Cookie Swap Recipe Book 2022

Welcome to the I’ll Be Home For Christmas Recipe Book, a companion publication to the Second Annual Cookie Swap. There are twenty-three uniquely decorated homes in the winter holiday neighborhood to visit and explore. Each house has a custom made cookie to collect with both a decor and holdable version. All these cookies can be found in this book with a corresponding real life recipe.

While the cookies can be collected at any time, we will host one interactive cookie session where someone will be at each house giving out cookies. This is on Saturday December 17 from 12PM-2PM SLT. All are invited!

Thank you to Amiee for providing the bulk of the cookie recipes, and like last year — Taylor and Mauro for their decorative talents. A special note for Taylor for not only taking the cover photograph but designing the cover, as well! Thank you again to June for providing fantastic cookie tins once more, which are also available as a gift on the sim. Like last year, this Cookie Swap is only possible because of the greatest cookie maker of all time, Ella, the creative force behind Elm. With even less notice than last year and with so much already on her plate, she created twenty-two amazing and new cookies. I am so incredibly grateful to her for taking the time to make this year’s Cookie Swap a reality and her endless support for even my craziest ideas. =

Be sure to check out the rest of this winter destination. Inspired by the nostalgia of memories long past, I’ll Be Home For Christmas is a winter sim that captures our fondness for the holiday season. There are photography spots, a tobogganing and snowboarding hill, a holiday farmer’s market to wander around, a Santa to pose with by the reindeer farm, a hidden elf factory and other winter fun activities. Don’t forget to take a tour of the sim on Santa’s sleigh! In addition, there is a Christmas Village where eight stores set up all their holiday and winter goodies to shop. Thank you so much to Aardvark. Apple Fall, Dahlia, DISORDERLY, Elm, MADRAS, KraftWork and Thor who have generously provided a gift for visitors inside their shops!

Table of Contents

Apple Pie Cookies

Brown Butter Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cranberry Orange Shortbread

Danish Butter Cookies

Gingerbread Men Macrons

Gingerbread Snickerdoodles

Hot Chocolate Cookies

Italian Ricotta Cookies

Japanese Butter Cookies

Jeweled Coconut Drops Melting Snowman Meringues

Old Fashioned Chinese Almond Cookies

Pecan Pie Thumbprints

Peppermint Candy Cane Cookies

Pizelle Cookies

Puerto Rican Coconut Cookies

Rocky Road Bar

Rudolph Cookies

Shortbread Wreath Cookies

Stacked Tree Cookies

Stained Glass Cookies

White Chocolate Dipped Ginger Cookies

Apple Pie Cookies

1.75 cups apple pie filling-chopped into small pieces

1 cup caramel sauce

1 egg -lightly beaten 1 tsp cinnamon 1/4 cup sugar

Apple Pie Filling: 3 apples (about 1 lbs.)-peeled and sliced into 8 slices each

1–2 tablespoon lemon juice

3 tablespoon white sugar

3 tablespoon brown sugar

3 tablespoon corn starch

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

A dash of nutmeg 3/4 cup water

1 package of refrigerated pie crust

Preheat the oven to 350 F, line cookie sheet with parchment paper, spray with non-stick spray and set aside.

Spread the caramel sauce onto one pie crust. Spread chopped apple pie filling over caramel and gently tap the filling with your palms. Cut second pie crust into 1/2 inch strips and create a lattice top over the filling. Using round cookie cutter (about 2.5 inch) cut out the cookies and place them onto baking sheet.

Beat the egg with a fork and brush the top of cookies. Combine cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle the cookies generously. Bake 20-30 minutes (until golden brown).

Apple Pie Filling

Toss sliced apples with lemon juice and set aside. In a saucepan or a pot combine cornstarch, sugar, browned sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and water. Stir well and bring to a boil over medium-high heat whisking constantly. Let it boil 2 minutes until thick, then stir in apple slices.

Reduce heat to low, cover the pot and let it simmer about 10 minutes. Apples should be soft but not mushy (cooking time depend on sort of apples). Remove apples from heat and leave them covered to soften and cooled. When it’s cooled take out the apples from the sauce and chop into small pieces, set aside.

prep time

total time

COOK time # OF COOKIES

1 hr 20 mins 1 hour 20 mins 16

Brown Butter Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 sticks (226 grams) unsalted butter, melted until browned

2 and 1/2 cups (300 grams) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon (5 grams) salt

1/2 teaspoon (1 gram) ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup (213 grams) dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup (99 grams) granulated sugar

2 teaspoons (8 grams) vanilla extract

3 Tablespoons (42 grams) bourbon

2 large eggs, at room temperature 8 ounces semi-sweet OR dark chocolate, roughly chopped into chunks 24 pecan halves, for decoration, optional 1 Tablespoon flaky sea salt, optional

Buttered Pecans

1 and 1/2 cups (170 grams) pecan halves, finely chopped 1 and 1/2 tablespoons (24 grams) unsalted butter

For the Buttered Pecans: Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in chopped pecans and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Set aside until needed.

For the Brown Butter: In a saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter. Continue to cook the butter. swirling the pan occasionally. Keep a close eye here. The top of the butter should become foamy. And you should hear tiny popping noises. The butter will develop into a rich amber color, with tiny brown bits at the bottom. And it will have a slightly nutty aroma. Once the butter reaches this stage, remove from heat immediately and pour into a large mixing bowl.

For the Brown Butter Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Chunk Cookies: In a large bowl combine flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder; whisk well to combine then set aside until needed. In a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine melted browned butter and both sugars and beat on medium-speed until well combined; about 1 minutes. Add in the vanilla and bourbon and beat until combined. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating for 15 seconds after each addition. Turn mixer off. Using a wooden spoon or sturdy rubber spatula, gently fold in the flour, stirring only until the flour begins to disappear. Fold in the chocolate chunks and buttered pecans. Cover bowl and refrigerate for 4 hours.

prep time

Cont’d 4 hrs 2 mins 20 mins 12 mins 24

COOK time # OF COOKIES

total time

Cranberry Orange Shortbread

1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar zest of one orange or tangerine (just the orange part, not the bitter white pith)

1 heaping cup fresh cranberries 2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Finely chop the cranberries and set aside.

Cream the butter, sugar, and zest together until well combined. I do this in my food procesor. Add the flour and extract, and pulse about 10 times, then run the machine briefly, just until the dough comes together into a lump or lumps. Add the cranberries and pulse just until they are distributed, but don’t process too much.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and bring together with your hands. Work it just until it is no longer crumbly. Form the dough into a 10-12 inch log. The longer your log the smaller your cookies will be. Wrap the log in plastic, using the plastic to smooth out the dough and help form your log. Twist the ends tight to seal.

Chill the dough for at least 3 hours, or overnight. I like to wrap up my log in a folded towel ~ this helps keep it round as it chills.

Preheat the oven to 350F Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Slice the dough into 1/3 inch slices and place on the cookie sheet, two inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or slightly longer if you like your cookies crisper. They will be pale on top and just turning golden on the bottom. Note: if your cookies are smaller or thinner than mine, they may take less time to cook.

Let them cool for a couple of minutes on the baking sheets and then tranfer them to a cooling rack. Be careful, the cookies are soft and delicate when hot and will firm up as they cool.

prep time

total time

COOK time # OF COOKIES

2 hrs 27 mins 15 mins 12 mins 18

Danish Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup almond flour ground and unblanched

1 cup confectioners sugar aka powdered sugar or icing sugar

1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325F.

1 egg 1/2 tsp salt powdered sugar for garnish, optional Equipment: Piping bag Star piping tip (Wilton 1M)

In a large bowl whisk together the flours. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer using a paddle attachment, combine the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the egg and extract, scraping down the sides as needed. Mix until combined. Add the flours to the stand mixer and mix thoroughly.

Working in batches, add dough to the piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Create 1-inch squared circles on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 22 minutes until edges start to brown and cookies are set. Remove and allow to cool on cooling racks. Dust with optional confectioner’s sugar before packaging as the perfect homemade holiday gift.

prep time COOK time # OF COOKIES

total time

42 mins 20 mins 22 mins 30

Gingerbread Men Macarons

Macaron Batter

100 grams granulated sugar

4 grams egg white powder optional, read notes

100 grams egg whites

105 grams almond flour

105 grams powdered sugar

1/4 tsp ginger powder

1/4 tsp cinnamon powder

1/4 tsp ground allspice

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg read notes 3 grams cocoa powder optional, for color Food coloring

Gingerbread Buttercream

1 1/3 cups confectioners’ sugar sifted 170 grams

Macaron Batter

4 tbsp unsalted butter softened 56 grams

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp molasses

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1-2 tbsp milk only if necessary to thin out the frosting

Royal Icing

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar 312 grams 2 tbsp meringue powder 5 to 6 tbsp water Gel food coloring

Place a bowl over a pan with barely simmering water. Add the sugar and egg white powder to the bowl if using. If you’re not using egg white powder simply skip it, nothing needs to be changed in the recipe. Whisk the sugar and egg white powder so it doesn’t clump up. Add the egg whites to the bowl and whisk until the sugar is completely melted. It will take a couple of minutes. You can test by touching the mixture between your fingers, and if you feel any sugar granules just keep whisking the mixture over the water bath. Make sure the bottom of the bowl isn’t touching the simmering water because you don’t want the whites to cook.

Transfer the syrup to the bowl of a stand mixer. Before transferring the syrup, you might consider whipping the bottom of the bowl with a towel so the water doesn’t fall into the mixer bowl. With the whisk attachment, start whisking mixture on low (speed 2 of the KitchenAid) for about 30 seconds, then gradually start increasing speed to medium. Whisk on medium (speed 4) for one to two minutes, until the mixture is white and starting to become fluffy. Raise the speed to medium or medium-high and whip for a few minutes until stiff peaks are formed.

Cont’d

prep time

total time

COOK time # OF COOKIES

3 hrs 20 mins 2 hours 40 mins 22

Gingerbread Snickerdoodles

3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour

¾ cup (150 g) packed dark brown sugar

¾ teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon ground ginger ½ teaspoon ground cloves ½ teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons (170 g or 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted

butter, softened, but still cool, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

¾ cup (180 ml) unsulphured molasses, (not blackstrap)

2 tablespoons milk ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar ½ cup (60 g) confectioners’ sugar

With an electric mixer (either hand or stand) stir together the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt at low speed until combined, about 20 seconds. Stop the mixer and add the butter pieces. Mix at medium-low speed until the mixture is sandy and resembles fine meal, about 1 1/2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and, with the mixer running, gradually add the molasses and milk. Mix until the dough is evenly moistened, about 20 seconds. Increase the speed to medium and mix until thoroughly combined, about 10 seconds.

Scrape the dough onto a work surface; divide it in half. Working with one portion at a time, shape the dough into two round disks. Cover them in plastic wrap and freeze until firm, 20 to 30 minutes. Alternatively, refrigerate the dough 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line the two baking sheets with parchment paper. Take the cookie dough out of the fridge and scoop a heaping tablespoon full of dough. Roll dough into a ball and be careful not to overwork the dough as it will lose its chill and get too warm. Roll each dough ball in the granulated sugar until coated. Transfer ball to confectioners’ sugar and roll again until coated evenly. Place the coated dough balls 1-inch apart from each other on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake the cookies until set in the centers, 12 minutes. Do not over bake. Cool the cookies on the sheets 2 minutes, then remove the cookies to a wire rack to cool to room temperature. Store gingerbread crinkle cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. 40 mins 30 mins 10 mins 24

total time

prep time COOK time # OF COOKIES

Hot Chocolate Cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter

one 12-ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt about 8 ounces dark chocolate, diced into 1/2inch pieces (I used a Trader Joe’s Pound Plus Dark Chocolate Bar) about 12 large marshmallows, cut in half

To a medium, microwave-safe bowl, add the butter, chocolate chips, and heat on high power to melt for 1 minute. Stop to check and stir. Heat in 15-second bursts, stopping to stir after each burst, until chocolate has melted and can be stirred smooth (You’ll likely only need 1 or 2 bursts). Alternatively, melt the chocolate chips and butter in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until just melted. Allow melted chocolate mixture to stand for 5 minutes to cool slightly. To a separate large bowl, add the brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Beat with a handheld electric mixer on medium speed just until blended, about 1 minute.

Add the cooled chocolate mixture and beat on medium speed until just until combined, about 1 minute. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat on low speed just until combined, about 1 minute. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours, or until dough has firmed up significantly. If you accidentally over-chill it and it becomes too firm, allow bowl to rest on counter until you can scoop it.

Preheat oven to 325F. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray. Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop form dough mounds and place them on the baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 8 cookies per sheet). Flatten slightly and bake for 10 minutes, or until edges and tops have just set, even if slightly undercooked and glossy in the center. Remove baking sheet from oven, add 1 piece of dark chocolate to the center of each cookie, pushing down very slightly just so it breaks the surface and sinks down. Place one marshmallow half on the top of each piece of chocolate on all the cookies, pushing down very slightly so the marshmallow adheres. Return baking sheet to oven and bake for about 5 minutes, or just until marshmallows have puffed; don’t let them brown and don’t overbake. Cookies firm up as they cool. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before serving.

prep time

total time

COOK time # OF COOKIES

2 hrs 25 mins 10 mins 15 mins 24

Italian Ricotta Cookies

½ cup (8 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

7.5 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons lemon zest (from about one lemon)

¾ teaspoon almond extract ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

For the Glaze:

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

3 Tablespoons milk, any variety (I used 2%)

½ teaspoon almond extract Rainbow nonpareils

Using an electric mixer on medium to medium-high speed, cream together softened butter and sugar in a mixing bowl for around 2 minutes, or until slightly fluffy and smooth. Pause to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the egg and beat in until combined. Add the ricotta cheese (drained of excess moisture if your ricotta is on the watery side, see note), lemon juice and zest, vanilla extract, and almond extract and mix well until all of the ingredients are evenly combined.

To a separate bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk thoroughly. Add the flour mixture to the bowl with the wet ingredients in 3 increments, beating until just mixed in each time. Take care not to overmix. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and chill for at least 8 hours, ideally overnight.

Once the cookie dough has chilled, preheat oven to 350°F. Line large baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a 1-½ Tablespoon capacity cookie scoop, scoop cookies and very briefly roll them between your palms to form a sphere. Place cookies about 2 inches apart on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Keep the remaining cookie dough in the refrigerator if you’re baking them in multiple batches.

Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until the bottoms are just browning and the tops are fairly firm and spring back when lightly pressed. Let cookies cool on the baking sheets for 15-20 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once the cookies are completely cooled, add confectioners’ sugar, milk, and almond extract to a bowl and whisk until smooth. Spoon glaze over each cookie, then top with nonpareils. Let the glaze harden completely before serving/storing in an air-tight container with parchment or wax paper between layers to prevent sticking.

total time

prep time COOK time # OF COOKIES

8 hr 30 mins 15 mins 15 mins 34

Japanese Butter Cookies

1 ⅔ cup all-purpose flour ½ cup sugar

6 Tbsp unsalted butter (at room temperature; you can increase up to 8 Tbsp, ½ cup, 113 g for a more buttery taste)

1 large egg (at room temperature)

1 tsp baking powder pure vanilla extract (optional)

Gather all the ingredients. If you want to make the dove-shaped Hato Sabure cookies, print out the image and trace the pattern on parchment paper.

Sift the flour. Fit an electric mixer with the whisk attachment and combine sugar and butter in the bowl. Whisk on high speed until fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the beaten egg and mix to combine. Add the vanilla extract if you’re using. Change the whisk to the beater attachment. Add the flour and baking powder and mix on low speed until flour is incorporated.

Roll the dough into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). For a convection oven, reduce cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC). Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface, to ¼ inch thickness. Tip: I put the long cooking chopsticks (it’s about ¼ inch thickness) on both sides of the dough and roll the dough to keep the same thickness.

Cut out the dough around the dove shape, or cut the dough with a 2-inch round cookie cutter (or use a tall glass).

Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart. Bake until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely on wire rack. Enjoy!

total time

prep time COOK time # OF COOKIES

1 hr 15 mins 30 mins 15 mins 30

Jeweled Coconut Drops

1/3 cup butter, softened 3 ounces cream cheese, softened 3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg yolk, room temperature

2 teaspoons orange juice

1 teaspoon almond extract

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3-3/4 cups sweetened shredded coconut, divided 1 cup seedless raspberry preserves, warmed

Cream butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in egg yolk, orange juice and almond extract. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Stir in 3 cups coconut.

Refrigerate until easy to handle, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Shape rounded tablespoons of dough into balls; roll in remaining coconut. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Press a deep indentation in the center of each with the end of a wooden spoon handle. Bake until edges are light brown, 8-10 minutes.

Cool 1 minute. Using the wooden spoon, enlarge any indentations that may have narrowed or closed. Remove cookies from pans to wire racks. Fill with preserves; cool completely.

prep time

total time

COOK time # OF COOKIES

1 hr 5 mins 25 mins 10 mins 42

Melting Snowman Meringues

½ cup shortening

½ cup peanut butter

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon baking soda

1 egg 3 tablespoon milk ½ teaspoon vanilla

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 ½ cup all-purpose flour

10 jumbo marshmallows (optional) 1 pound vanilla-flavored candy coating, coarsely chopped 20 bite-size chocolate-covered peanut butter cups, unwrapped Brown and orange sprinkles or other candies and/or tinted frosting

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large mixing bowl beat shortening and peanut butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Beat in the granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla until combined. Beat in the cocoa powder and as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour.

Shape dough into twenty 1 3/4-inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until edges are just firm. Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

prep time

total time

COOK time # OF COOKIES

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Place cooled cookies on prepared baking sheet. If desired, cut marshmallows in half crosswise and place one half on each cookie. In a medium microwave-safe bowl microwave candy coating on 50% power for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes or until melted and smooth, stirring every 30 seconds. Spoon melted coating over each cookie to cover cookie and resemble melted snow. While coating is still tacky, add a peanut butter cup for a top hat and decorate with sprinkles or other candies to resemble snowman faces (If using frosting to make snowman faces, add it when the candy coating is dry.) Let stand until set. 59 mins 50 mins 9 mins 20

Old Fashioned Chinese Almond Cookies

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup powdered sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 egg yolks (plus 1 additional egg yolk for brushing)

½ cup melted lard (at room temperature)

1 teaspoon almond extract

18 toasted almonds

Sift together dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Sift the mixture together again to make sure that all the ingredients are light and well-incorporated.

Next, beat egg yolks into melted lard. Beat in almond extract. Fold this mixture into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula, then knead the dough with your hand to create a dough ball. Try not to overwork the dough—it will be similar to a crumbly pie crust in texture. Cover with an overturned plate, and allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, and toast the almonds for 5 minutes. Cool completely before using. Beat the last egg yolk, and set it aside.

Now, raise the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Take the dough, and divide it into 18 equal pieces. Press and squeeze each into a small disc, and transfer to a baking sheet so the cookies are placed at least 2 inches apart (they will spread out).

Brush all sides with the beaten egg yolk. Press one toasted almond onto the center of each dough ball. They may crack a little bit—that’s ok. Just gently squeeze them back together if there are particularly large cracks. Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden brown.

prep time COOK time # OF COOKIES

total time

1 hr 30 mins

1 hr 10 mins 20 mins 18

Pecan Pie Thumbprints

Cookie Dough:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla 2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Pecan Pie Filling:

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1 tablespoon melted butter 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 3/4 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Cookie Dough

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the vanilla. Add the flour and beat on low until just combined and then on high until well combined and a thick, soft dough is formed. *It is important to use an electric mixer with a paddle attachment to combine the ingredients into a soft dough.

Pinch off small portions of the dough and form into 1-inch balls. Place 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.

Pecan Pie Filling

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, corn syrup, melted butter and vanilla. Stir in the pecans until well combined.

Lightly press your thumb into the center of each ball and fill the well with 1/2 teaspoon of the pecan pie filling. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until the filling starts to caramelize on top and the cookies start to turn a light golden brown. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

prep time

total time

COOK time # OF COOKIES

35 mins

15 mins 20 mins 24

Peppermint Candy Cane Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter - softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

3 teaspoons peppermint extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour green and red gel food coloring

1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips red and green peppermints - crushed

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the egg, peppermint extract, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix to combine. Add the flour to the butter mixture and mix until combined.

Divide the dough in half. Wrap one piece in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator to chill. Divide the other piece into half again. Add green food coloring to one portion of the dough and red food coloring to the other portion. Wrap each dough separately in plastic wrap and then place them in the refrigerator to chill. The dough should be chilled for about 2 hours.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Divide the plain dough into 36 equal portions. Then, divide the red and green dough into 18 portions each. Roll each portion of all the doughs into a 4-inch rope. Place a colored rope next to a plain rope, press together gently, then twist. Curve the dough at the top to create a candy cane shape. Repeat with the remaining ropes of dough. Place 2 inches apart onto an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the bottom edges of the cookie just start to turn golden brown and the cookie is set. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about a minute before removing and placing them on a wire rack to cool completely.

Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave by heating in 30-second intervals. Stir between each interval. Continue heating and stirring until smooth. Dip the ends of the cooled cookies into the melted white chocolate. Place on a piece of wax paper and sprinkle with coordinating crushed peppermint candies.

Once the chocolate is set, store the cookies in an airtight container.

prep time

total time

COOK time # OF COOKIES

2 hrs 57 mins 45 mins 12 mins 36

Pizelle Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup butter melted and cooled

4 eggs

1 tablespoon anise or vanilla extract (see note 2)

2 teaspoons baking powder

Required Equipment: Pizelle Iron

Preheat pizzelle iron and lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, butter, eggs, anise or vanilla extract, and baking powder. Drop slightly rounded tablespoons of batter on to pizzelle iron and close.

Bake as directed by manufacturer or until golden brown, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Using a nonstick spatula, remove each pizzelle to a cooling rack; repeat with remaining batter

prep time

Cool completely and dust with powdered sugar if desired. 45 mins 5 mins 40 mins 36

COOK time # OF COOKIES

total time

Puerto Rican Coconut Cookies

3 cups coconut flakes, unsweetened 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

4 large egg yolks, room temperature

1 cup brown sugar

2 ounces (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 tablespoons coconut extract, or pure vanilla extract

For Garnishing: 2 to 3 ounces dark chocolate, or milk chocolate, melted, optional

Heat oven to 350 F/177 C. Grease a 13-by-9-by-2-inch cookie sheet.

In a bowl, thoroughly mix coconut flakes, flour, egg yolks, brown sugar, butter and extract until a sticky dough that is moldable forms.

Divide the dough into 24 uniform balls and place on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for about 25 minutes. They should be golden brown. Let cool completely.

If desired, drizzle with melted chocolate.

total time prep time COOK time # OF COOKIES

Rocky Road Bar

Bar: 1/2 Cup Butter

1 ounce unsweetened Chocolate

1 cup sugar

1/2 - 1 Cup Chopped Nuts

1 cup Flour

1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1 Teaspoon Vanilla 2 Eggs

Filling: 8 ounce cream cheese(reserve 2 ounces for frosting)

1/2 cup sugar 2 tablespoons flour

Preheat oven to 350.

1/4 cup butter 1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1/4 cup chopped nuts 6 ounce package chocolate chips

Frosting: 3 cups mini marshmallows 1/4 cup butter 1 ounce unsweetened Chocolate remaining 2 ounces cream cheese 1/4 cup milk 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 pound powdered sugar

Grease and flour a 9x13 metal pan. In large pan over low heat melt 1/2 cup butter and 1 ounce chocolate. Add rest of Bar ingredients. Mix well and spread in 9 x 13 pan.

In small bowl combine 6 ounces cream cheese with next 5 filling ingredients. Blend until smooth and fluffy. Stir in nuts. Spread over chocolate mixture. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake 25 - 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Sprinkle with marshmallows and bake 2 minutes longer.

In pan over low heat melt 1/4 cup butter and 1 ounce chocolate and 2 ounces cream cheese and milk. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Immediately pour over marshmallows and lightly swirl together.

prep time COOK time # OF COOKIES

total time

1 hr 10 mins 20 mins 37 mins Varies

Rudolph Cookies

¾ cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

½ cup light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1½ cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup almond flour

½ teaspoon fine salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

7 oz Biscoff spread powdered sugar, for dusting chocolate or candy melts, for drawing Rudolph’s face

In a large bowl, cream the softened unsalted butter and light brown sugar. Add the vanilla, egg, and beat until smooth. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, almond flour, salt, and cinnamon. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir until combined. Cover the bowl and let it rest in the fridge for 2 hours.

Put the cookie dough between two sheets of parchment paper and using a rolling pin, roll the cookie dough until it’s ⅛ in (⅓ cm). Stick the rolled out cookie dough into the freezer for 5 minutes to let it solidify.

Preheat the oven at 325°F (160°C) while the dough is chilling. Cut the cookies out using a 3in/8cm circle cutter. If the dough starts to soften, stick it back in the freezer for another 5 minutes before taking the cut out cookies onto a baking sheet. For half of the cookies, cut out a circle using the wider end of a jumbo piping tip. You can gather the scraps of dough and re-roll as much as needed.

Bake the cookies for about 18 to 20 minutes. Let them cool for about 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Lay out all of the cookies with cutouts on a surface, and dust them with some powdered sugar. Now take the cookies without cutouts, and spread the Biscoff spread on one side, and place the cutout cookies on top, making a cookie sandwich. Using some melted candy melts or chocolate, draw on Rudolph’s face.

prep time

total time

COOK time # OF COOKIES

2 hrs 35 mins 15 mins 20 mins 16

Shortbread Wreath Cookies

2.5 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup cold unsalted butter - cubed 2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon almond extract green food coloring

Glaze: 2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1 - 1.5 tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract Decorations: red cinnamon candies green sanding sugar

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt.

Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles fine crumbs. Add the eggs, almond extract, and green food coloring. Begin mixing with a wooden spoon and then mix with your hands. Mix until evenly colored. Cover and chill the dough for about an hour

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Divide the dough into 24 1.5-inch sized balls. On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball into a 7-inch rope. Shape this rope into a circle and pinch the ends to seal. Place the circles about 2-inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Snip the edges of each circle with scissors to create texture.

Bake for 8 minutes or until the edges barely start to brown. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack to completely cool.

While the cookies cool, create the glaze by whisking together the confectioners’ sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. You can add more or less milk to achieve the desired consistency.

Working three cookies at a time, drizzle the glaze over the cookies. Decorate with the red cinnamon candies, then sprinkle with the green sugar. 53 mins 45 mins 8 mins 24

prep time COOK time # OF COOKIES

total time

Stacked Tree Cookies

¾ cup unsalted butter, softened ¾ cup confectioners’ sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Buttercream Frosting

1 cup unsalted butter, softened 4 cups confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon salt

Drops green food coloring, as desired Garnishing Yellow star sprinkles

Silver and gold pearl-shaped sprinklers

Preheat oven to 350F and line at least 2 baking sheets with Silpat liners or parchment paper; set aside. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or large bowl and handheld electric mixer, add the butter, and beat on high speed until creamy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the confectioners’ sugar and cream them together (beat until incorporated and creamy), about 3 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, and beat until well incorporated. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the flour, baking soda, salt, and beat until just incorporated; don’t overmix.

Make balls of 3 sizes - 1 teaspoon, 2 teaspoons, and 3 teaspoons, respectively. You should make approximately 20 balls of each size, so 60 balls total. This will vary slightly based on the exact size you make the balls. For the large size (3 teaspoons of dough), bake for about 10 minutes. For the medium size (2 teaspoons of dough), bake for about 7 to 8 minutes. For the small size (1 teaspoon of dough), bake for about 5 to 6 minutes, or until done.* (See Notes) Cookies are done when they are set around the edges, even if they look a bit underdone in the centers because they firm up as they cool. Allow them to cool on the baking sheets for about 10 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely. Tip - If possible, I recommend baking one sheet of cookies at a time, on the center rack, and rotating your baking sheet midway through for the most optimal results.

Buttercream Frosting

To the same large mixing bowl, add the butter, and beat on high speed until it’s smooth and creamy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add half the confectioners’ sugar and beat on medium speed until incorporated. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining half the confectioners’ sugar and beat until incorporated. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla, salt, and beat to incorporate.

total time

prep time COOK time # OF COOKIES

Stained Glass Cookies

2 1/2 cups/300 grams all-purpose flour (and extra for rolling out)

1/3 cup/65 grams fine sugar

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

4 ounces/125 grams butter (chilled and cut into small chunks)

1/4 cup/60 milliliters heavy cream

1 large egg

1 egg yolk

1 vanilla pod (seeds removed, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)

10 to 15 colored hard candies (same or different colors)

The quickest and easiest way to make the dough is in a food processor. Put the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and butter in the bowl of the processor. Use the pulse setting and mix until the mixture becomes coarse and sand-like. In a separate bowl, lightly mix the cream, whole egg, yolk, and vanilla seeds or extract together. Turn the processor to a slow speed and add the egg mix to the dry ingredients. Do not over-mix; stop as soon as the mixture comes together into a dough. Empty the dough onto a lightlyfloured work surface or board, and gently squeeze to bring the dough together into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and pop into the fridge for at least 30 minutes to rest, or leave up to 24 hours if making the dough in advance.

When you’re ready to make the cookies, remove the dough from the fridge and allow 15 minutes for the dough to reach room temperature. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 325 F/160 C/Gas 4. Flour a work surface and roll out the dough to 1/2-centimeter thickness. Use your favorite Christmas cookie cutter and cut as many cookies out as possible. For these, you will want larger shapes as you will be cutting the center of each away. Lay the cookies onto a baking sheet lined with parchment, then, either using a smaller sameshaped cutter or freehand, cut the center away, making sure you leave at least 1/2-inch/1 centimeter margin.

Using a heavy rolling pin, crush each color of the hard candies into fine crystals, but not dust. Sprinkle the crystals into the center of the cookie. Bake in oven for 10 to 12 minutes until lightly golden and the sweet crystals have melted. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on the tray for 15 minutes. Using a cocktail stick, push a hole into wherever you want the ribbon to go. Then lift carefully onto a cooling rack and leave to cool. Thread your Christmas cookies with ribbon and hang from your tree, or store in an airtight tin. 57 mins 15 mins 12 mins

total time

prep time COOK time # OF COOKIES

White Chocolate Dipped Ginger Cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

3/4 cup unsalted butter , softened

1/2 cup + 3 Tbsp granulated sugar , divided

1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar

1 large egg

1/4 cup molasses

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups white chocolate chips

3 Tbsp shortening

Red and green candy melts (or tinted royal icing)

In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg for 20 seconds, set aside. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar until well blended. Mix in egg, then blend in molasses and vanilla. With mixer set on low speed, slowly add in dry ingredients and mix until combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees during last 10 minutes of chilling. Scoop dough out about 1 1/2 Tbsp at a time, shape into balls then roll in remaining 3 Tbsp granulated sugar.

Transfer to Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheets, spacing cookies 2 inches apart (keep dough chilled that is not currently baking), flatten tops just slightly (to evenly level). Bake in preheated oven 8 - 10 minutes. Cool on baking sheet several minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. In a microwave safe bowl, melt 1 cup white chocolate chips with 1 Tbsp shortening at a time in microwave on HIGH power in 10 second intervals, stirring between intervals, until melted, smooth and fairly runny (I did batches of it because it will cool as your dipping, plus its easy to burn so you don’t want to work with too much of it at a time.

Then once you’ve used it up melt more, you may not need all 3 cups). Dip half of each cookie in melted white chocolate mixture then run bottom of cookie slightly along edge of bowl to remove excess, then return to Silpat or parchment paper to set at room temperature. If doing the holly decoration, melt candy melts according to directi ons on package (I worked in small batches because it sets quickly, maybe 9 chips at a time, plus you won’t need much). Pour into a piping bags fitted with a #4 tip and pipe decorations. Allow to set a room temperature.

prep time

total time

COOK time # OF COOKIES

1 hr 30 mins 10 mins 20 mins 30

Once the meringue gets glossy and you start seeing streaks formed by the whisk, and the meringue raising in the center of the whisk, it might be time to stop. Whisk until stiff peaks have formed.

Pour the sifted dry ingredients into the stiff meringue. Add the food coloring at this point, if using. Start folding gently forming a letter J with a spatula. Once the dry ingredients have incorporated with the meringue, you can start squeezing the air out of the batter by pressing it down along the sides of the bowl as you fold. Once the batter spreads out a bit and starts to look glossy and smooth on top, on the parchment paper or silicone mat, it’s ready.

Piping the shapes

Pipe the head by placing the bag 90 degrees over the center of the circle, then pipe the arms and legs by dragging the piping tip from the edges to the center. Tap the trays against the counter or against the palm of your hands to release any air bubbles, remove the template from under the mat, and also use a toothpick to pop any air bubbles on the surface of the shells.

Gingerbread Buttercream

Cream butter at medium speed in the bowl of an electric mixer for about 1 minute. With the mixer off, add all of the powdered sugar in. On low speed, mix the sugar and butter together. Once they are incorporated, turn speed to medium and cream for 1-2 minutes until very fluffy. Add vanilla extract, molasses, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Royal Icing Beat all ingredients together, except for the food coloring, for about 5 minutes on high speed. Divide into different bowls to make different colors. I made pink, red, and left one bowl white. Remember to always keep the royal icing covered, or it will start to dry out pretty soon. Place the icing in a piping bag and tie the end with a bag tie.

Decorating

To decorate the gingerbread men, I piped some white wave patterns on the hands and legs of the macarons, and then I drew eyes and a smiley mouth on the face, and lastly, made the cheeks out of pink icing, and the red buttons out of red icing. After the decorations have dried, you can pipe the filling on the bottom shells of the macarons and top with a decorated gingerbread men.

Ginger Bread Men

Macarons

Stacked Christmas Tree Cookies

Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla, salt, and beat to incorporate. Add the green food coloring, a few drops at a time, and beat on medium speed to incorporate. Keep adding food coloring until you reach your desired shade and intensity of green.

Decorating and Garnishing

Fit a star tip in a piping bag (I like the 1M tip), fill it with frosting, and pipe frosting onto the largest cookies, followed by piping it onto the medium cookies. On the smallest cookies, pipe a swirl on top so it looks like the top of a tree. Decorate it with a yellow star to make it look like a Christmas tree. Stack together a large base, topped with a medium cookie, topped with the small ones; repeat until you’ve made and stacked together all the cookies. Decorate your cookie trees with gold and silver pearl sprinkles or any other sprinkles of your choice such as red and green jimmies or similar.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using a large cookie scoop, divide the dough into 3-tablespoon sized balls and place onto prepared baking sheets, leaving about 3 inches between each ball of dough for spreading.

Firmly press a pecan half on top of each ball of cookie dough.

Bake, one tray at a time, in a preheated oven for 12 minutes, or until golden brown. If any edges spread out while baking, use a spatula and gently press them back in as soon as you remove the cookies from the oven.

Press extra chocolate chunks and pecans pieces on top of warm cookies. Then sprinkle with sea salt.

Allow cookies to cool on the pan for 15 minutes, then carefully transfer to a cooling rack.

Brown Butter Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Chunk Cookie