holiday cookies (chocolate chip, cranberry white chip, gingersnaps, and sugar cookies)

this year, along with several batches of fudge and caramel corn (recipe for those here), dinah and i made cookies. lots of cookies! all wonderful and delicious perfect-for-the-holiday cookies. we made chocolate chip, christmas cranberry, gingersnaps, and some really festive sugar cookies.

we had family friends over for a grazing style christmas dinner of tamales and posole yesterday, so instead of making a pie or cake for dessert, like I would for a more formal sit-down meal, i just laid out a platter of christmas cookies. the tray was bare, aside from a few crumbs, by the end of the evening, so they were a hit, i think. everyone loves holiday cookies, right?! 

THE chocolate chip cookies

chocolate chip cookies are probably the most common and well loved cookie there is, especially in my house. they are my husband's absolute favorite. there are a lot of chocolate chip cookie recipes out there, and probably most are perfectly fine, but this one, from sally's baking addiction, are, as she says, THE chocolate chip cookie. they are so easy and so, so, so good. rich and sweet. so soft and chewy and perfect. cornstarch is the key ingredient - that's what makes them so soft! i didn't change much to the original recipe. i use light brown sugar instead of dark and i used less salt than what's called for (because i never have unsalted butter on hand) and i shaved one minute off the baking time. 

THE chocolate chip cookies recipe

3/4 c. butter, at room temperature
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. white sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

in a large bowl, beat butter until smooth and creamy, then add in the sugars and mix until fluffy and light in color. mix in egg and vanilla. scrape down the sides, mix again. in a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture until well combined. add chocolate chips and mix until evenly distributed.

cover dough and chill for at least one hour (and up to two days). preheat oven to 350 degrees. remove cookie dough and allow to set out at room temperature for ten minutes. line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. each ball of dough should be about 1.5 tablespoons each. bake for 9-11 minutes or until barely golden brown. allow at least five minutes to cool on the baking sheet. this makes about 24 cookies. 

soft-baked christmas cranberry cookies

these cookies are essentially the same recipe as the chocolate chip cookie recipe i used above, but i use white chocolate chips and dried cranberries instead of semi-sweet chocolate chips. i haven't tried this yet, because i never seem to have pistachios on hand, but i think pistachios would have been a perfect addition to these already delicious christmas cookies. not only would they taste amazing together, but with the green nut, the red berry, and white chip together, it would look so festive too. alas, i had no nuts, but they were awesome without them. i had no complaints.

i got this recipe from sally's baking addiction as well. basically, i get all my cookie recipes from her. i hardly changed a thing. i used light brown sugar instead of dark and less salt and one minute less on the baking time. these are thick, fluffy, chunky. again, the cornstarch is the secret ingredient!

soft-baked christmas cranberry cookies recipe

3/4 c. butter, at room temperature
3/4 c. brown sugar, packed
1/4 c. white sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 c. white chocolate chips
3/4 c. dried cranberries

in a large bowl, beat butter until smooth and creamy, then add in the sugars and mix until fluffy and light in color. mix in egg and vanilla. scrape down the sides, mix again. in a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture until well combined. add white chocolate chips and dried cranberries and mix until evenly distributed.

cover dough and chill for at least one hour (and up to two days). preheat oven to 350 degrees. remove cookie dough and allow to set out at room temperature for ten minutes. line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. each ball of dough should be about 1.5 tablespoons each. bake for 9-11 minutes or until barely golden brown. allow at least five minutes to cool on the baking sheet. this makes about 24 cookies.

soft gingersnaps

i found this recipe from sunset magazine a few years ago and have been making them every christmas ever since. they are THE best gingersnap cookie i have ever had. they are, in dinah's words, "really, really, really spicy, and super, super, super good!" and she's right! i increased the spices by about a 1/4 teaspoon each from the original recipe, because i like things a little spicier than most recipes call for and the crystalized ginger in the cookies makes them spicier than the average gingersnap. also, they are soft-baked, so they are chewy and moist, which i prefer to crunchy or hard cookies. every bite is packed with robust ginger flavor. and they're even pretty! really, they are probably my favorite holiday cookie.

soft gingersnaps recipe

1/2 c. chopped crystallized ginger
about 3/4 c. white sugar, divided
6 TBS butter, at room temperature
1/4 c. molasses
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg 

in a food processor, whirl chopped crystalized ginger and 1/3 cup of sugar until ginger is finely ground. remove from container. back in the food processor, whirl butter and 1/3 cup of sugar until fluffy. add ginger mixture, molasses, and egg to sugar and butter and whirl to mix. in a mixing bowl, add flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix until combined. then add the butter mixture and mix until well combined.

cover dough and chill until firm, about one hour. preheat oven to 350 degrees. shape dough into 1-inch balls and coat tops with the remaining sugar. place balls two to three inches apart on a non-stick baking sheet or one lined with parchment paper. bake until slightly darker brown, about ten minutes, rotating baking sheets halfway through cooking. i let mine cool about five minutes on the baking sheet. 

christmas sugar cookies

this is the absolute best sugar cookie recipe i've ever found. the almond and vanilla extract create a wonderfully light and delicate flavor. they are also soft as opposed to hard and crispy like a lot of sugar cookies I've tried. they maintain their shape and they don't crumble easily, which is a good thing when baking and decorating cookies with an almost four year old. also, the icing has the same delightful vanilla/almond flavor. i used this recipe from sally's baking addiction, and didn't change a thing, except i didn't use salt and added a little bit of almond extract to the icing.

before adding the flour, the dough is so light and fluffy

dinah's sweet little helping hands

ready for the oven!

dinah and i had so much fun decorating together. she really has a knack for cookie decorating; decorating anything, really. my girl has a lot of flare when it comes to decorating. she seems to know just what sprinkles to use and how much will work for each cookie. she's also very understanding and respectful of my anal-retentive tendencies and that i need an orderly work station or i may go nuts. :) i really look forward to the next holiday we can decorate cookies together again. 

oh, and just a note, this recipe requires a little forethought, so be sure you give yourself enough time to make these cookies. the cookie dough needs to chill for at least an hour, the baked cookies need to cool for at least an hour before icing them, and the icing needs at least 24 hours to set.

the decorating committee

charlie even got in on the action. he's the official taste-tester, i guess.

finished product. dinah and i were so proud of our cookies this year!

christmas sugar cookies recipe

cookies:

3/4 c. butter, at room temperature

3/4 c. white sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp almond extract

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

icing:

1 1/2 c powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp almond extract

1 tsp light corn syrup

2 TBS warm tap water 

in a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until smooth and then add sugar and beat until light and fluffy - about three minutes. scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. add the egg, vanilla extract, almond extract, and beat until well combined - about two minutes. 

whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. add half the mixture into the wet ingredients. beat until well combined and add the remaining half. if the dough seems too soft, add one tablespoon of flour at a time until it reaches the right consistency for rolling.

divide the dough into two equal parts. roll each portion out onto a piece of parchment paper until 1/4 inch thick. stack the pieces in between paper and chill for at least one hour. 

once chilled, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper. remove one dough piece from the refrigerator and using a cookie cutter, cut out shapes and place them on the baking sheet. re-roll the remaining dough until all is used. repeat for the second piece of dough. 

bake for 9-11 minutes or until very lightly colored on top and around edges. rotate the baking sheet halfway through baking time. allow to cool on the baking sheet for five minutes and then transfer to wire rack to cool completely before icing. about an hour.

for the icing, whisk sifted powdered sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, corn syrup, and water in a mixing bowl. it should be thick. try drizzling a little of the icing with the whisk. the ribbon of icing should hold for a few seconds before melting back into the icing. this will keep in the fridge for up to two days, if you're not using it right away. decorate cookies and allow 24 hours for icing to harden.