christmas cookies

Christmas Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

Tis the season for baking cookies and I just love it! I made these to be a prop in our Christmas card picture. I’ll post that another time 😉 These cookies are so delicious because not only are there dark chocolate chips in them, but also mint M&M’s!! So Christmasy and delightful. Yum. Let’s get to cookie baking…

What you will need…

Cookie sheet lined with parchment paper
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 bag mint M&M’s
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda and cocoa. Set aside. In another large bowl, mix butter and both sugars until combined. Add eggs and peppermint extract and mix until combined. Add in flour mixture and mix until combined. Stir in M&M’s and chocolate chips. Put in fridge for 20 minutes.

Drop dough by 1 inch balls onto prepared cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes. Let cool on wire rack and enjoy!

 

Snowball Cookies

The day after Thanksgiving I always put up our Christmas tree. And this year I was feeling the Christmas spirit so much, afterwards I wanted to bake some cookies! I had all the ingredients for these snowballs. Yes, all four of them! 😉 And I’ll even tell you how you can make them without nuts. Some people call these Mexican Wedding Cookies or Pecan Sandies, but for the sake of the season, I call them Snowballs! So let’s get started.

What you will need…

Cookie sheet lined with parchment paper
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar plus 1 cup for dusting

Tip: I used pecan halves and then chopped them myself right before using and I feel it really brought out their flavor.
Tip #2: If you don’t want to add nuts, add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract instead

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, mix together butter and 1/2 cup powdered sugar (and vanilla if using). Add in flour and pecans and mix until a nice dough forms. Form dough into 1 inch balls and place on cookie sheet.

Once cookie sheet is filled, place in refrigerator for 20 minutes. Then bake for 20-25 minutes until just beginning to brown.

As soon as the cookies come out in the oven, roll in cup of powdered sugar. I found that pressing the sugar on the cookies helped it stick. Let cool completely on a wire rack and enjoy! Store in airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for a crunchier cookie. Happy baking!