Come Thanksgiving, my DVR begins getting a workout. Why? That’s when cheesy Christmas movies start airing on TV. I always figure out the endings but I can’t stop watching them. Since I’m home more this holiday season, each weekend I like to curl up on the couch watching them while eating Christmas cookies.
What goes with a mug of hot chocolate? Annamaria Settanni McDonald (Brooklyn, OH) Chocolate Mint Biscotti.
“This is the basic chocolate biscotti recipe that I have that is so full of chocolate flavor, only this variation adds a touch of mint to make it more decadent,” explains Annamaria.
Full of chocolate flavor this divine biscotti has just enough of the refreshing mint flavor to give them a holiday flair. I love that the actual biscotti dough has chocolate/mint flavor and there are the chocolate chips and Andes candies to give an extra punch of flavor. I did drizzle them with a little extra chocolate and extra Andes candies just because.
Catherine Thompson Floyd’s (Burlington, MI) Holiday Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies taste like the holidays.
“Chocolate chip cookies made special with the flavor of peppermint and three kinds of nuts,” is how Catherine describes her cookies. “I baked these for church and they were grabbed and gone fast!”
Chocolate chip cookies get a holiday makeover in this recipe. Sweet and crunchy, these have everything you want in a cookie. Using Andes creme de menthe chips and peppermint oil amps up the minty flavor. Try to eat these while they’re still warm … heavenly!
“They’re good for any time of year, but they are a must on our cookie platter,” says Val Paris (Rome, NY) about her Christmas Cherry Balls. “This is a combination of many recipes, suited to my oldest daughter’s taste. She’s the fussy one in the family!”
Once baked, these colorful cookies are soft and tender with chunks of cherries and nuts. The cookie itself is not overly sweet. I love the almond flavoring combined with the sweetness of the cherry juice in the glaze. It adds just the right amount of sweetness.
From gingerbread to Linzer, German cookies are world-famous and really special. Beth Carlton’s (Sand Rock, AL) Mommy Sugar’s Pepper Nuts (Pfeffernusse-Pebernodder) are no different.
“This is a very old recipe from Germany,” reveals Beth. “These cookies are usually served with coffee or tea and enjoyed mainly at Christmastime. Traditionally these cookies are bite-size nuggets, but our family makes them into cookies.”
These are filled with fall spices, chopped pecans, and a bit of citrus flavor from the orange zest and citron. Molasses gives them a wonderfully chewy texture. Typically these old-fashioned cookies are dusted with powdered sugar or drizzled with a glaze – both ways are delicious.
Kathy Joppie’s (Nashville, MI) Soft Christmas Sugar Cookies are delicious for snacking.
“These cookies are very special to me as my grandmother gave it to me in 1974,” shares Kathy. “Grandma used to give these cookies as Christmas gifts to all of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She would begin baking in November and freeze them to have enough ready for Christmas.”
After these sugar cookies bake, they puff up and become cake-like. Buttermilk gives the cookie a different texture and flavor than other sugar cookies. Simply delicious!
Decorating them is fun. Sometimes I top with a simple glaze and colorful sugar crystals. Other times, I frost them with this easy homemade buttercream and festive sprinkles. Both options are good so it depends on how much sweetness you want to add to the cookie.
Even if Christmas movies don’t fill your DVR, these cookies are worth baking this holiday season. They’d make tasty gifts and I know they’re Santa approved. Want more recipes? Check out our Christmas Cookies recipe collection and Happy Pinching!