Holiday Traditions: Christmas Cookies
In our family, we enjoy baking for the holidays. It’s the one time of year that we actually carve out time to spend together in the kitchen baking, donning aprons and listening to festive holiday music. We usually set aside one weekend to get all of the baking done, but I know other families who spend time each week making all sorts of delicious holiday concoctions! Here are some of the cookies that we enjoy making. These are really easy and don’t require hours in the kitchen by any means!
- Hershey Kiss Macaroons These are not only my favorite, but also a hit with everyone I know. They’re so easy, too! Line a cookie sheet or pizza stone with parchment paper (this is absolutely necessary, because these cookies stick!). Mix together a 14-oz bag of shredded coconut, two teaspoons vanilla extract, one teaspoon almond extract and a 14-oz can of condensed milk. Drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto the parchment paper and bake for about 15 minutes in a 325 degree oven. While they’re baking, unwrap Hershey kisses, one for each cookie. Take the cookies out when the coconut starts turning light brown, and gently push one kiss into the top of each cookie. Let them cool, then use a spatula to remove the cookies from the parchment paper.
- Thumbprint Cookies I usually cheat and use packaged sugar cookie mix for these. If you want to, just use your favorite recipe to make the cookies homemade. Once you have your dough mixed, drop by tablespoons onto a cookie sheet. Let your child make a thumbprint in each cookie, and fill each indentation with a small amount of raspberry fruit spread. (You can use whatever flavor you want, of course.) Bake as directed on the recipe or the package.
- Magic Cookie Bars These are seriously so delicious that I only make them if I have someone to give them to; otherwise, I’d eat the whole pan myself! My grandmother used to make them when I was little, so to me, it’s a taste of my childhood. Crush a sleeve of graham crackers into crumbs and use them to cover the bottom of a 13 x 9 baking pan. Slice up a stick of butter and lay the slices all over the crumbs, then put the pan in a low oven for a few minutes, just to melt the butter. Pour a can of condensed milk over the crumbs and pat everything down to make a crust. On top of the crust, you’ll be sprinkling layers of chopped nuts (whatever kind you like), flaked coconut, butterscotch pieces and chocolate chips. If you don’t like one of those ingredients, substitute something else (like peanut butter or white chocolate chips) or just add more chocolate! Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes, then let the pan cool. Cut into bars and watch them disappear!
What are your favorite holiday cookies? Share your tips with our readers!
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It would have to be the old fashioned Chocolate Chip Cookies. But I love those not too dry but the moist one without the crunch.
I like very of biscuits dry and crunchy.
I love Pecan Butter Balls – basically a not too sweet pecan and shortbread cookie rolled in powdered sugar. Melt in your mouth yummy!
good for christmas season
nice, the same with mine.. the tradition..
mmmmmmmmmmm this sounds yummmmmyyyy
The magic cookie bars sound so yummy, they are going on my list to bake this year, thanks
Ooh, those macaroons sound Yummo! Thanks for sharing!
I love the cookie bars! Something a bit different from the norm.
I love magic cookie bars. I haven’t made them before but I plan to this year. Looks like i better get a move on since there is only 15 days left! Ahh!
All great recommendations!
My Magic Cookie Bars are also one of my holiday traditions…oh man, are they good. These Hershey Kiss Macaroons sound heavenly!
I love cookies! Hershey Kiss Macaroons are sooo good!
I love making Christmas cookies more than any other time of the year. i remember my mom and I would stay up all night making our cookies. We would have cans of them each with one of our favorites we would make , like Peanut butter, sand tarts, toll house oatmeal etc. They would last for months. i also collect recipes and cookbooks. The ones you mention I have not ever made, so I got some new ones to try- thanks
I have to make my Snickerdoodle cookies every year! They are so delicious! I also make a bundt cake with cranberries, it is so good. I also have an apple pie and fudge!
Wow! 3 easy to prepare cookies! I’d probably try one of these for my son and his cousins on Christmas day. Thanks!
I love making all kinds of cookies for Christmas! I try to make something new each year. Hubby always takes a huge tray with him to work and now the guys are spoiled, asking when he’s bringing in more of his wife’s delicious cookies! Makes me feel good they really love them. 🙂
They all sound so good!
I love making cookies for christmas,my speciality is chococate balls wrapped in coconut powder or walnut powder or just dip in fudge..yum!
My favorite that mom and I use to make growing up was a spice date cookie.
This post reminds me of baking for Christmas when I lived at home with my mother 🙂
Thank you this year will be my first attempt at making thumbprint cookies and I just want to make sure they will come out properly :]
We have so much fun doing sugar cookies with our kids. It’s something my family did every year. Using christmas cookie cutters and letting the kids get wild and creative with icing and sprinkles!
I am really careful about making cookies around the holidays. Its so easy to get carried away with how much sugar you let the kids have this time of year! I would have to say that my all time fave is chocolate chip. either that, or I just can’t make any other ones 🙂
Wow, those sound really good!! I think I am going to make the Kiss cookie macaroons! YUM!!
Our Holiday tradition cookies are sugar cookies! We all get together bake and then let the kids decorate them how ever they like then serve them for Christmas Eve!
i’m such a sucker for macaroons!! I can’t wait to start holiday baking.
Those all sound yummy, but my favorite is the wedding ball or the pecan ball coated with powdered sugar. I use a small paper sack with powdered sugar in it then carefully place the warm cookies in the bag and gently roll around till they are covered. Take out of bag and place them on platter.(or eat)
Reading this made me hungry 🙂
Magic Cookie Bars have been a part of our holidays ever since I can remember. Also love the fudge that comes on the jar of marshmallow cream.My mom loves recipes of all kinds so every year she would drag out all these cookbooks and picka few new cookies or bars to make. We all loved her pineapple cream cheese bars.Also love the breads that we make..banan, pumpkin and zuchini. yummy
Thanks for the great recommendations!
We really need to decide what cookies we are making this year and plan it out! I need to make candy bark at the request of my Mother In law for sure!
My mother always has and does make the best Christmas cookies ever…I LOVE the shorbread sticks, dipped in chocolate, then coated with coconut, m&m pieces, sprinkles, or nuts!