Christmas Eve is coming soon, and if you and your family have a tradition of leaving homemade cookies out for Santa, you need some no-fail recipes that will deliver all the goodness. We’ve gathered together some of our favorite. Pick a favorite, strap on your aprons, and gather the kids together in the kitchen. It’s the perfect opportunity to make some memories and share the love!
Oatmeal Jam Breakfast Thumbprint Cookies
3 cups Panhandle Milling Whole Wheat Flour
3 ½ cups Rolled Oats
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 Tbsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Salt
2 eggs
1 cup Coconut Sugar
1 cup Pyure Organic Stevia Baking Blend
1 cup Organic Coconut Oil
¼ cup molasses
½ cup Almond Milk
1 cup Smucker’s Pure Fruit Spread
½ cup Pecans, chopped
Directions:
- Wash and sanitize all work surfaces and tools before baking.
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- In a mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the whole wheat flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- On the lowest speed, add the egg, coconut sugar, stevia blend, coconut oil, molasses, and almond milk. Mix for 2 minutes until well combined.
- Scoop by rounded Tablespoon about 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet.
- Flatten balls of dough slightly. Indent the middle of each cookie with your thumb. Do not eat the dough. Fill each cookie with 1 tsp. fruit spread. Sprinkle the fruit spread with chopped pecans.
- Bake 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Wash and sanitize all work surfaces and tools after mixing and do not allow finished baked cookies to contact the raw flour or dough.
- Yield 36 cookies. Yield 3 dozen
Supreme Soft Sugar Cookies
¾ cup butter softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. almond extract
½ tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
2 ½ cups Panhandle Milling all-purpose flour
Frosting
3 cups powdered sugar
¼ cup butter softened
2 tsp. vanilla extract
¼ cup milk
Directions:
- Wash and sanitize hands, tools, and work surfaces.
- In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and almond until combined. Add salt, baking powder, and flour and mix until well incorporated.
- Cover dough bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for one hour. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Roll cookies into 1-inch balls and flatten with the bottom of a drinking glass until 1/4-inch thick. Never eat raw dough.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until slightly golden brown on the bottom. Let cool completely.
- Wash and sanitize work surfaces that raw dough came in contact with and don’t allow baked cookies to contact those surfaces.
- In a stand mixer or large mixing bowl, beat together powdered sugar and butter until creamy. Mix in vanilla and milk until smooth.
- Frost cooled cookies with frosting and top with sprinkles if desired. For an elegant touch, lightly spray the top of the cookies with Wilton edible gold spray if desired.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup butter softened
1 ¼ cup sugar
¾ cup packed brown sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups Panhandle Milling All-purpose Flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
Chocolate Filling:
½ cup heavy cream
1 ¼ cup milk chocolate chips
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions:
- In a large bowl, cream the butter, peanut butter, and sugars until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
- Beat in eggs and vanilla.
- Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; add to creamed mixture and mix well.
- Shape into 1-in. balls and place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten to 3/8-in. thickness with a fork. Bake at 375° for 7-8 minutes or until golden. Remove to wire racks to cool.
For filling:
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate filling ingredients and heat on high for 1 ½ -2 minutes. Stir well.
- Cool to room temperature. The mixture should thicken as it cools. Spread on half of the cookies and top each with another cookie.
Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies
¾ cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
¼ cup blackstrap molasses
1 tsp. vanilla
2 ½ cups Panhandle Milling Organic All-purpose Flour
2 tsp. freshly grated ginger root (or 1 tsp dry ground)
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. Ground Saigon cinnamon
½ tsp. Ground cloves
½ tsp. salt
1/2 cup Raw Demerara Sugar for Garnish
Directions:
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in egg, molasses, and vanilla.
- Combine the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well.
- Roll into 1-1/2-in. balls, then roll in Raw sugar.
- Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350°F until puffy and lightly browned, 10-12 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool.
Italian Butter Tea Cookies
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter
¾ cup confectioners powdered sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 t. vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups Panhandle Milling Kamut® All-Purpose Flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
Directions:
- Wash and sanitize all work surfaces and tools. In a 2-quart mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter, shortening, and sugars on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Slowly add the eggs and vanilla on low speed and mix until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Increase speed to high and whip for 4 minutes. In a large bowl, combine the flour and cornstarch. On low speed, slowly incorporate the flour mixture into the butter mixture. When all the flour is added, mix on low speed for 1 minute.
- Line sheet pans with parchment paper. Fit a large piping bag with a large star tip. Fill the bag 3/4 of the way full of the cookie dough and form into cookies the size of a quarter, allowing 1-inch between cookies for spreading.
- Sprinkle with sanding sugar or sprinkles before baking. Bake 375°F 12-15 minutes, or until lightly brown.
- Wash and Sanitize work surfaces. Decorate or dip in chocolate. Yield 2-3 dozen 1 ½-inch cookies.
Salted Carmel Butter Bars
Crust:
1/2 lb. butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla
2 cups Panhandle Milling Kamut® Khorasan Wheat All Purpose flour
For the Filling:
1 bag (11 oz.) caramel candies bits (Kraft®)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste
Dash of cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp. coarse sea salt (French Grey preferred)
Directions:
- Wash and sanitize hands, tools, and all work surfaces.
- In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugars.
- Using a mixer on medium speed, beat together until creamy.Add the vanilla and beat until combined. Add flour and mix until smooth.
- Spray an 8×8 inch baking pan lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Press one-third of the dough evenly into the pan to form a bottom crust.
- Place remaining crust mixture in the refrigerator.
- Preheat to 325°F. Bake crust until firm and the edges are a pale golden brown, approximately 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for about 15 minutes.
- While the bottom crust is baking and the remaining dough is chilling, make the caramel filling. Place the caramel bits in a saucepan. Add the cream, vanilla, and dash of cayenne. Cook and stir over low to medium heat until completely melted. (You can also use the microwave in short bursts to melt the caramel mixture.) Pour the caramel filling over the crust. Generously salt with sea salt.
- Remove the remaining chilled dough from the refrigerator and crumble it evenly over the caramel. You may find the chilled dough doesn’t “crumble” that easily. If so, place on a cutting board and chop into the size pieces you want for the topping.
- Return the pan to the oven and bake until the filling is bubbly and the crumbled shortbread topping is firm and lightly golden about 25 – 30 minutes. Cool completely before cutting.
Classic Fudge Brownies
1 cup butter
4 cups sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla
8 eggs
2 cups Panhandle All-purpose Flour
1 1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
1 tsp. salt
Directions:
- Wash and sanitize all work surfaces, utensils, and hands before baking.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a half-sheet pan (18-in x 13-in x 1-in). Cream the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a mixer with a paddle attachment.
- Add the flour, cocoa, and salt, mixing for 2 minutes. Pour into the prepared half-sheet pan and spread out evenly.
- Bake 40-45 minutes until a wooden pick inserted in the center will come out with moist crumbs (150°F). Wash and sanitize all work surfaces, utensils, and hands after baking.
Butterscotch Snickerdoodle Blondies
1/2 cup melted butter
2 cups dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cup Panhandle Milling All-Purpose Flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. brandy extract
Cinnamon Sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. Cinnamon
½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice
Directions:
- Wash and sanitize all work surfaces and tools. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 by 13-inch cake pan.
- Mix all the Blondie ingredients in a large bowl and combine well. Spread in the blondie mixture into the pan.
- In a separate container, combine the sugar and spices. Sprinkle generously over the top of the Blondie and bake 25-30 minutes– or until they look dry on top and almost firm to the touch.
Let cool 10-15 minutes and cut into small squares. Yield 36 Blondies.
