Recipe
Holiday Cookie Recipe Contest
My friends and I decided to take our Christmas party to the next level this year. Instead of frosted Christmas cookies with colorful presents or reindeers drawn on top we baked homemade, grandma-style holiday cookies. Making four different kinds of cookies in one apartment kitchen the night before the party had its struggles, but it ended up being so worth it.
Ranking our Cookies
Our variety of holiday cookies included white chocolate dipped peppermint chocolate, M&M, iced gingerbread oatmeal, and s’mores cookies. The rankings were pretty unanimous, however they did not match people's expectations. The s’mores cookies were the most anticipated before the party but others rose above once the tasting began.
The iced gingerbread oatmeal cookies on the other hand got a lot of side eyes when originally suggested. While all of these cookies are worth making, our official rankings are, tied for first: white chocolate dipped peppermint chocolate and iced gingerbread oatmeal, third: M&M, and fourth: s’mores.
What Didn't Work
I'm only providing the recipes for our winning holiday cookies because I believe there are better recipes for the other two than the ones we used. We decided to make M&M cookies for the less adventurous dessert indulgers. The recipe was originally for M&M and chocolate chip cookies, but we decided to leave out the chocolate chips, which ended up being a mistake. These cookies turned out a little bland and some even thought they “weren’t sweet enough.” The s’mores cookies came out thin and hard. The way the marshmallows cooked in them crisped up in an unenjoyable way and the graham cracker pieces made the rest of the cookie feel dry.
The white chocolate dipped peppermint chocolate cookies have become a holiday staple for me. This was my fourth time making them and they hit the spot every time. They are very rich and chewy but so delicious and very pretty to give as gifts to friends and neighbors. This recipe comes from Cooking Classy.
White Chocolate Dipped Peppermint Chocolate Cookies
- Prep Time: 35 mins
- Cook Time: 8 mins
- Total Time: 43 mins
- Servings: 32
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp peppermint extract
- 16 oz. white chocolate
- 1/4 cup crushed peppermint bits
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Contrary to the majority, the iced gingerbread oatmeal cookies were the ones I was most looking forward to. These soft, crumbly cookies were much better than the smooth hard gingerbread you might be used to. This recipe comes from Sally's Baking Addiction.
Iced Gingerbread Oatmeal Cookies
- Prep Time: 45 mins
- Cook Time: 13 mins
- Total Time: 58 mins
- Servings: 30
Ingredients
- 2 cups old-fashioned whole rolled oats
- 1 and 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 unsulphured or dark molasses
- 1 and 1/2 cup sifted confectioners sugar
- 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1.5-2 tbs milk
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I hope you use these holiday cookie recipes to share the Christmas spirit with your friends and family. Winter break is also the perfect time to practice and perfect your cookie recipes, so I would love to hear the unique recipes you create!