Colleen James

Tag: Christmas cookies

  • A Collection of Christmas Cookies

    Pictures of the different cookies above

    I didn’t get around to entering the Christmas cookie bake off this year. Between working a part-time job this fall, taking Liam to soccer practices and games, helping him with his homework and Bible work and memory verses, and trying to keep up with the normal routine of cooking, cleaning, and trying to be a good wife and mom, I just didn’t have the energy or time to commit to such an endeavor.  I may be back at it next year, but this year I thought I’d share my collection of past cookies in one blogpost to make them easier to find.

    I have yet to make any cookies this Christmas season, so this listing will help me as well. So, without further ado, here are the Christmas cookies I’ve made throughout the years with a brief description of each:

    ALMOND CHERRY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

    These cookies combine the sweet, juicy taste of maraschino cherries with chocolate and a hint of almond extract. Soft and chewy, they make for a great party treat. These may very well be my husband’s favorite out of all the cookies I have made. Recipe below:

    http://anticipatingadventure.com/2020/12/02/almond-cherry-chocolate-chip-cookies/

    DOUBLE DECKER BUTTERSCOTCH BARS WITH EGGNOT CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

    This recipe is a bit complicated but completely worth the hassle! It consists of a chewy cookie bar covered in a creamy, rich butterscotch layer, which is then topped off with a fluffy eggnog frosting. It’s delicious, travels well for Christmas gatherings (when kept in its pan), and, if topped with some extra butterscotch pieces or nuts, looks quite elegant. Recipe Below:

    http://anticipatingadventure.com/2021/12/11/double-decker-butterscotch-bars-with-eggnog-cream-cheese-frosting/

    CHRISTMAS EVE COOKIES (MEXICAN HOT CHOCOLATE COOKIES)

    Made with Abuelita hot chocolate, these drop cookies are the perfect, chewy blend of chocolate and cinnamon, making them a great Christmas Eve treat! Recipe below:

    http://anticipatingadventure.com/2022/12/07/christmas-eve-cookies-mexican-hot-chocolate-cookies/

    CHRISTMAS PIE COOKIE CUPS

    The next two cookies I’m about to share are my favorite and were a big hit at my church family group last year. This first one is a sweet and tart combination of strawberry-cranberry filling with hints of cinnamon and clove in a chewy cinnamon cookie cup. They are so elegant looking and are only bite-sized, so there won’t be any guilt in indulging in these a little! Recipe below:

    http://anticipatingadventure.com/2023/12/10/christmas-pie-cookie-cups/

    SOFT GINGERBREAD COOKIES WITH NUTELLA BUTTERCREAM

    Creamy Nutella buttercream makes for a winning combination with this soft, gingerbread cookie! These can be made as whoopie cookies or kept as a single cookie with the frosting on top. Both are delicious! Recipe below:

    http://anticipatingadventure.com/2023/12/18/soft-gingerbread-cookies-with-nutella-buttercream/

    If you try any of these recipes, please send me a message and let me know how it turned out for you! I hope you enjoy this season, these cookies,  and everything this month has to offer as we remember the birth of our Savior. Merry Christmas!

  • Soft Gingerbread Cookies with Nutella Buttercream

    The gingerbread cookies with Nutella buttercream

    Recipe number three is very similar to the last recipe I posted, but in cookie form! This recipe actually came about before the gingerbread loaf did, mainly because I had a Christmas cookie competition to enter and needed some good cookie creations to do so!

    This cookie is soft and chewy, combining the warm flavors of gingerbread with rich, creamy Nutella. Good as a simple cookie with frosting or made as whoopie cookies, these are sure to become a Christmas family favorite in the years to come! Here’s the recipe:

    The three images are different angles of the gingerbread cookies with Nutella buttercream

    SOFT GINGERBREAD COOKIES WITH NUTELLA BUTTERCREAM

    Ingredients

    For the cookie:

    • 1 c salted butter, softened
    • 1 c light brown sugar
    • 1 egg
    • 1/3 c molasses
    • 2 1/3 c all-purpose flour
    • 2 t baking soda
    • 2 t ground cinnamon
    • 1 t ginger
    • ½ t cloves
    • ½ c granulated sugar (for coating)

    For the filling:

    • ½ c butter, softened
    • ½ c Nutella
    • 1 ½ c powdered sugar
    • 1 T milk

    In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar with an electric hand mixer. Add the egg and molasses and beat together.

    In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Once combined, add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and thoroughly mix together. Refrigerate the dough for two hours.

    Once chilled, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, then form the dough into tablespoon-sized balls and coat each ball with the granulated sugar. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

    Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely on the baking sheet.

    In the meantime, make the buttercream by beating together the butter and Nutella, then add the powdered sugar and milk and continue to beat with the electric mixer until all ingredients are well incorporated. Frost the tops of the cookies or frost the bottom of one cookie and stick it together with another cookie to form the whoopie cookie. Makes 36 individual cookies.

    Wanting more Christmas cookie inspiration? Be sure to check out these recipes from years past!

  • Christmas Pie Cookie Cups

    Picture of the Christmas cookies

    ‘Tis the season for holiday baking, and I have created quite a few new recipes I’m excited to share with you all! The first one is what I like to call Christmas Pie Cookie Cups. These cookies combine the sweet, tart, and tangy flavors of strawberries and cranberries with the spicy warmth of cinnamon and cloves in a chewy, cinnamon cookie cup. They really do taste like Christmas in a perfect, bite sized cookie! Added bonus? The process of preparing them will make your house smell like Christmas too!

    More pictures of the Christmas pie cookie cups

    CHRISTMAS PIE COOKIE CUPS

    Ingredients

    • 1 c butter, softened
    • ½ c brown sugar
    • ¼ c granulated sugar
    • 1 egg
    • 1 t vanilla
    • 1 ¾ c all-purpose flour
    • 1 ½ T cinnamon
    • ¼ t salt
    • ½ t baking soda
    • 1 c cinnamon chips (can substitute with white chocolate chips if necessary)

    For the compote:

    • 16 oz strawberries, diced
    • 1 c dried cranberries*
    • 1/3 c sugar
    • 1 lemon, juice of (divided)
    • 1 ½ t cinnamon
    • ¼ t cloves
    • 2 T cornstarch

    Instructions

    Make the strawberry cranberry compote ahead of time by mixing the diced strawberries, cranberries, sugar, and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice together. Simmer over medium heat for five to seven minutes, stirring often to break down the fruit. Stir in the cinnamon and cloves and place on low heat for another minute. In the meantime, stir the cornstarch into the remaining lemon juice one tablespoon at a time until combined. Slowly add the cornstarch mixture to the fruit sauce, stirring constantly. Once combined, remove from heat and then refrigerate until chilled.

    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside.

    Beat together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar with an electric mixer.  Add the egg and vanilla and mix together. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda, then add to the butter mixture and mix together until smooth.

    In a microwavable bowl, melt the cinnamon chips in 20 second increments, stirring between heating, until the cinnamon chips are completely melted, then add to the cookie dough and mix in.**

    Press the cookie dough into each muffin tin until right below the surface level, then bake for 8-12 minutes until the cookie dough is baked through. Remove from the oven and use the back of a ½ tablespoon to make an indent in each cookie. Allow the cookies to cool completely before gently prying each cookie out of each muffin slot, then fill each cookie cup with a spoonful of strawberry cranberry sauce and serve. Makes around 2 ½ dozen cookies.

    *I used dried cranberries when I originally created this recipe because fresh cranberries were not yet in season. I have since used fresh cranberries to make this recipe again and added 2 more tablespoons of sugar to make up for the tartness of fresh cranberries.** The cinnamon chips can be added to the batter without melting, if desired.

  • Almond Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies

    Well, the cookies that I entered in a Christmas cookie contest back in October didn’t win, and although I am not altogether surprised, I am a bit disappointed. I had grand dreams of becoming the Christmas cookie champion of 2020 (that’s what I would have called myself, at least) and claiming the cash prize. At the same time, I’m pretty sure that I could not have posted the recipe on this blog had I won the contest, and I really wanted to share it with you all, so I’m grateful for that chance. The opportunity to do so is a prize in and of itself.

    Although my recipe did not win, these cookies are award-worthy in my book, and my husband thinks so too. Loaded with cherries and chocolate with a hint of almond, they are the perfect blend of sweet and soft that will have you coming back for more. They are seriously addictive, and I’m pretty sure you’ll think so too!

    With Christmas just around the corner, these would make a great dessert for a Christmas party or family gathering. The only downside to making them is that the cherries will temporarily leave your fingers red if you dice them by hand. At the same time, your guests won’t be able to deny that you made this delicious treat. You can even tell them that they caught you “red-handed.” 😊

    After thumbing through recipes online recently, I realized that my creation is not so unique after all. The chocolate-cherry combination has been done before, and I don’t know why I wasn’t aware of that sooner, but finding these similar recipes has reminded me of the truth found in Ecclesiastes all the more:

    “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.”

    Ecclesiastes 1:9

    Although my recipe is nothing new after all, this is my take on the cherry-chocolate combo, with the additional almond extract that most recipes I’ve seen have lacked.

    If you make them, please leave a comment and let me know! I hope you enjoy them as much as my family does! Now let’s get to baking!

    ALMOND CHERRY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

    Ingredients:

    • ½ c unsalted butter, softened
    • 3/4 c brown sugar
    • 1 t almond extract
    • 1 egg
    • 1 1/2 c flour
    • 1/2 t salt
    • 1/2 t baking soda
    • 12 oz jar maraschino cherries, drained and diced (around 3/4 c diced cherries)
    • 1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

    Instructions:

    Preheat oven to 350o F. Mix the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth, then blend in the almond extract and egg. Add the maraschino cherries and stir by hand.

    In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and baking soda, then add to the wet ingredients and stir together. Add the chocolate chips and mix until well incorporated.

    Drop the dough by rounded tablespoon onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for fifteen minutes. Makes 20-24 cookies.