Favorite Christmas Cookie Recipes

There is a tradition in my family that every Christmas (usually around November) my grandmother and I get together for the weekend and bake Christmas cookies to send to friends and family. It just so happens that this weekend is the one we chose for that (most likely we'll end up freezing some cookies for a while, which is fine as well), so I thought now was a good time to post some cookie recipes.

Now, for those of you who are less cooking-inclined and don't want to make cookies from scratch, there are a lot of good cookie mixes that you can buy where all you need to add are eggs and vegetable oil and then cook the cookies. I recommend the Betty Crocker brands, such as this one because they always come out good when I cook them and they're available at reasonable prices (indeed, Kmart is having a sale on them where each one is only $1).

Before I get to the recipes, here are some great tips to make your cookies extra festive for Christmas:

Add Sprinkles

Sprinkles are always fun and nice to have. A lot of stores are putting out their Christmas sprinkles, which have sprinkles in the shapes of Christmas trees and candy canes and such. They're especially fun for little kids and they are at least a nice change from the regular sprinkles.

Add Frosting

Frosting adds a little bit more to cookies. You don't need to frost them all, obviously, but it gives a greater variety to cookies and a lot of people enjoy frosting. You can either buy frosting at the store or there's a good recipe for it that can be found here.

Use Cookie Cutters

A lot of stores have their Christmas cookie cutters out, including all sorts of fun Christmas shapes. Kids especially love to use the cookie cutters and it makes the shapes a little bit more fun to work with.

Add Candy

Instead of making a plain tree-shaped sugar cookie or whatever, add some M & M's to the points of the tree. It makes it look a little bit more interesting and they look like ornaments. Plus, it adds a little more treats to the cookie, too. Or, if you prefer, squish a kiss onto the top of the cookie to make another sort of favorite.

Get a special plate for Santa

As a special treat for your child, get a special plate for Santa's Christmas cookies. My family had a small red plate with a picture of Santa putting presents by the fire that we always took out on Christmas Eve to put cookies on with a matching small red cup for milk. It was a nice tradition that we kids were fond of and we knew that when that Santa plate came out then it was just about time for Christmas.

Now for the good stuff: the recipes.

Peanut Butter Cookies:

Ingredients (makes about 2 dozen):

- ½ cup granulated sugar

- ½ cup butter or margarine

- ½ cup brown sugar

- ½ cup peanut butter

- 1 egg

- ½ teaspoon baking powder

- 1 ¼ cups flour

- ¼ teaspoon salt

- ½ teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:

Mix the granulated sugar, brown sugar, butter/margarine, and peanut butter until it becomes a creamy state. Then beat in both the vanilla and the egg. Stir in the remaining ingredients.

Use your hands to shape the dough into small balls, placing them on a lightly greased (or no-stick) cookie pan about two inches apart. Use a fork to smoosh the ball kind of flat first pressing down with the tines vertical and then with the tines horizontal (this will create a kind of criss-cross pattern on the cookie).

Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. For softer cookies, bake for a little less time.

Chocolate Chip Cookies (makes about 2 dozen):

Ingredients:

- ¾ cup sugar

- ¾ cup brown sugar (packed)

- 1 cup butter or margarine

- 1 egg

- 2 ¼ cups flour

- 1 teaspoon baking soda

- ½ teaspoon salt

- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

- ½ teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:

Mix the sugar, brown sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla in a large bowl. Stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt. At this point, the dough should be pretty solid. Stir in the chocolate chips. Use your hands to roll into balls and place on lightly greased (or no stick pan) about 2 inches apart.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes, or a little less for softer cookies.

Chocolate No-Bake Cookies (makes about 2 - 3 dozen, depending on how big you make the cookies):

Ingredients:

- 1 cup butter

- 2 cups sugar

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 4 tablespoons cocoa

- 1/2 cup milk

- 1/4 cup peanut butter

- 3 cups oatmeal (might require a bit more than this)

- 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:

Mix the first 5 ingredients in a pan and bring them to a boil on the stove. Stir them frequently, and let them boil for 2 1/2 minutes.

Take the pan off the heat and stir in the last 3 ingredients. The next part you have to play by ear (or eye, technically). I used the 3 cups, but it was still a bit runny, so I had to add an extra cup of oatmeal. The mixture should not be runny, but the liquid should be well absorbed by the oats.

Drop by spoonfuls on prepared sheet and let them stand at least an hour to cool. I would recommend that after they're solid enough to be lifted, sticking them in the fridge to finish solidifying.

Sugar Cookies (makes about 4 dozen):

Ingredients:

- 2 ¾ cups flour

- 1 teaspoon baking soda

- ½ teaspoon baking powder

- 1 cup butter or margarine (softened)

- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar

- 1 egg

- 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:

Mix the flour, baking soda, and baking powder in a small bowl. In another bowl, mix the butter and sugar until it's a creamy substance. Then beat in the egg and vanilla. Blend this into the dry ingredients from the other bowl.

Use your hands to roll them into balls and place on a lightly greased (or no-stick) cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes, or slightly less for softer cookies.