Christmas Cookies to Bake at Home

Ingredients: 

• 3 cups all-purpose flour 
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar packed 
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon 
• 1 tbsp ground ginger 
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves 
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 3/4 tsp baking soda 
• 12 tbsp unsalted butter softened slightly and cut into 12 pieces 
• 3/4 cup unsulphured molasses 
• 2 tbsp milk 

Instructions: 

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, and baking soda. Set mixer to stir until ingredients are well-mixed. 
2. Stop mixer, add butter, and mix on low until mixture resembles damp sand, about a minute and a half. (If you have a plastic bowl guard that will help keep flour from flying out, it would be a good idea to add that before you turn the mixer on) 
3. While mixer is running on low, slowly add the molasses and milk. Spraying your measuring cup with cooking spray before adding the molasses will help it come out smoother and be easier to clean. Turn mixer to medium for about 10 seconds to thoroughly mix dough. 
4. Turn out dough onto a piece of parchment paper and pat into a ball. Cut dough into two pieces and roll each piece out to 1/4″ thickness between two pieces of parchment paper. Don’t roll it too thin or your cookie won’t be as chewy! 
5. Put dough, in its parchment paper, in the freezer for 15-20 minutes. It is MUCH less sticky and easier to cut after hardening for a bit. 
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and set shelves to upper-middle and lower-middle positions. 
7. Remove one sheet of dough from the freezer. Peel parchment off one side of the dough, replace parchment, flip over, and peel off the other side of the parchment. Cut out shapes with a cookie cutter and place cookies about 3/4 inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. 
8. Dough will soften quickly so when you finish cutting your shapes in the first piece of dough, re-roll it out between parchment paper again and replace into the freezer while you cut shapes out of the second piece of dough. Dough can be recombined and re-rolled as many times as necessary. 
9. You can bake two sheets at a time, if you switch the top and bottom sheets halfway through. Bake for 8-11 minutes or until the centers of the cookies are set and barely retain an imprint when you tough them. Do not overbake. 

Recipe from: Pinch Me I’m Eating

Ingredients: 

• 1 ¾ cups almond flour 
• 1 cup walnut pieces finely chopped (almost ground) 
• 2 tablespoon coconut flour 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder 
• ¾ – 1 teaspoon ground cardamom (or ½ teaspoon cinnamon) 
• ¼ teaspoon salt 
• ½ cup butter softened 
• ½ cup Swerve Sweetener (granular or) 
• 1 large egg room temperature 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• ½ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener 

Instructions: 

1. For the cookies, preheat oven to 325F and line 2 baking sheets with silicone liners or parchment paper. 
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, chopped walnuts, coconut flour, cardamom, baking powder and salt. 
3. In a large bowl, beat the butter with the sweetener until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg, and vanilla extract. Beat in the almond flour mixture until the dough comes together. 
4. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and place on baking sheets about 1 inch apart. Bake 16 to 18 minutes, or until just lightly golden brown. Remove and let cool on the pan. 
5. Place the powdered sweetener in a small shallow bowl. Roll each cookie until completely coated in the powdered sweetener. 

Recipe from: All Day I Dream About Food

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour* 
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch 
• 2 teaspoons baking soda 
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon, divided 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1 teaspoon ginger 
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves 
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 
• 3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) butter, softened 
• 3/4 cup Imperial Sugar Light Brown Sugar 
• 1/2 cup, divided Imperial Sugar Extra Fine Granulated Sugar 
• 1/4 cup molasses 
• 1 large egg 

Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line two cookie sheets with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, one teaspoon cinnamon, salt, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup granulated sugar and remaining one teaspoon cinnamon. Set aside.
4. In a stand mixer, cream together butter, brown sugar, and remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add molasses, egg and vanilla extract, mixing until well combined. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, and mix until fully combined.
5. Roll one heaping tablespoon of dough into balls and toss in cinnamon sugar mixture. Place on cookie sheets, leaving about 2-inches for spreading.
6. Bake for 10 minutes, until edges are just set. While warm and just out of the oven, sprinkle tops of cookies with any remaining cinnamon sugar mixture.

Recipe from: Imperial Sugar

Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (3 sticks), softened 
• 2 cups granulated sugar 
• 4 eggs 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, almond, peppermint, or coconut extract 
• 5 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling (see notes) 
• 2 teaspoons baking powder 
• 1 teaspoon salt 

Instructions: 

1. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, using a hand mixer, or mixing with a wooden spoon, cream together butter and sugar. Mix in eggs and extract until well-combined. 
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remainder of cookie ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to wet in batches, until combined. 
3. Divide dough into quarters, form into discs, and wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours in the fridge, or 20 minutes in the freezer. 
4. Preheat oven to 400°F. 
5. Remove one disc from the fridge and roll out on floured surface until dough is 1/8″-1/4″ thick. 
6. Cut with cookie cutters and bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 6-8 minutes, watching closely. Cookies are done when bottoms are just barely golden. Remove immediately from cookie sheet, then let cool completely on wire racks before frosting. Make sure cookie sheets are cool to touch before placing more cookie dough on them. 
7. Decorate with sugar cookie icing and sprinkles, as desired. 

Recipe from: Wholefully

Ingredients: 

• 48 Hershey’s Kisses Brand Candy Cane Mint Candies
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine (1 stick) softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 and 1/2 tsps vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 2 Tbsps milk
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar red or green crystals

Instructions: 

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Remove wrappers from candies. 
2. Beat butter, granulated sugar, egg and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; add alternately with milk to butter mixture, beating until well blended. 
3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in red sugar, granulated sugar, powdered sugar or a combination of any of the sugars. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. 
4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and cookie is set. Remove from oven; cool 2 to 3 minutes. Press a candy piece into center of each cookie. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. Makes about 48 cookies. 

Recipe from: Hersheyland

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 3/4 cups butter , softened 
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar 
• 3/4 cups light brown sugar , firmly packed 
• 1 eggs , room temperature 
• 1/2 Tablespoon vanilla extract 
• 1 cups mini chocolate chips 
• 1 cup m&m’s 

Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or silplat mat. 
2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl; set aside. 
3. Add butter, sugar and brown sugar to a large mixing bowl or stand mixer and beat well until creamed together. 
4. Add egg and vanilla and mix until combined. 
5. Gradually mix in the flour and mix until combined. 
6. Stir in chocolate chips and m&m’s. 
7. Scoop dough into large balls (about 3 Tablespoons) and place on prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. 
8. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges (Do not over bake.) 
9. Let stand 1 minute on cookie sheet, then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely 

Recipe from: Taste’s Better From Scratch

Ingredients: 

• 1 tbsp ground flax meal 
• 3 tbsp water 
• ¾ cup gluten free all purpose baking flour 
• ⅓ cup Saco Pantry Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder 
• 2 tbsp tapioca flour or arrowroot flour or corn starch 1 tsp baking powder 
• ½ tsp baking soda 
• 10 tbsp vegan butter room temperature 
• ⅛ tsp salt 
• ⅓ cup organic brown sugar packed 
• ⅓ cup organic cane sugar 
• 1 tsp peppermint paste or extract 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• 1 cup vegan white chocolate chips 
• 1 tsp coconut oil 
• crushed peppermint candies 

Instructions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F° and prepare two baking sheet with parchment paper and then set them aside. In a small bowl, stir together the flax meal and water to create a flax egg and then set it aside to gel. 
2. Place the flours, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl and stir until well combined. 
3. In another bowl, use a handheld mixer to beat the butter until creamy. Add in the sugars and continue to beat until smooth. Add in the peppermint, vanilla and flax egg and mix until well blended. Add your dry ingredients to the wet and mix until a cookie dough forms. Separate the dough into 12 evenly sized balls and place seven on each tray about 2 inches apart. Press the balls down just slightly and bake them for 11-12 minutes. Let them cool on the baking tray for 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. They will firm up as they cool. 
4. In microwave safe bowl, melt the white chocolate chips and coconut oil together in 15 second increments, stirring between each until smooth. Dip each cookie into the melted white chocolate and then return them to the parchment lined baking sheets. Chill the cookies in the freezer for 5 minutes and then dip them a second time in the white chocolate (vegan white chocolate tends to be thinner than traditional white chocolate). Sprinkle with crushed candies and then return them to the freezer until chocolate is solid, about 5 minutes. 

Recipe from: Peanut Butter Plus Chocolate

Ingredients: 

For the cookies 

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick 
• 12 oz semi-sweet chocolate 
• 1 1/2 cups flour 
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1 1/4 cups brown sugar 
• 3 eggs 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 25 large marshmallows approximately 

For the icing 

• 2 cups powdered sugar 
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/2 stick, melted 
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 
• 1/4 cup hot water 
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• assorted sprinkles 

Instructions: 

Make the cookies 

1. In a medium saucepan (or in a microwave safe bowl, using 50% power), melt the butter and chocolate, stirring frequently. Once melted, set aside to cool slightly. 
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. 
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the sugar, eggs and vanilla on low speed until well combined. 
4. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and blend until just combined. 
5. While mixing, add the flour mixture slowly and blend until just combined. 
6. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then cover the dough and refrigerate at least 1 hour.  The dough should be firm.  If making the dough a day ahead, let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before shaping. 
7. Preheat oven to 325*F. and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat type liner. Use a tablespoon (or a tablespoon sized cookie scoop) to scoop the dough, then roll the dough in your hands to create balls. Arrange the balls about 2 inches apart on your baking sheets, then flatten slightly. 
8. Bake cookies about 12 minutes.
9. While the cookies bake, cut the large marshmallows in half (crosswise). When the cookies have baked, remove from oven and press one marshmallow half (cut side down) into the center of each cookie. Return the cookies to the oven and bake another 2-3 minutes. Allow the pan of cookies to cool a few minutes, then transfer cookies to cooling rack. 

Prepare cookie icing 

1. Prepare cookie icing by combining all ingredients in a medium bowl and mixing together with a whisk. Place wire cooling rack (with cookies on it) over a baking sheet (to catch any excess icing). Spoon a small amount of icing onto the top of each marshmallow, and use the back of the spoon to spread it a bit. After icing just a couple cookies, top with sprinkles before the icing dries. 
2. Allow icing to set up about 30 minutes before serving. 

Recipe from: Glorious Treats