Christmas Cookie Recipes Part Two!

Welcome to part Two of Christmas Cookie Recipes!!

Oreo Peppermint Crunch Cookies

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 9 minutes

Yield: 36 cookies

This easy cake mix cookie gets a holiday twist from Oreo cookies and Peppermint Crunch pieces. They will disappear almost as fast as you make them.

Ingredients

1 box white cake mix (15.25 oz.)(I use Pillsbury)

1 stick butter, melted (8 Tbsp.)

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 cup Oreo cookie chunks

1 cup Andes Peppermint Crunch pieces

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Combine the cake mix, melted butter, egg, and extracts. Beat until a soft dough forms. Add the cream cheese and beat in gently until combined. Stir in the peppermint crunch pieces and chocolate chips first. Then gently stir in the cookie pieces by hand being careful not to break up the cookie more. Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes.
2. Roll the dough into 36 balls. Bake on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 9 minutes. Do not over bake. The cookies will be very soft and look undone. Let them sit on the hot cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then gently remove them with a spatula to a piece of wax paper on the counter.
3. Very gently tap the tops of the cookies with the bottom of the spatula to even out the tops. Let them sit until completely cool. Store in a sealed container. Makes 36 cookies.

Colorful Swirl and Bake Cookies

 

Ingredients

• 2 cups Flour
• ½ teaspoons Baking Powder
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• ⅔ cups Powdered Sugar
• ¼ cups Granulated Sugar
• 2-½ sticks Butter, Cut Into Chunks
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• ½ teaspoons Gel Food Coloring Of Your Choice
• ½ teaspoons Any Desired Extracts (optional)
• 1-½ cup Colored Sprinkles, In Your Choice Of Colors

Preparation

1. In a stand mixer, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugars with paddle on medium until well blended.
2. Add butter in, gradually, and continue mixing. Add in vanilla extract. At this point, your dough will form a ball on your paddle.
3. Remove your dough ball and divide into two equal parts. Return one portion back into the mixer and add the food coloring and any extra extracts; you’ll keep the other portion of dough plain. I used Wilton gel food coloring in leaf green and vanilla extract for this batch. You could coordinate your colors and flavors, for example green food coloring matched with a mint extract or yellow with a lemon extract, etc. Mix until the color is spread out evenly.
4. Roll out each portion of your dough, between two sheets of wax paper until it reaches about 11 x 9 inches and is 1/4 inch thick. Slide both sheets onto a cookie sheet and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
5. When firm, remove the top sheets of wax paper from both. Brush the uncolored vanilla dough lightly with water using a pastry brush. Then flip the colored dough onto the vanilla uncolored dough so they are stacked atop each other and even. Press the edges lightly with your fingertips to seal them together. Using a small paring knife, trim the edges of the dough to make straight, even lines.
6. Pour out sprinkles onto a large platter and set aside. Be sure your dough is still cold, but flexible. Once it’s ready, begin rolling the long side of dough into a swirl, jelly-roll style. Now, don’t get nervous if the outer layer of uncolored dough tears a bit. It’s no problem, just pinch and pat those tears and voila, then just keep rolling.
7. Now gently lift your dough log onto the sprinkles and roll away. Cover the log completely with your sprinkles. Wrap the colorfully decorated log in plastic wrap twice. Depending on when you want to bake the cookies, either place the wrapped dough into refrigerator for about 3-4 hours or you can put it the freezer and keep it there for up to 2 months. (If freezing, give yourself time for the dough to defrost in the fridge overnight before cutting.)
8. Slice your dough into 1/4-1/8 inch slices and bake on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake at 350F for 15-17 minutes until edges are slightly golden. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then move them to a cookie rack to finish cooling. Enjoy your whimsical Christmas cookies!
 

Thumbprint Snowman Cookies

Cute double thumbprint cookies made into adorable snowmen- because two cookies are always better than one.

Ingredients:

Cookies:
1/2  cup  butter, softened
1/4  cup  granulated sugar
1/4  cup  packed brown sugar
1  teaspoon  baking powder
1/2  teaspoon  salt
1   egg
1  tablespoon  milk
1  teaspoon  vanilla
2  cups  all-purpose flour
Icing (to fill cookies)
Icing:
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon almond extract or vanilla (optional)
Gel paste food coloring (black, orange) for decoration

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. In a large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until mixture is combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour.
2. Shape dough into 3/4-inch balls. For each full snowman cookie, on an ungreased or parchment paper-lined cookie sheet, place 2 dough balls side by side with one side touching. Press thumbs into each ball to form an indentation in each.  Repeat with remaining dough balls, leaving about 2 inches between cookies.  For heads only, use one dough ball.
3. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and transfer cookies to a wire rack. Let cookies cool.  Fill each indentation with the icing (I used decorating bags and #2 or #3 tip. Let icing dry for several hours.
4. Tint some of the royal icing black, and some orange.  Using a small decorating (#1) tip and black icing, apply buttons and eyes.  With the orange, add a carrot nose.
5. Let cookies dry completely, ENJOY!

Notes:

• To Store: Place filled cookies in a single layer in covered storage containers and store at room temperature up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months.

Gingerbread Men Cookies

Yield: 30 (3-inch) cookies
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 22 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

A recipe for soft Gingerbread Men Cookies - a holiday staple.

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup (6 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces and softened slightly
¾ cup molasses
2 tablespoons milk

Directions:

1. In food processor workbowl fitted with steel blade, process flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, and baking soda until combined, about 10 seconds. Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture and process until mixture is sandy and resembles very fine meal, about 15 seconds. With machine running, gradually add molasses and milk; process until dough is evenly moistened and forms soft mass, about 10 seconds. (Alternatively, in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, stir together flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt and baking soda at low speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Stop mixer and add butter pieces; mix at medium-low speed until mixture is sandy and resembles fine meal, about 1½ minutes. Reduce speed to low and, with mixer running, gradually add molasses and milk; mix until dough is evenly moistened, about 20 seconds. Increase speed to medium and mix until thoroughly combined, about 10 seconds.)
2. Scrape dough onto work surface; divide in half. Working with one portion of dough at a time, roll ¼-inch thick between two large sheets of parchment paper. Leaving dough sandwiched between parchment layers, stack on cookie sheet and freeze until firm, 15 to 20 minutes. (Alternatively, refrigerate dough 2 hours or overnight.)
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
4. Remove one dough sheet from freezer; place on work surface. Peel off top parchment sheet and lay it back in place. Flip dough over; peel off and discard second parchment layer. Cut dough into gingerbread people or round cookies, transferring shapes to parchment-line cookie sheets with a wide metal spatula, spacing them ¾-inch apart. Repeat with remaining dough until cookie sheets are full. Bake cookies until set in centers and dough barely retains imprint when touched very gently with fingertip, 8 to 11 minutes, rotating cookie sheet from front to back halfway through baking time. Do not overbake. Cool cookies on sheets 2 minutes, then remove with wide metal spatula to wire rack; cool to room temperature.
5. Gather scraps; repeat rolling, cutting and baking in steps 2 and 4. Repeat with remaining dough until all dough is used.
6. Once cookies are cool, decorate with royal icing, if desired. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Melting Snowman Cookies

Ingredients

1pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker™ sugar cookie mix

1/2cup butter, softened

1egg

1package (1 lb) vanilla-flavored candy coating (almond bark)

Black confetti candy sprinkles

Orange jimmies candy sprinkles

Betty Crocker™ Decorating Cookie Icing chocolate icing

Betty Crocker™ Decorating Decors snowflakes

Directions

• 1 Heat oven to 375°F. In medium bowl, stir together cookie mix, butter and egg until soft dough forms.
• 2 Roll half the dough into walnut-size balls, and then flatten slightly on a parchment-lined or ungreased cookie sheet. Roll remaining dough into marble-size balls, and place on cookie sheet; do not flatten these.
• 3 Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until edges are lightly golden brown. Cool about 5 minutes or until cookies are firm enough to be transferred to cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.
• 4 In large microwavable bowl, microwave candy coating at 30-second intervals until it can be stirred smooth. Cover work surface with waxed or parchment paper.
• 5 Place a dot of melted coating on bottom of a small cookie and place it toward one edge of a larger cookie. Spoon coating over entire cookie, allowing some to spill over edge of bottom cookie.
• 6 Place two black confetti pieces on small cookie for eyes, and an orange candy sprinkle in center for a carrot nose. Place three black confetti sprinkle “buttons” on the bottom cookie. Alternatively, you can decorate one large cookie in the same manner, to represent a completely melted snowman.
• 7 Use the cookie icing to draw on arms. Sprinkle with snowflakes; allow to dry completely.
• 8 Store cookies in airtight container.

 

Peppermint Crunch Dark Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies

 

What You’ll Need:

• 1 box Betty Crocker Dark Chocolate Cake Mix {15.25 oz.}
• 1 bag Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips {10 oz.}
• 1/2 cup Canola or Vegetable Oil
• 2 eggs
• Cookie Sheets

What You’ll Do:

• Combine cake mix, eggs, and oil in large mixing bowl, and beat well.
• Stir in Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips
• Chill dough in refrigerator for 20 minutes
• Drop onto ungreased non-stick cookie sheet in rounded balls.
• Bake for approx. 8 – 9 minutes {or until done} at 350 degrees.
• ENJOY!!

 

M&M Cookies {Christmas Style}

Yield: 2 1/2 dozen

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 - 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (for a thicker cookie use 2 1/2)
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup salted butter, chilled and diced into cubes (about 1/2-inch)
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 (11 oz) bag M&M's (I used mini)

 

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, blend together butter and sugar on low speed until it starts to come together then increase mixer to medium speed and whip until creamy, about 3 - 4 minutes. Mix in egg and egg yolk. Stir in vanilla. With mixer set on low speed, slowly add in dry ingredients and mix just until combine (batter will be thick due to the chilled butter). Mix in M&M's (I set aside about 1/4 cup of the M&M's to lightly press into the tops of cookies before baking so they show through more, totally optional).
• Scoop dough out 2 Tbsp at a time and shape into a ball, transfer to a Silpat lined or buttered cookie sheet - fitting 8 per sheet. Bake in preheated oven 10 - 12 minutes until edges are lightly golden. Allow to cool on baking sheet several minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container. 

Roly-Poly Santa Cookies

(Makes 12)

 

Ingredients for Santas

1 cup butter 

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla 

2 1/4 cups flour 

red food coloring 

mini chocolate chips (for eyes and buttons) 

Red Hots for nose 

Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees 

Beat butter on high for 30 seconds. Add sugar, beat until combined., scraping down sides of bowl. Beat in milk and vanilla. Gradually add flour. 

Remove 1 cup of dough and set aside. Mix red food coloring in the remaining dough. Make one 1 inch ball and five 1/2 inch balls from the red dough. From the plain dough make 3/4 inch ball and four 1/4 inch. Attach them by just pushing the dough together, like picture shows. Add the chocolate chip eyes and buttons. After they are all assembled on a cookie sheet, bake them for 12-15 minutes. Let cool for 2 minutes.

Ingredients for frosting:

1/2 cup shortening 

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/3 cup powdered sugar 

1 tablespoon milk 

Directions: 

Beat shortening and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in mixer for 30 seconds. Gradually add powdered sugar and enough milk to make frosting piping consistency. 

Spoon frosting into a decorating bag and use a medium, star tip to pipe the Santa's beard, and hat. Don't forget to add the nose!