Who doesn't love a delicious Christmas cookie? Over the years, the girls and I have developed our 3 "go to" Christmas cookie recipes. Our favorites have to meet a few different criteria:
I have always used a recipe from the Christmas Cookie Gooseberry cookbook, but last year our cookies flattened out, so I wanted to try a different recipe. I found a similar recipe at The Kitchn that used powdered sugar instead. It also called for peppermint extract rather than almond, so we tested it out too. Blending the two recipes together somewhat, we came up with a great recipe!
Ingredients:
1 cup butter (we use salted), at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
15-20 drops red food coloring (to desired color)
Process
1. Cream the butter and sugar together with a mixer until it is soft and fluffy.
2. Add egg and extracts
3. Stir until blended
4. Add flour and salt a cup at a time, stirring until combined and scraping the sides of the bowl as you go.
5. Divide the dough into two equal halves.
6. Roll the first half into a log, wrap it in saran wrap, and put it in the refrigerator.
7. Add food coloring to the second half and knead until colored. Wrap in saran wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour (but up to a day).
8. When you are ready to make the cookies, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
9. Remove the dough from the fridge.
10. Cut it into equal-sized cubes (about the size of a mini-sized candy bar.
11. Roll one white cube into a rope (or as the girls say, a snake).
12. Roll one red cube into a rope.
13. Pinch the ends of each rope together and twist.
14. Lay on parchment lined cookie sheet.
15. Hook the end of the cane.
16. Bake 10 minutes.
17. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before moving to a baking rack to cool.
18. Enjoy! :)
They are not always the most beautiful when I let the girls help, but aside from using the mixer and cutting the dough, they essentially make these cookies by themselves!
I use the recipe on Tasty Kitchen and don't make any changes other than doubling the batch.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Kyro syrup
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup peanut butter
2 cups corn flakes
Process:
1. Combine syrup and sugar in a large pot and bring to a boil.
2. Remove from heat.
3. Stir in peanut butter until melted.
4. Stir in corn flakes
5. Combine until all flakes are coated
6. While the mixture is still warm, drop teaspoon-sized (or bigger) clumps onto wax paper to cool.
Those are our Christmas cookie traditions. Each year, we also try to experiment with another type of cookie to see if we want to add another into our list, but so far none have made the cut. I think next weekend we are going to try a classic Snickerdoodle recipe. What are your favorite Christmas cookie (or candy) recipes?
- They have to have a flavor that we all like.
- They have to be fairly easy to make so that the girls can help.
- They have to store easily so that we can share them with our friends and family.
Candy Cane Cookie
The first cookie we make each year is the Candy Cane cookie. This is Boo's favorite cookie because she gets to help so much. This also makes the perfect companion to hot chocolate as you can hook the cane on the side of the cup.I have always used a recipe from the Christmas Cookie Gooseberry cookbook, but last year our cookies flattened out, so I wanted to try a different recipe. I found a similar recipe at The Kitchn that used powdered sugar instead. It also called for peppermint extract rather than almond, so we tested it out too. Blending the two recipes together somewhat, we came up with a great recipe!
Ingredients:
1 cup butter (we use salted), at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
15-20 drops red food coloring (to desired color)
Process
1. Cream the butter and sugar together with a mixer until it is soft and fluffy.
2. Add egg and extracts
3. Stir until blended
4. Add flour and salt a cup at a time, stirring until combined and scraping the sides of the bowl as you go.
5. Divide the dough into two equal halves.
6. Roll the first half into a log, wrap it in saran wrap, and put it in the refrigerator.
7. Add food coloring to the second half and knead until colored. Wrap in saran wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour (but up to a day).
8. When you are ready to make the cookies, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
9. Remove the dough from the fridge.
10. Cut it into equal-sized cubes (about the size of a mini-sized candy bar.
11. Roll one white cube into a rope (or as the girls say, a snake).
12. Roll one red cube into a rope.
13. Pinch the ends of each rope together and twist.
14. Lay on parchment lined cookie sheet.
15. Hook the end of the cane.
16. Bake 10 minutes.
17. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before moving to a baking rack to cool.
18. Enjoy! :)
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| Bah rolling |
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| Boo rolling |
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| Twisting them together |
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| Some finished products |
Grinch Crinkle Cookies
The second "must have" holiday cookie we make is a box cake cookie. This one is Bah's favorite because it is green, and it is super sweet! I love it because the girls do all of the hard work on this recipe. All I have to do is mix the ingredients and put them in and out of the oven. :)I use the recipe on Tasty Kitchen and don't make any changes other than doubling the batch.
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| Rolling the dough in powdered sugar |
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| Showing off her dough ball |
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| Ready to be baked |
Peanut Butter Corn Flake Cookies
The third choice cookie is all my choice. It brings back those warm, happy memories from my childhood, and so far it seems to be Bubs' favorite cookie too. I have no idea what the actual name for this is. In my family cookbook, my mom called the recipe Dad's Cookies because I think they are his favorite too. They were the last cookie we made this weekend, so the girls were all done helping and I didn't get any good pictures. They are a super easy, no-bake cookie though, so I was fine to make them alone. I tripled the recipe because we love them so much.Ingredients:
1/2 cup Kyro syrup
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup peanut butter
2 cups corn flakes
Process:
1. Combine syrup and sugar in a large pot and bring to a boil.
2. Remove from heat.
3. Stir in peanut butter until melted.
4. Stir in corn flakes
5. Combine until all flakes are coated
6. While the mixture is still warm, drop teaspoon-sized (or bigger) clumps onto wax paper to cool.
Those are our Christmas cookie traditions. Each year, we also try to experiment with another type of cookie to see if we want to add another into our list, but so far none have made the cut. I think next weekend we are going to try a classic Snickerdoodle recipe. What are your favorite Christmas cookie (or candy) recipes?
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