Picture: @eatingbirdfood on Instagram.
These Christmas cookie recipes are perfect for leaving out for Santa Claus, with a glass of milk, – only if you can resist sharing.
Soft-baked frosted sugar cookies
By @healthwithvictoria
These soft-baked frosted sugar cookies are gluten-free and dairy-free. Topped with whipped vanilla icing and festive sprinkles, perfect for leaving out for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.
INGREDIENTS
Cookies
½ cup vegan butter softened
½ cup granulated sugar or sweetener
1 egg
⅓ cup coconut yoghurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp almond extract
1 ¾ cup flour (recipe uses gluten-free)
1 ½ tbsp tapioca starch (you can also use cornstarch)
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp cream of tartar
Pinch of salt
Frosting
½ cup vegan butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ cup powdered sugar
METHOD
Directions: Preheat your oven to 190ºC. In a medium bowl, use a mixer to beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the egg and beat until combined. Add the yoghurt, vanilla and almond extract and beat until combined.
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, tapioca starch, baking powder, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, until the dough has formed. Cover the dough and let it chill for 2 hours in the fridge.
Using a small cookie scoop, scoop the dough and roll it into a ball. Place the cookie dough onto a prepared baking sheet (I line mine with a silicone baking mat) and space about 2 inches apart. Press each dough ball down with the bottom of a glass to evenly flatten the cookie. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the bottom of the cookies are slightly golden brown. Let the cookies cool completely and transfer to a wire rack.
To make the frosting, cream the softened butter using a hand mixer, until fluffy. Add the vanilla and slowly add the powdered sugar until smooth. Once the cookies have completely cooled, frost and add sprinkles. Store in an airtight container and enjoy.
Peppermint white chocolate chip chocolate cookies
By @katiejacobsnashville
Christmas and the festive season all rolled into one delicious cookie crammed with peppermint, white chocolate chips and a chocolatey dough, you’ll want to down these tasty treats with a glass of cold milk.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tbs water
½ cup unsalted butter
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp peppermint extract
2 eggs, room temperature
¾ cup sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbs natural, unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 cup white chocolate chips
3 peppermint candy canes, crushed
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 175ºC and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
In a medium heatproof bowl, add the chocolate chips, water and butter. Microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in between, until the chocolate and butter are melted and smooth. Add the vanilla and peppermint extracts, stir until smooth and set aside to cool completely.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the eggs, sugar and brown sugar. Whip on a high speed until the eggs are pale yellow, ribbony, and almost tripled in volume, about 5 minutes.
While the eggs are whipping, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly pour the melted chocolate mixture into the eggs. Mix until just combined, then turn the mixer off and add the flour mixture. Stir with a rubber spatula until just combined. The batter will be very soft. Fold in the white chocolate chips.
Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop the dough. Place 5 or 6 dough balls onto a baking sheet, spaced 8cm apart. Sprinkle tops of dough balls with crushed peppermint.
Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, until the tops of the cookies are cracked and shiny but still slightly underdone. Remove from the oven and sprinkle each cookie with more finely crushed peppermint.
Allow them to cool on the baking sheet before transferring them to a cooling rack. Continue to bake the rest of the cookie dough.
Linze cookies
By @hollygrace.at.home
Linzer cookies take their name from the Linzer Torte, a pastry with a lattice of dough over a jam filling. With crisp, yet buttery, crumbly texture and a chewy, and tart-flavoured jam filling, the combination is moreish.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups flour
1¼ sticks butter
6 tbs sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
1 beaten egg
A few drops of almond extract
Powdered sugar
Strawberry or raspberry preserves
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 175ºC.
Mash the butter into the flour using a potato masher.
Stir in the sugar and cinnamon.
Add the beaten egg and almond extract. Mix until a firm dough is formed. (I like to work the dough by hand to make sure the butter is evenly worked into the dough.)
Roll the dough out onto a floured surface, to about 0.5cm in thickness, and use cookie cutters to cut desired shapes. Make sure to cut out the same amount of top cookies (with shape cutouts in them for the preserves to show) as bottom cookies.
Bake for 7 minutes or until golden brown.
Mix the powdered sugar, water, and a drop of almond extract to make the icing.
Once cool, dust the top cookies with powdered sugar. Spread the berry preserves on the bottom cookies. Ice around the edges of the bottom cookie and place the other cookie on top.
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