Cookie Roundup (My Favorites!)
(click cookie name for recipe)
I’ve had a lot of folks ask what my favorite cookie recipes are for Christmas cookie exchanges so I’m putting them together in one handy, dandy list to help you with your holiday get togethers. My favorite thing to do is have other families each make one type of cookie and then get together for a big cookie exchange. By making a few dozen of one type and exchanging them like this, we can all end up with a big holiday cookie variety without the mess and also get to enjoy the delicious baking skills of our friends!
For more Christmas treats that are a must have in my family, check out Grandma Lucy’s Coffee Can Bon Bons (p.160), Creole Candy (our version of a praline p.159), Microwave Peanut Brittle (p.162), and Sugared Pecans (p.143) in the Southern Plate cookbook!
Fruitcake Bar Cookies
Candied and Dried fruit layered with cinnamon, brown sugar, and just enough flour and butter to hold it all together until it reaches your mouth!
Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
These are the cookies that, according to both of my children, make me the absolute best mother in the entire universe.
Chocolate…chocolate…enough said. 🙂
My nephew took one bite of these cookies years ago and declared them to taste just like clouds! Crisp and delicate meringue wrapped around chocolate chips – it’s all good here!
Nothing like a good old fashioned peanut butter cookie and a big glass of milk!
If you make these, my mailing address is P.O. Box 2308….
and I love you.
~wink~
Mama’s Milk Dunkin M&M Cookies
Mama always made these growing up and let us decorate the tops with M&M’s before putting them in the oven. We got to use exactly three M&M’s per cookie…
Santa loves ’em
I love baking from scratch, but I also love being able to turn out cookies as wonderful as this using boxed white cake mix!
This is one of my personal all time favorites. I like to make ’em really big and put each one in it’s own little bag with curling ribbon at top to give out as treats.
This is my go to bar cookie recipe, with the addition of butterscotch chips and raisins to make a cookie that is a favorite of my husband.
Oh. My. Goodness. So. Good. Please don’t leave me alone in the house with them! ~whimper~
Always a classic!
Each day comes bearing its own gifts. Untie the ribbons.
I’ve hand written all my Christmas favorites in a spiral notebook which my daughter says is HERS as soon as I’m gone!! Each year I add one or 2 recipes, which become new favorites. This year’s new favorite is a shortbread cookie, kind of like Mexican wedding cakes, or Pecan Nougats as Christy calls hers above, but it calls for chopped up Nestle Crunch bars instead of pecans or walnuts. They are yummy!!! Just chop up 5 candy bar size bars for each recipe.
E ven though my grandchildren are grown-up now, they still love to have their day with me making old favorite cookies, plus trying some new ones. I treasure the time with them.
My tip for the holiday is to set aside a day for everything you want done before the big day and the arrival of guests. I have a cookie baking day, a pie day, a card writing day (usually right after Thanksgiving) I even have a carpet scrubbing day. This way I am not overwhelmed and the house is ready for guests anytime one decides to pop in.
I love to invite the kids into the kitchen even during the holidays. It doesn’t matter if you are rushed or don’t have a lot of time to bake something inviting kids just to even watch what you are doing will inspire them to get in the kitchen later. Plus it gives you time to talk to them and spend time with them. Last year we had quite the assembly line going making peanut butter kiss cookies. I had one child unwrapping the kisses, one rolling the dough into balls, of course I was the one putting and pulling the cookies out of the oven, and then my youngest had her job as kiss placer. They loved telling everyone that they helped make those cookies. And we all had so much fun and can’t wait to make them again this year.
I want to try the M&M cookies. I have some M&Ms in the freezer that need to be used. I would love to try lots of the other recipes, but I don’t have enough people to eat them. Everyone in the family bakes also and no one wants to take your excess. They want you to take *theirs*! I sure don’t need them! I’ve gained 10 lbs since starting grad school and I’m having trouble fitting in my pants. 🙁 I can always bring them to work. Food disappears rapidly in the breakroom!
Just made my second batch of the pecan shortbreads, a double batch this time, so I can take some to work. This time, I ran out of pecans, so I ground up some cashews, turned out just as yummy!! Hubby really likes these, too, even tho I consider them a “dainty” cookie, with the powdered sugar and all!! Just have to keep a dishrag in my hand following him around to wipe up after him!! Isn’t that what we all do tho anyway?? lol Thanks Christy! BTW, I have a bowl of the sugar cookie dough in my fridge right now too, but need a whole day to make those, That’s tomorrow’s project.
Our Christmas is all about the kids! We have a fairly large family and at Christmas time, we all meet at my mom’s house and all the kids get to make their own Gingerbread house! We help them assemble the houses and then let them each decorate their own house!! We enjoy taking pictures of the edible construction zone and then when the houses are finished, we take their individual pictures with their unique creation! Its so much fun!! They also decorate Gingerbread Men and for the remainder of the day, we find armless & legless dough boys laying here or there…. Its so much fun for all!!!