Tag Archives: 12 Days of Christmas Cookies

Stop Here Santa Cookie

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Makes 1 large (8″) diameter cookie

Ingredients

  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons packed light or dark brown sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons beaten egg
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 6 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 Tablespoons whole rolled oats
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup M&Ms
  • 2 Tablespoons coarsely crushed peppermint candy can
  • Additional M&Ms to decorate, optional
  • Additional mini-chocolate chips, optional

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper #
  2. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together in a large bowl on medium-high speed until combined and creamy
  3. Add beaten egg, vanilla extract, then beat on medium-high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed
  4. Beat in the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt on low speed, then, with a spoon or spatula, fold in the M&Ms and crushed candy cane pieces until combined. (The dough will be sticky. If it’s too sticky to handle, chill in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes)
  5. Shape into a mound in the center of the lined baking sheet. Bake for 20-30 minutes until edges and top are lightly browned. The center will look soft, but it will set as the cookie cools
  6. Cool the cookie on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before eating. As it cools, press a few additional M&Ms and chocolate chips into the top, if desired, for garnish

Lebkuchen Hearts

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Makes 20-30 hearts (dependent on cookie cutter size)

Ingredients

Cookies

  • ½ cup runny honey
  • ½ cup dark brown sugar
  • 4 ½ Tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup All Purpose flour
  • 1 cup rye flour
  • 2/3 cup ground almonds
  • 1 egg
  • 2 ½ teaspoon Lebkuchen spice *see below
  • ½ Tablespoon cocoa powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 oz candies mixed peel (optional)
  • Zest ½ lemon
  • Pinch Kosher salt

To Decorate

  • 1 egg white, lightly whisked
  • Blanched almond halves (optional)
  • Glace cherry halves (optional)

Method

  1. Combine the honey brown sugar, butter in a small pan and heat over a low heat until melted. Stir occasionally until fully blended. Remove from heat and set aside until needed
  2. Place the remaining ingredients into a large bowl and whisk together to combine
  3. Pour over the melted honey mixture and stir together with a wooden spoon to form a sticky dough. Cover with a clean dish cloth and set aside for an hour. By this time the dough should become more workable
  4. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line two baking/ cookie trays with baking parchment
  5. Lightly flour a counter-surface and roll out the dough to  1/8inch thickness. Using a heart shaped cookie cutter, punch out hearts and place them on your prepared baking cheets, spacing ¾ inch apart. Re-roll any dough scraps to form additional cookies and repeat
  6. Brush the top of each cookie with the whisked egg white and place an almond or cherry half in the centre of each cookie
  7. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes until golden brown and just firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking tray for a few minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely
  8. Cookies can be kept in an airtight container for month or more. They will soften over time

*Lebkuchen Spice Mix

  • 5 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 Tablespoon ground ginger
  • 2 teaspoons ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon ground anise
  • ½ teaspoon ground mace
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  1. Combine all the ingredients and whisk to thoroughly combine. Transfer to an airtight storage jar and store for up to a year

Grinchy Christmas Wreathes

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Makes 18

Ingredients

  • 8 Tablespoon butter
  • 3 cups (30) large marshmallows
  • A few drops of green food coloring gel
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 cups cornflakes
  • Red candy coated chocolates (M&Ms)

Method

  1. Line a large baking/ cookie tray with baking parchment and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside
  2. Add butter to a large pan and melt over a low heat
  3. Add in the marshmallows and cook, stirring constantly, until melted and smooth
  4. Remove pan from the heat, adding in the food coloring and vanilla extract, whisking until evenly blended
  5. Add the cornflakes and stir gently until well coated
  6. Working quickly to avoid the mixture hardening, use two small spoons (or your lightly oiled fingers) to drop small amounts- roughly 2 tablespoons, of mixture onto your prepared cookie sheet. Using  your fingers shape these mounds into wreath shapes with open centres
  7. While the wreath cookies are still sticky. Add the red candy coated chocolates for berries
  8. Set the finished wreath cookies aside to dry for several hours until they are fil and hold their shape
  9. The finished cookies can be kept for 1 month in an airtight container at room temperature

Chocolate Orange Shortbread

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Makes 24

Ingredients

  • ½ cup and 2 tablespoons fine sugar, divided
  • 2 Tablespoons Orange zest
  • 2 cups All Purpose Flour
  • 1/3 cup Semolina
  • 2 Tablespoons Rice Flour
  • ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1 cup salted butter, cold and cubed
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method

  1. Lightly grease the sides of and line a 9″ x 12″ traybake tin with parchment paper allowing a 2-3” overhang
  2. In a large bowl, combine ½ cup sugar, the orange zest and rub together with your fingers to release the orange oils into the sugar. Add in the flour, semolina, rice flour, and salt. Whisk together to further combine
  3. Add in the cubed butter and rub together with your fingertips, or a pastry cutter, until the mixture is just beginning to bind together. Every so often do a quarter turn of the bowl to make sure you’re using all the dry mixture. You’ll want a texture somewhere between breadcrumbs and damp sand before you stop. Be wary of overworking the butter into the mixture – you want to avoid a dough that is feels slimey from the butter melting too much into the dry ingredients
  4. Add the chocolate chips and gently fold through the butter crumb mixture
  5. Tip the crumb mixture into your prepared tin and press the dough so that it forms a solid, even layer. Level the surface with the back of a spoon or measuring cup, making sure the mixture is evenly spread and level
  6. Refrigerate for 30 mins minimum
  7. Preheat your oven to 325°F
  8. Remove the chilled dough from your fridge and using a knife, or pizza cutter, score the shortbread into 24 rectangular pieces (2 cuts by 7 cuts) taking care not to actually cut the full way through the dough layer
  9. Bake the dough for 30- 35 minutes or until a very pale golden brown, and deeper golden brown at the edges
  10. Leave rest for 5 minutes, then cut with a knife, or pizza cutter, at the score lines you previously made, cut to the bottom of the pan to complete the cut the full way through
  11. Dust with the remaining fine sugar and leave the full slab of shortbread to cool in the tin for 15 minutes. Carefully lift the fingers out of the tin with a palette knife or the parchment paper overhang and finish cooling on a wire rack
  12. Keep in an airtight container for up to 1 week

Cake Box Cookies

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Makes 9-16 (dependant on cookie scoop size)

Ingredients

  • 15 oz box cake mix (White Cake, Red Velvet etc)
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup white chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • Food coloring gel (if using white cake mix)

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside until needed
  2. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, oil and eggs. Add food coloring if using. Mix until well combined and uniform in color. The batter will be quite stiff
  3. Stir in both types of chocolate chips
  4. Lightly spray a 1.5 – 2 Tablespoon cookie scoop with cooking spray. Scoop batter onto prepared baking sheets, about 2-3 inches apart- they will spread out
  5. Bake 11-12 minutes. Cookies will look soft and be slightly underdone in the center when you take them out- they’ll keep cooking while on the baking sheet
  6. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely