My five family favorite holiday cookies to love this Christmas are here! If I haven’t made a couple of these by December 25th I might still make them on December 26th. Welcome to week #4 of my Holiday Cookie Series. It’s crazy how fast the time flys when you don’t leave the kitchen…ever. If you are new here make sure you check out the recipes from weeks 1-3…
BEST 5 COOKIES THAT SCREAM CHRISTMAS YOU WILL LOVE
THE BEST BAR COOKIES YOU’LL LOVE THIS CHRISTMAS
THE BEST DROP COOKIE RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE THIS CHRISTMAS.
This week there is a little something for everyone here. Are you a caramel lover? Do you enjoy a chocolate covered cherry? Maybe you enjoy a little savory or spice with your sweet. Some prefer the simple elegance of a shortbread cookie. Well if any of those sound good to you then this plate is for you.
Dark Chocolate Cordial Cherry
If you like a chocolate covered cherry then you have to make this cookie. It is SO GOOD. There are a lot of versions of a peanut butter blossom this is MY favorite. NOW, if you don’t enjoy a chocolate covered cherry well then this cookie might taste like Robitussin to you so move on I say. This one is NOT for you…but I LOVE them.
Dark Chocolate Cordial Cherry
Ingredients
- 1½ sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (300g) sugar (plus extra for rolling)
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- 1 large egg
- 1¼ cups (188g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (59g) dark cocoa powder
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 40 Hershey's Cordial Cherry Kisses (unwrapped)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°, line baking sheet with parchment, set aside
- sift together flour, cocoa, cornstarch, baking soda and set aside
- cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy
- add vanilla and egg, combine well
- add dry ingredients and combine
- using a small cookie scoop, roll balls of dough in sugar and place on cookie sheet 1" apart ( I was able to get all 40 cookies on one cookie sheet)
- bake for 6-8 minutes
- immediately press cherry kiss into center of each cookie
- after 2 min, transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely
Nutrition
Blackberry Swedish Butter Cookie Is Totally A Family Favorite
I don’t expect any of you to remember this but I am allergic to blueberries. I know what you’re thinking, what could possibly be in a blueberry that doesn’t agree with you? Well it must be the antioxidants (insert eye rolling emoji face here). If I am going to have a “blue berry” treat it has to come in the form of a blackberry. This blackberry swedish butter cookie totally satisfies. It is super easy to make, so pretty on your plate and tastes so yummy!
Blackberry Swedish Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups (300g) all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup (134g) sugar
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1½ sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- ⅓ cup blackberry jam
- 1 cup (112g) powdered sugar
- 1½ tbsp whole milk
Instructions
- preheat oven to 350°, line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper, set aside
- in a small bowl sift together flour and baking powder, set aside
- cream together butter and sugar
- add egg and vanilla, combine well
- add flour until just combined
- divind dough into 4 equal portions, shape each portion into a 12" by 1½" rectangle
- with a finger create a trough down the center of each rectangle, fill with blackberry jam
- bake 15-20 min (until slightly brown along the edges)
- cool on cookie sheet for 5 min, transfer to cooling rack unitl cooled completely
- slice each rectangle (diagonally) into 1" cookies
- combine powdered sugar and milk to make glaze, drizzle over cookies, let set
Nutrition
Once Salted Caramel Butter Bars Have Been Introduced To Your Holiday Cookie Platter They Will Be Your Favorite Too
There are a bunch of recipes for a caramel butter bar available to you. They are all over Pinterest and they are kind of similar and probably all good. My dear friend Patty shared this recipe with me one year and I have been making it every year since. It is my most requested recipe from extended family. Once you start making this recipe it will become an annual event for you as well. It’s an easy “bar” cookie to boot!
Salted Caramel Butter Bars
Ingredients
- 4 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- 1½ cups (168) powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- 4 cups (600g) all-purpose flour
- 1 bag kraft caramel candies unwrapped
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- ½ tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- 2 tsp coarse sea salt
Instructions
- preheat oven to 325°
- in a mixer cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy
- add vanilla and combine
- Add flour at low speed to form soft dough
- press half of dough into a buttered 9 x 13 baking pan, wrap remaining dough tightly in plastic wrap and chill in fridge while you bake crust for 20 min
- place unwrapped caramels, heavy cream, and vanilla in a small saucepan and heat until melted and smooth
- pour caramel over baked crust and sprinkle with coarse sea salt
- crumble the remaining chilled dough over the caramel
- return pan to oven and bake an additional 25-30 minutes
- cool completely and cut into squares
Nutrition
Orange Spice Shortbread Is Special Because Of It’s Simplicity
This shortbread recipe is simple and fool proof. The only thing I have to say about this recipe is I make it in a ceramic shortbread pan. If you don’t have one maybe consider getting one. You can get them right online and there is nothing prettier then the decorative stamp of the Ceramic Shortbread Pan. If you do not want to invest in a Shortbread Pan then double the ingredients in this recipe and bake in an 8 x 8 pan.
Orange Spice Shortbread
Equipment
- 1 Ceramic Shortbread Pan
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup (56g) powdered sugar
- 2 tsp orange zest
- ¼ tsp ginger
- ⅙ tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup (150g) all-purpose flour
- 3 oz chocolate (almond bark or melting wafers)
Instructions
- preheat oven to 325°, spray a ceramic shortbread pan with cooking spray and set aside
- cream together in a mixer butter, powdered sugar, orange zest and spices until light and fluffy
- add flour until just combined
- bring dough together by hand, press into shorbread pan, prick the entire thing with a fork
- bake for @ 30 min until edges are just starting to brown
- let cool 10 minutes in pan, invert onto a piece of parchment paper, slice while still warm into 16 pcs
- let cool completely
- melt 3 oz chocolate (according to directions) and dip edge of each piece of shortbread in chocolate and let set
Notes
Nutrition
This Mexican Chocolate Cookie Is SO Good
Truly one of my favorites. This chocolate cookie has a warm undertone of cinnamon and finishes with a subtle heat from a touch of ancho chile pepper. It’s so unusual and unexpected and yet you can’t stop eating them. They are almost like a potato chip! I like to make them the size of a 50₵ piece so luckily you can have a few and not feel guilty about it. Once you try these I feel strongly you’ll keep this recipe in your go to pile.
Mexican Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
- 1½ cups (225g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cups (94g) cocoa
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp ancho chile pepper
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- ¾ cups unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- 1 cup (168g) powdered sugar
- 1½ tbsp whole milk
Instructions
- preheat oven to 350°, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside
- sift together and then set aside, flour, cocoa, salt, cinnamon and ancho chile pepper
- cream together butter and sugar
- add vanilla and egg, combine well
- add dry ingredients to butter mixture until well combined
- chill dough for at least 60 min
- roll out dough to ¼" thickness and cut out with small cookie or biscuit cutter
- bake 8-10 minutes and let cool completely
- combine powdered sugar and milk, drizze over cookies. let set
Notes
Nutrition
I hope you enjoyed this post for my Five Family Favorite Holiday Cookies To Love This Christmas! Next week I tackle the classics! You know the ones…cut outs, raspberry linzer, peanut butter blossoms, peppermint bark etc. See you next week.
