Baking for your guests this holiday weekend? Here are a handful of fail-safe easy recipes for timeless cookies. The simplicity allows you to serve your family and friends with a selection that is certain to bring them joy.
Happy Holidays from my home to yours.
Holiday Cookie Recipes
Recipes by Michele Bogle
Gingerbread Castle
Equipment:
Mold of choice, handheld or standup mixer, spatula, measuring cups, cooking spray, piping bag, tip #3, measuring spoons, mixing bowl
PREPARATION TIME: 1 hr 15 min YIELD: 1 medium-sized structure
Ingredients
3 cups flour
¾ cup brown sugar
¾ tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 ¼ Tbsp ginger
½ tsp salt
½ cup butter, cut into 12 pieces
¾ cup molasses
2 Tbsp milk
2 egg whites
1 cup icing sugar
½ tsp vanilla
Instructions
Step 1
With the mixer, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.
Step 2
Incorporate butter pieces into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter, until crumbled texture is achieved.
Step 3
On low speed, add the molasses and milk, mixing just until combined. Use your hands to incorporate any loose pieces.
Step 4
Preheat the oven to 350℉.
Spray the side of the form that will be covered with the dough. Set the form on the cookie sheet.
Using your hands, press the dough into all of the crevices and across the surface of the form. Bake for 40 minutes or until the gingerbread no longer looks wet.
Leave attached to form until completely cooled.
Step 5
In the mixing bowl, whisk together egg whites, icing sugar and vanilla.
Spoon the icing into the prepared piping bag and decorate your form as desired.
Double Chocolate Chip Cookie Reindeer
Equipment
Ice cream scoop, measuring cups, spatula, handheld or standup mixer, measuring spoons, parchment paper, baking sheet, mixing bowl
PREPARATION TIME: 30 min YIELD: 24
Ingredients
1 ½ cups brown sugar
⅔ cup shortening
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp water
2 eggs
⅓ cup dark cocoa
1 ½ cups flour
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking soda
2 cups semisweet or dark chocolate chips
1 pkg pretzels
2 doz candied eyes
2 doz round red candies
Instructions
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 375℉.
In the mixer, beat the brown sugar, shortening, water, eggs and vanilla together for 2 minutes.
Step 2
In a bowl, combine the cocoa, salt, baking soda and flour, then add the chocolate combination to the wet mixture until blended.
Stir in the chocolate chips. Don’t overmix.
Step 3
Place parchment paper on the cookie sheet.
Drop dough balls onto a cookie 2 inches apart with the ice cream scoop. With your fingertips, narrow one end of each dough ball to create the deer’s head.
Bake for 9 minutes. Do not over bake.
Step 4
Before completely cooled, decorate using some of the melted chocolate to help attach the candy. Enjoy!
Kipferls
Equipment
Handheld or standup mixer, measuring cups, spatula, measuring spoons, large ziploc plastic bag, plastic wrap, baking sheet, wax paper
PREPARATION TIME: 1 hr 50 min YIELD: 36
Ingredients
2 cups finely ground almond
1 cup butter, softened
2 ¼ cups icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla
⅓ tsp almond extract
2 cups flour
¼ tsp salt
Instructions
Step 1
With a mixer, beat butter, ¼ cup sugar, vanilla, almond extract and salt until fluffy.
Step 2
Add flour and almonds and mix by hand until well blended.
Step 3
Form a ball and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Step 4
Preheat the oven to 325℉.
On a large piece of wax paper, cut tablespoon-sized portions of dough for each cookie, forming each into crescents by hand.
Place them 1 inch apart on a baking sheet. Bake for approx 18 minutes or until bottoms are golden. Cool completely.
Step 5
Pour remaining 2 cups of icing sugar into a ziploc bag, and add half a dozen crescents, carefully ensuring that all cookies are liberally covered in icing sugar, repeat until all of the cookies are covered.
Sugar Cookie Christmas Tree
Equipment
10-star shaped cookie forms in graduated sizes, handheld or standup mixer, measuring cups, measuring spoons, spatula, frosting knife, toothpick, baking sheet, mixing bowl, whisk
PREPARATION TIME: 1 ½ hr including refrigeration YIELD: 10 cookies
Ingredients
Sugar Cookie Tree -
4 cups flour
¾ tsp baking powder
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
Royal Icing with Lemon -
2 egg whites, room temperature
1 cup icing sugar
½ tsp vanilla
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 oz green food colour
1 oz red food colour
1 oz blue food colour
Coloured edible candied balls for decorating, optional
Instructions
Step 1
In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
Step 2
In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, for approximately 2 minutes.
Step 3
Without stopping the mixer, add the egg whites, one at a time, scraping the sides as needed. Then add the vanilla.
Step 4
Reduce the speed of the mixer and gradually add in the flour mixture until well incorporated.
Step 5
Divide the dough in half, shape it into two disks. Tightly wrap the disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for 2 hours.
Step 6
Preheat the oven to 375℉.
Remove the plastic wrap and press pieces of dough firmly, by hand, into the forms.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges begin to turn golden in colour. Let cool completely before removing cookies from forms.
Step 7
In the mixing bowl, whisk together egg whites, icing sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla.
Divide icing into bowls, to dye with gel food coloring if desired. Spread the cookies with coloured icing, and use the toothpick to decorate cookies with a variety of colours.
Allow the icing to set and stack the cookies in graduating size order.
Madeleines
Equipment
Madeleine pan, handheld or standup mixer, heat-resistant measuring cup, measuring spoons, spatula, shallow bowl, small ziploc plastic bag, cooking spray, cake tester
PREPARATION TIME: 30 min YIELD: 12
Ingredients
10 Tbsp butter, melted, cooled
2 large eggs, room temperature
½ cup sugar
3 Tbsp light brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 ¼ cups flour
2 Tbsp lemon zest
½ cup white chocolate
3 large candy canes, crushed
1 oz red food colour
Instructions
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 375℉. Prepare the pan with cooking spray and set aside.
Step 2
In a mixer on medium speed, combine eggs, sugars, and vanilla.
Step 3
Lower the speed and incorporate the flour and lemon zest into the egg mixture.
Step 4
Drizzle cooled melted butter into the batter and gently fold the batter with a spatula just until combined. Do not overmix.
Step 5
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes, or until the cake tester comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before icing.
Step 6
In a heat-resistant measuring cup, melt the white chocolate in the microwave at 20 second intervals, stirring after each time until a smooth texture is acquired. Stir in the desired amount of red food colouring.
Note: If the chocolate overheats it won’t melt. Use half teaspoons of hot water at a time, to achieve the desired texture.
Dip the end of each madeleine into the melted chocolate, then into the crushed candy cane.
Dark Chocolate Almond and Cranberry Bark
Equipment
Cookie sheet, parchment paper, small saucepan, heat-resistant spatula, measuring cup, measuring spoons, whisk, frosting knife
PREPARATION TIME: 1 hr YIELD: 12 to 16 pieces
Ingredients
66 saltine crackers
3 cups semisweet or dark chocolate chips
1 cup almonds
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup sugar
6 Tbsp butter, softened, sliced into 6 pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
Step 1
Heat the sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stir constantly with spatula for 6 minutes to produce an amber-colored liquid.
Step 2
Carefully incorporate the butter with a fork, or whisk, until melted. Guard your face as the mixture will splatter and bubble up during this stage.
Step 3
Slowly add in the cream and bring the mixture to a boil. Remove from heat. Set aside.
Step 4
Preheat the oven to 400℉.
Prepare the cookie sheet with parchment paper. Lay the saltines end-to-end, single layered, in six rows. Spread the almonds and cranberries over the saltines. Pour the caramel evenly over the top, covering the saltines. Bake for 6 minutes.
Step 5
Immediately sprinkle the chocolate chips over the saltine combination.
Allow to sit for 5 minutes, then use the frosting knife to spread the softened chocolate across the surface. Cool in the refrigerator for ½ an hour. Break into uneven pieces and enjoy!
Shortbread Cookies
Equipment
Handheld or standup mixer, measuring cup, 9 inch x 13 inch baking dish
PREPARATION TIME: 45 min YIELD: 36 pieces
Ingredients
4 cups flour
2 cups butter, softened
1 ⅛ cups sugar, divided
Coloured candied sprinkles for topping
Instructions
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350℉.
In a mixer, beat together 1 cup of sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
Step 2
Blend the flour in, just until mixed.
Step 3
Firmly press the mixture into the baking dish, by hand. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown. Cut a piece out to ensure that it is baked through. If the dough is uncooked, the shortbread can return to the oven in 2 minute increments until fully baked.
Step 4
Immediately sprinkle with the remaining sugar, then decorate with candied sprinkles. Divide with a sharp knife and allow to cool before serving.