Around the festive season, people express their love and affection in many ways. While gifts remain the most popular way to share this love, cooking and baking offer a personal, heartwarming touch. Gifting homemade treats like cookies is an excellent way to delight one’s friends, family, or colleagues. That said, as those party invitations start rolling in, it’s time to start thinking about preparing additional batches of holiday cookies for gifting, hosting, exchanges, and more.
1. Basic cookies
Learning this basic cookie dough recipe is all it takes to turn up to every holiday party with a delectable tray full of sweet delights. Moreover, it can easily be customized with additional flavors and dips to make it unique.
To make a basic cookie dough, start by creaming butter and sugar in a big mixing container until they reach a light and fluffy consistency. Combine the wet ingredients like eggs, milk, and vanilla as well. Whisk and sift flour, baking powder, and salt in another bowl until well combined, and then slowly mix them into the batter.
Divide the dough into small portions and bake at 375℉ for 10-12 minutes. To customize this, add ingredients like freeze-dried raspberries or chocolate chips to the mixture or sandwich some jam between two baked cookies for a flavor-packed surprise.
To make them more holiday-themed, one can also invest in special cookie cutters to shape the dough, such as trees or snowflakes for Christmas-themed cookies. For some added oomph, decorate these cookies with royal icing or piping, and add sprinkles or nonpareils on top for accents!
2. Holly wreath cookies
For something a little more festive and unique, try making these holly wreaths for the cookie exchange. Combine butter and cream cheese in a bowl, then add some sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and all-purpose flour to this mix.
Unlike regular cookies, these must be piped or shaped to take on the wreath-finish. To achieve this, use a cookie press with a star piping tip and make small wreaths. Leave ample space between the cookies, and bake them at 375℉ for 8-10 minutes or until set. Cool them on a wire rack and adorn them with small pieces of green candied cherries for leaves and Red Hots. For a little more zing, use red frosting to pipe bows, and the cookies are now ready to serve.
3. Chocolate thumbprint cookies
To turn up with a popular cookie for the holiday exchange, try out these chocolate thumbprint cookies. These cookies are currently trending, thanks to how delicious and inviting they are.
To make these cookies, start by creaming butter and sugar until it turns light and creamy. Add egg yolks (the whites will be useful later!), milk, and vanilla. Then, fold in the dry ingredients like flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Cover the mixture and refrigerate until it becomes easier to handle.
Moving on to the thumbprint part. Take the dough out of the fridge and roll it into small balls. At the same time, whisk the egg whites until they achieve a nice, rich, and foamy consistency. Dip the dough ball into the egg white, and then roll it in some chopped nuts. Use a wooden spoon or dowel to make an indentation in the middle of the cookie (the thumbprint). Pop this in the oven to bake at 350℉ for around 10 to 12 minutes or until the center is set.
Now, to finish these cookies off, it’s time to make a filling. This is made of confectioner’s sugar, butter, milk, and vanilla. Mix these ingredients until smooth, and then pipe them into the warm cookie. Top with a piece of chocolate or a few chocolate chips, and the cookies are ready to serve!
4. Whipped shortbread cookies
There’s no chance of going wrong with traditional shortbread cookies. Upgrade the recipe a smidge by whipping the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. This should take around five minutes to achieve. Gradually add in the flour and cornstarch, and blend this well.
Use a little more cornstarch to dust the hands, and then start rolling the dough into small balls, roughly 1 inch in size. Place them at a short distance from each other on the baking sheet, and then slowly and gently press them down with the help of a fork. This will make small indentations, which will be perfect to hold onto toppings like sprinkles or chopped cherries. Add the desired toppings, and then bake at 300℉ for 20-22 minutes or until lightly browned. Let them cool at room temperature before moving them onto wire racks.
5. Dipped gingersnaps
These mildly spiced cookies are another great idea for the festive cookie exchange. They can also be easily made ahead of time, making them a rather convenient gift as well. To make these dipped gingersnap cookies, start by creaming sugar and oil together. Add in the eggs and a small portion of molasses. In a separate bowl container, sift the flour, baking soda, ground ginger, and cinnamon powder together. Slowly add this to the wet mix to form a dough.
Mold the dough into 1-inch balls and roll them in sugar. Put them on a baking sheet and bake at 350℉ for 10-12 minutes. Remove and let them cool completely.
In the meantime, melt some white chocolate chips with a touch of shortening and stir until smooth. Dip the cookies in this mix or drizzle it over the cooled cookies and let them stand until set. Take them to any holiday cookie exchange to win over crowds in a jiffy!
