The Best Recipes for This Year’s Cookie Exchange

Are you on a gift-buying frenzy yet? Have black Friday and Cyber Monday reeled you in and have your credit cards and PayPal account on fire? Think about it, the king of gift-giving, Santa of course, only wants one thing on Christmas Eve…cookies! And if they are good enough to make Saint Nick jolly, they can also be the perfect low-cost, fun-to-make, most enjoyed gift to exchange with friends, family, and neighbors! Here are some cookie exchange recipes that will have your recipients begging for more!

Pecan Dreams/Snowball Cookies

These melt-in-your-mouth cookies with a crunch will become a tradition due to intense cravings!

Ingredients

2 sticks of butter

2 cups SR Flour

4 Tablespoons granulated sugar

2 cups coarsely chopped pecans

2 pounds of powdered sugar, divided

Instructions

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

-Cream butter and sugar thoroughly. .

-Add vanilla and flour and beat until combined and creamy.

-Stir in pecans.

-Roll into 1/2 inch balls.

-Place on ungreased cookie sheet, being sure they dont touch.

-Bake for 30-45 minutes until bottoms are light to medium brown.

-While cookies are baking, sift powdered sugar into two separate, large bowls.

-When cookies are done, remove and IMMEDIATELY and quickly roll one at a time in one bowl of powdered sugar, then the other.

-Place on another cookie sheet or flat surface until completely cool.

-Store in airtight container.

-Be sure to buy extra ingredients as one recipe is never enough!

The Best Christmas Sugar Cookie

If there is a cookie in a Christmas movie, it’s a decorated sugar cookie, and here’s how to make them!

Ingredients

Cookies:

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs, room temperature

2½ cups SR flour



Frosting:

4 cups  powdered sugar, sifted

3-4 Tablespoons milk, room temperature

2 ½ Tablespoons light corn syrup

½ tsp pure vanilla extract

Gel food coloring (If frosting them)

Instructions

Cookies:

-Cream butter and sugar.

-Add vanilla and eggs, beating until combined.

-Add flour, beating until combined.

-Divide dough into two equal portions.

-Shape each piece of dough into a round, flat disc and wrap tightly with plastic wrap.

-Chill in refrigerator for two hours, or overnight.

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

-Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.

-Remove one dough disc from refrigerator and place at room temperature for 5 minutes to soften.  

-Place dough on a floured surface and roll to ½” or ¼” thickness (thicker = softer cookies).

-Use holiday cookie cutters and place cookies 1” apart on prepared cookie sheets.

-Repeat until all the dough is used, combining scraps to make more cookies.



To decorate with sprinkles only:

-Brush the cookies with a little bit of milk or cream, then add sprinkles.

-Bake in preheated oven for 9-10 minutes or until cookies are puffed and set around the edges.

-Remove and cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

-Repeat with second disc of dough.



For frosted cookies:

-Combine all frosting ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.

-Start with 2 Tablespoons of milk and increase until you reach desired consistency.

-If using food coloring, separate frosting into smaller bowls and add food coloring.

-Place each color in a disposable piping bag with tip of choice.

-Decorate when cookies are completely cooled. (Memories being made here!)

-Let cookies sit at room temperature for at least 3 hours, or chill in refrigerator until the frosting is completely hardened.

-Store in an airtight container.

Brownie Christmas Cocoa Mugs

Somewhere between a cookie and a brownie, you will find the adorable magic of this holiday treat everyone will fall in love with!

Ingredients

No stick cooking spray

1 18.2 ounce package Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

24 mini candy canes

Whipped cream or whipped topping

Instructions

-Preheat oven to 350°F.

-Spray mini muffin tin with cooking spray.

-Stir together brownie mix, water, oil and eggs in a large bowl until blended.

-Divide batter evenly into 24 mini muffin cups.

-Bake 20 minutes.

-Use a small spoon to make a tiny well in the center of each brownie.

-Fill hole with 3 or 4 chocolate morsels.

-Place on a wire rack to cool slightly.

-Break candy canes to form handles.

-Insert handles on the side of each brownie.

-Top each with whipped cream or white frosting.

-If using whipped cream, serve immediately.