white chocolate drizzle:

Instructions

To make cookies, in a large bowl combine cake mix and flour. Whisk until clumps disappear. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together cake mix, flour, eggs, oil and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap. The dough will be oily. Refrigerate for at least two hours.
To make the cheesecake filling, using a mixer, combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. Using a teaspoon, scoop out cheesecake filling and place on a plate. Continue scooping out cheesecake filling into teaspoon balls until you have 10. Place plate in the freezer and freeze for at least two hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. To assemble the cookies, take about 1/4 cup of red velvet cookie dough and flatten in your hands. Place a teaspoon of cheesecake filling in the center and wrap the cookie dough around the filling. Gently roll into a ball and place on prepared baking sheet. Scoop onto lightly greased or parchment lined baking sheets. Only bake 3 cookies at a time. The cookies are large and will spread. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until the cookies begin to crackle. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Remove from baking sheet to a wire cooling rack and cool completely.
Melt the white chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl or over a double-boiler. Drizzle the white chocolate over the cooled cookies. Let the cookies set until the chocolate hardens. Serve and enjoy!
Note: if you are going to store the cookies for more than a day, you may want to keep them in the refrigerator. You can make the cookies smaller. Just use less dough and filling. You want to make sure you completely wrap the cookie dough around the filling before baking-so it doesn’t leak. Enjoy!

LEMON “SWIG” SUGAR COOKIES WITH DIVINE LEMON FROSTING

INGREDIENTS

COOKIES:

1 1/4 cups (9.25 ounces) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons lemon zest (from about 3 medium lemons)
1 cup butter (8 ounces, 16 tablespoons), softened
3/4 cup neutral-flavored oil (canola, vegetable, grapeseed, etc)
3/4 cup (3 ounces) powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 to 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 large eggs
5 1/2 cups (27.5 ounces) all-purpose flour (I use unbleached)
Granulated sugar for pressing the cookies

FROSTING:

1 cup (8 ounces, 16 tablespoons) butter, softened
1 tablespoon sour cream
1/2 to 1 tablespoon lemon zest (from about 1 medium lemon)
5 cups (20 ounces) powdered sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (or 325 degrees F for convection bake) and line several half sheet pans with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, add the granulated sugar and lemon zest and rub the mixture together with your fingers until well-combined and it smells very lemony. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a bowl using a handheld electric mixer), add the butter, oil, granulated sugar/lemon zest mixture, and powdered sugar. Sprinkle the baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt across the top of the sugars (don’t add the baking soda and cream of tartar in one lump or it might clump while mixing). Mix until well-combined and super creamy, 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add the lemon juice and eggs and mix until well-combined, 1-2 minutes, again scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add the flour and mix until no dry streaks remain and the mixture is evenly combined; don’t overmix.
Scoop the dough into about 3-tablespoon sized portions (I use a #20 cookie scoop) and roll into balls. Place several inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Add about 1/2 cup granulated sugar to a shallow dish or bowl. Lightly spray the bottom of a flat-bottomed glass with cooking spray and dip the bottom of the glass into the sugar. Press each cookie into an even thickness dipping the bottom of the glass into the sugar between each press (no need to spray it again with cooking spray after the first time). The edges of the cookie will ruffle out a bit. It’s really up to you how thick or thin to press the cookies. I like them between 1/4- and 1/2-inch thick.
Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes until just set. Try not to let them get golden on the edges or very much on the bottom – that means they’ve baked too long and they may be dry and crumbly instead of creamy and soft.
Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.
For the frosting, in a medium bowl (can use a handheld or stand mixer) combine the butter, sour cream and lemon zest. Mix until thick and smooth and creamy, 1-2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and lemon juice, and mix until well-combined and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add additional lemon juice, sour cream or milk/cream, if needed, to adjust the consistency of the frosting so it is thick and creamy but still soft and spreadable.
Frost the cooled cookies and decorate with a bit of fresh lemon zest or sprinkles (optional).

NOTES

Flavor: you can really amp up the lemon flavor if you add lemon extract to the dough and/or frosting.

Flour: be careful not to overflour the dough or the cookies might be dry instead of soft after baking. If you don’t weigh your ingredients, make sure to fluff the flour in the container before scooping in the measuring cup and leveling (don’t pack or shake the flour into the cup!).

Frosted Peppermint Brownie Cookies

A decadent perfectly peppermint Christmas cookie! You get a rich brownie-like cookie base topped with a rich cream cheese frosting. Then they’re finished with peppermint candies for a pretty festive color.

Ingredients

Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting

Instructions

To a microwave safe bowl add chocolate chips, unsweetened chocolate and butter. Heat on HIGH power in 20 second increments, stirring between intervals until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool, about 25 – 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt for 20 seconds, set aside.
In large mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer set on medium-high speed, whip together eggs, egg yolk, brown sugar and granulated sugar until pale, fluffy and creamy, about 3 minutes. Mix in vanilla extract and peppermint extract. Mix in cooled chocolate mixture.
Using a wooden spoon, stir dry mixture into egg/chocolate mixture just until combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill until partially set, about 45 minutes (it should be easier to roll and chilling will reduce spread). Preheat oven to 350 degrees during last 10 minutes of chilling.
Scoop dough out about 2 – 2 1/2 Tbsp at a time (35g each) and shape into balls. Place dough balls on Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheets spacing cookies 2-inches apart. Bake in preheated oven 8 – 11 minutes (cookies should look slightly under-baked they’ll continue to cook slightly once removed from oven).
Cool on baking sheet about 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cool frost with Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting then sprinkle with crushed candy canes.
For the frosting:
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip together cream cheese and butter until pale and fluffy. Add peppermint extract and powdered sugar and mix until pale and fluffy.

GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE COOKIES RECIPE

One of our mom’s best cookie recipes – the German Chocolate frosting is amazing!!!

Ingredients

Cookie Bottom:

- 1 (15.25 oz) German Chocolate cake mix
- 2/3 cup butter flavor shortening
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon water

Frosting:

1 cup evaporated milk (canned)
1 cup sugar
3 egg yolks (beaten slightly)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cup coconut
1 1/4 cup chopped pecans
Optional:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (for drizzle on top of cookies)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until well blended. Roll into 1 inch balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 8-9 minutes, being sure to not over bake. Let cool.
Mix evaporated milk, sugar, egg yolks, margarine and vanilla together in a sauce pan. Stir constantly over medium heat until it comes to a slow boil. Cook, stirring constantly until it thickens – about 10 to 11 minutes (it must be cooked that long).
Remove from heat and stir in coconut and pecans.
Cool frosting before spreading on cookies.
You can melt semi-sweet chocolate chips and drizzle over top of frosting (optional).
This frosting recipe will also frost a 9 x 13 cake.

Chewy Brown Sugar Cookies

These Chewy Brown Sugar Cookies are some of my favorites – they’re simple yet so satisfying. If you love soft cookies with smooth frosting, this recipe is perfect for you!

Ingredients:

COOKIES

salted butter ( sticks)
packed light brown sugar
flour
baking soda
baking powder
kosher salt
egg plus 1 egg yolk
vanilla
granulated sugar
light brown sugar

FROSTING

light brown sugar (packed)
butter
milk
sifted powdered sugar

Instructions

COOKIES

Preheat oven to 350° and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Heat butter in medium skillet over medium heat until melted. When butter melts slowly swirl the pan and continue to cook the butter until it becomes a nice, brown-caramel color. The swirling helps it from burning. Let cool for 15 minutes.
Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl and set aside.
When butter is cooled mix 1 3/4 cup light brown sugar and browned butter with electric mixer until no lumps remain, about 30 seconds.
Add egg, yolk and vanilla and mix for another 30 seconds, until smooth.
Slowly add in your flour mixture and mix on medium-low until incorporated.
Combine remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a small bowl.
Roll cookie dough into balls and then roll in sugar mixture.
Place on lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
Bake approx 10-12 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Do not over-bake.
Transfer to wire rack to cool.

FROSTING

Combine brown sugar and butter in small saucepan over medium heat.
Bring to a boil and continue cooking 1 minute. Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes. Mixture will slightly thicken.
With hand mixer beat in milk until smooth. Slowly add in powdered sugar until spreadable consistency. ( I used all 2 cups).
Spread approx 1 teaspoon on each cookie.

Cookies & Cream Cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
6 TBS sugar
6 TBS light brown sugar
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
12 Oreo’s, broken up into pieces

Instructions

1. Preheat the over to 350 degrees.

2. With a mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and beat until well mixed.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just combined.

4. With a wooden spoon or spatula, gently fold in Oreo pieces.

5. Scoop dough into small balls, and place onto an cookie sheet about 1-2″ apart.

6. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges JUST start to brown (watch them!). Let cool on baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Notes

You don’t to over bake these and lose the ‘cream’ color. Make sure you watch the cookies from about the 6 minute mark on, until the edges are just slightly brown.

Almond Joy Chocolate Cookies

Bake Almond Joy Chocolate Cookies for the coconut lover in your life. They’re fudgy with chopped Mounds bars inside and chocolate, coconut & almonds on top.

Ingredients

For the toppings:

Instructions

Using a stand mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add in the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Stir the mixture until it is well blended. Add in the Mounds bars and chocolate chips. Mix until combined. Drop the batter by rounded teaspoons onto baking sheets, then refrigerate for 30 minutes before baking. You can also refrigerate the dough in the bowl for an hour and drop the dough on the cookie sheets after refrigerating.
Bake the cookies in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. Do not overbake. Let the cookies cool for 3-5 minutes on the baking sheet, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.
In a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips for 30 seconds then stir the chips. Melt in 20 second intervals, stirring in between, until the chips are completely melted. Spoon a teaspoon of the melted chocolate on top of each cookie. Immediately sprinkle on coconut and almonds.
Allow the chocolate to set completely, then store the cookies in an airtight container.

Slice & Bake Swedish Christmas Cookies

Swedish Christmas Cookies are a festive treat full of winter flavors! Ginger, orange zest, and cinnamon make this a cookie you’ll crave all season long!

INGREDIENTS

COOKIE COATING IDEAS

INSTRUCTIONS

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, ginger, cinnamon, and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the egg, vanilla, and orange zest, and mix to combine.
Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in two additions, mixing until just combined after each addition.
Divide the dough in half. Form one half of the dough into a log shape (about 1 1/2-inches in diameter) and place on a piece of plastic wrap. Roll dough up in the plastic wrap and seal the ends. Repeat with the other half of the dough.
Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.
Remove dough from the fridge and unwrap it. Save the plastic wrap.
Cover a baking sheet or long plate with the cookie coating you chose. (You can even do a different coating for each dough log if you like.)
Roll the dough log in the coatings so that all the sides are well covered. Re-roll the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to overnight.
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Remove cookie dough from the fridge and unwrap. Use a sharp knife to cut off the ends of the dough log. Cut dough into 1/4-inch slices, you should get about 18 pieces per log.
Place the dough slices on your prepared baking sheet about 1-inch apart. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the bottom edge of the cookies just begins to turn golden.
Remove cookies from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

NOTES

While sprinkles are fun, nonpareils tend to bleed a little (especially the red ones). I find that sanding sugar sticks to the dough the best. You can roll your dough logs in one color each or combine your colors together. Your choice.

Christmas Funfetti Cookies

Ingredients

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/3 cup sprinkles (Christmas colors), plus more for topping the cookie dough

Instructions

1. In a large bowl (stand mixer w/ paddle attachment or use a hand-held mixer,) cream the butter for
1 minute on medium speed. Once smooth, add the sugar on medium speed until fluffy and light
in color. Mix in egg and vanilla. Scrape down the sides as needed. Set aside.
2. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cream of
tartar. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Once combined, gently fold in the
1/3 cup sprinkles.
3. Scoop about 2 Tablespoons of dough each and roll into balls. (Make sure the balls are taller
rather than wider.) Add a few more sprinkles on top of each ball of dough.
4. Chill the balls of dough on the cookie sheet for at least 2 hours and up to 48 hours in the
refrigerator. (This helps it not to spread in the oven.)
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone
baking mat.
6. Bake chilled dough for 8 minutes, no longer. The cookies will appear undone and soft. Allow to
cool on cookie sheet for 3 minutes and carefully move to a wire rack to cool completely

Triple Ginger Snaps

Chewy ginger snap cookies with a delicious triple boost of ginger!

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup minced crystallized ginger
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon mild molasses
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated fresh peeled ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
Sugar for rolling

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350º. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, crystallized ginger, baking soda and salt; set aside. With electric mixer, beat butter till light, then add brown sugar and beat till creamy.Add egg, molasses, fresh ginger, ground ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Mix to blend. Add flour mixture and beat on low just till incorporated.
Pour some sugar into a shallow bowl. Scoop out rounded tablespoonfuls of dough and roll into balls between hands. Roll in sugar to coat, then place on baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough placing about 2 inches apart.
Bake cookies until surfaces crack and cookies are set around edges but still slightly soft in center, about 15 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheets then remove to cooling rack to finish cooling.