Best Holiday Cookies

Four Holiday Cookie Recipes

The holiday season is here and with it comes cookie exchanges, Christmas parties, and potluck dinners. Be the star of the show with one of these five recipes for the best holiday cookies.

1. Sugar Cookies

Soft and chewy, these traditional cookie favorites can be cut into any shape imaginable. There's no doubt that sugar cookies have become an essential part of the holiday season.

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon milk
• Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough

Directions

1. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Place butter and sugar in large bowl of electric stand mixer and beat until light in color. Add egg and milk and beat to combine. Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
3. Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough with powdered sugar. Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time, sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar, and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick. Move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If dough has warmed during rolling, place cold cookie sheet on top for 10 minutes to chill. Cut into desired shape, place at least 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat, and bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time. Let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes after removal from oven and then move to complete cooling on wire rack. Serve as is or ice as desired. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.

Borrowed from our friends at Food Network.

2. Peanut Butter Blossoms

These candy-topped peanut butter cookies are always a hit. Did you know that peanut butter blossoms originally debuted at the 1957 Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest? Here's how you can make some of your own!

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg
• Sugar, for dusting
• Hershey's Kisses or mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups for topping

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. In large bowl, combine flour, 1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, shortening, peanut butter, milk, vanilla, and egg; mix with electric mixer on low speed until stiff dough forms.
2. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake at 375 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately top each cookie with 1 Hershey's Kisses candy or 1 mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, pressing down firmly so cookie cracks around edge; remove from cookie sheets.

Borrowed from our friends at Pillsbury.

3. Thumbprint Cookies

A crispy shortbread base and a little dab of jam makes thumbprint cookies a classic Christmas staple. We used raspberry jam for these holiday cookies, but other favorites include apricot, strawberry, or even hazelnut spread!

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened at room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Assorted jams, for filling cookies

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. In another bowl, beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, 5 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla, then add dry ingredients in two batches until incorporated.
3. Using a small ice cream scoop, scoop 1-inch balls onto prepared baking sheets. Press a thumbprint into center of each ball, 1/2-inch deep. Fill with a small spoonful of jam.
4. Bake until edges of cookies are golden, 13 to 14 minutes. Cool on baking sheets before serving.

Borrowed from our friends at Delish.

4. Snickerdoodles

Buttery and blended with cinnamon sugar, Snickerdoodles are a delight for all ages. Bonus, there's no need to chill the dough.

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened at room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 egg, plus 1 yolk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 3/4 cup flour
• Cinnamon sugar, for dusting (1/3 cup granulated sugar + 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment mix the butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add in the egg, the yolk, vanilla, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, and cinnamon and mix for 1 minute, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
3. Turn mixer to low and add in flour, mixing until just combined.
4. Using a medium (2-tablespoon) cookie scoop, portion out the dough and roll into a ball. Then roll each cookie dough ball into the cinnamon sugar mixture until coated.
5. Place on prepared baking sheet about two inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, turning cookie sheet halfway through baking.
6. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 3-4 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Borrowed from our friends at Cookies and Cups.

5. Gingerbread Cookies

Run, run, as fast as you can, you can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man! Make your own gingerbread cookies with this easy recipe.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter, softened at room temperature
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 3/4 cup molasses
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Frosting, if desired

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and molasses. Combine the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until easy to handle, about 4 hours or overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut with floured 2-1/2-inch cookie cutters. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.
3. Bake until edges are firm, 8-10 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Borrowed from our friends at Taste of Home.   Ready to start baking? Share this post with your friends and organize a cookie exchange to have them sample your holiday cookies.

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