The holiday season is loaded with cookies. By the time Christmas comes around, it is easy to feel like you have eaten enough green and red sugar cookies to last a lifetime. Mix things up this holiday season with these five creative Christmas cookie recipes. They are sure to make your cookies stand out from the pack. Throw on an ugly sweater, start a classic Christmas movie (here’s a list of the Emerald’s favorites) or some holiday music, and get baking!
Christmas Wreath Cookies
What you’ll need:
1. ½ cup salted butter
2. 5 cups mini marshmallows
3. 1 teaspoon green food coloring
4. 6 cups corn flakes
5. Small container of red cinnamon candies (three candies for each cookie wreath)
What to do:
1. Place corn flakes in a large bowl
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat
3. Add the marshmallows to the melted butter and stir until completely melted together
4. Stir in green food coloring
5. Pour the melted mixture into the bowl of corn flakes
6. Stir until all the corn flakes are covered
7. Lay out parchment paper on the counter
8. Place a spoonful of the corn flake mixture onto the parchment paper and use your hands to shape the corn flakes into a wreath
9. Top each wreath with three cinnamon candies to create a holly effect and enjoy!
Candy Cane Kiss Cookies
What you’ll need:
1. 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
2. 1 ¼ cups butter
3. 1 egg
4. 1 teaspoon baking powder
5. ½ teaspoon salt
6. 2 bags of Candy Cane Hershey’s Kisses
7. 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
What to do:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Remove wrappers from Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses
3. In a large bowl, combine butter, powdered sugar, peppermint extract and egg
4. Beat these ingredients together until evenly blended
3. In another bowl, combine baking powder, flour and salt
4. Whisk these ingredients together
5. Stir the dry mix into the wet mix
6. Beat together until evenly blended
7. Mold the dough into 1-inch balls and place on cookie sheet
8. Bake for 9 minutes, checking occasionally
9. Let sit out of the oven for 2 minutes, then push a Candy Cane Kiss into the center of each ball
10. Let cool and enjoy!
Chocolate Chip Snowball Cookies
What you’ll need:
1. ¾ cup sliced almonds
2. 2 cups and 2 tablespoons flour
3. ¼ tablespoon salt
4. 1 cup unsalted butter
5. 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
6. 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
7. 1 cup mini chocolate chips
What to do:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Grind almonds in a blender/food processor
3. In a bowl, mix together flour and salt
4. In a separate large bowl, use a mixer to combine butter and ½ cup of the powdered sugar until smooth
5. Stir in the vanilla extract
6. Slowly mix in the flour and salt combination
7. Stir in chocolate chips and almonds
8. Roll dough into small balls and place on a cookie sheet
9. Bake for 10-12 minutes
10. Pour remaining 1 cup of powdered sugar in a bowl
11. Roll the baked cookies in the powder and enjoy!
Hot Chocolate Fudge Bites
What you’ll need:
1. 2 cups dark chocolate chips
2. 1 cup white chocolate chips
3. 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
4. 1 ½ cups mini marshmallows
What to do:
1. Combine white chocolate chips with 3 tablespoons of the sweetened condensed milk
2. In a separate bowl, combine dark chocolate chips and the remaining sweetened condensed milk
3. Line a 9×9 pan with aluminum foil and spread butter on the bottom
4. Microwave the dark chocolate mixture for 30 seconds and then stir it
5. Microwave another 15 seconds and stir again
6. Transfer the dark chocolate to the 9×9 pan and spread evenly
7. Microwave the white chocolate mixture for 30 seconds and then stir it
8. Spread the white chocolate on top of the dark chocolate in the pan
9. Top with mini marshmallows and gently push them down
10. Place in the refrigerator for 4 hours to set
11. Remove fudge from pan and peel off foil
12. Cut fudge into small squares and enjoy!
Candy Cane Twist Cookies
What you’ll need:
1. 2 sticks salted butter
2. 1 cup powdered sugar
3. 1 egg
4. 1 teaspoon of pure peppermint extract
5. 3 cups flour
6. ½ teaspoon salt
7. ¾ teaspoon red food coloring
What to do:
1. Use a mixer to combine butter and powdered sugar until fluffy
2. Mix in egg, vanilla and peppermint extract until smooth
3. Mix in flour and salt until smooth
4. Divide the dough in half and remove one half from the mixer bowl
5. With the remaining half in the bowl, mix in red food coloring
6. Wrap the red dough and the regular dough separately in plastic wrap
7. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, but not longer than 8 hours
8. Remove dough from fridge and preheat oven to 375 degrees
9. Grab a small ball of each color of dough and roll separately into long log shapes
10. Twist the two strands together and bend the top into a candy cane shape
11. Place twisted candy canes on a cookie sheet and place back in the fridge for 15 minutes
12. Bake cookies for 10 minutes, or until golden brown
13. Remove from oven, allow to cool and enjoy!
