- Chocolate M&M Cookies: Colorful, familiar, and impossible to mess up. These feel like childhood in the best way and look adorable wrapped in cellophane.
- Homemade Caramels: Soft, buttery, and a little fancy. These always feel like something special because most people never make them themselves.
- Candied Pecans: Perfect for hostess gifts or something a little different. Sweet, crunchy, and great tucked into a jar with a ribbon.
- Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies: Classic and cozy with a chocolatey center. These scream holiday baking tray and photograph beautifully.
- Sugar Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting: Tender sugar cookies with cream cheese frosting that melts just enough. The kind of cookie that tastes like holidays at home.
- Homemade Caramel Sauce: Rich, golden, and endlessly useful. Drizzle it over ice cream, apples, pancakes, or gift it in a jar with a ribbon and instructions to use generously.
- Oreo Truffles: Simple, chocolatey, and always a hit. These feel like the treat that disappears first from any holiday box.
Recipes:
Chocolate M&M Cookies: You can find the chocolate chip recipe in my previous blog but instead of using all chocolate chips use half and the other half should be red and green m&m.
Homemade Caramels:
Ingredients:
– 1 cup butter
– 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
– 2 1/4 cup brown sugar
– 1 cup light corn syrup
– 2 tsp of vanilla extract
– 1 pinch of salt
Directions:
1. In a medium/large saucepan over medium heat combine unsalted butter, condensed milk, brown sugar, corn syrup and salt,
2. Bring to a boil but stir constantly until its reach the temperature of 235-340 degrees F.
3. Remove from heat and add vanilla.
4. In a 9×13 in baking pan place parchment paper and pour caramel mixture onto the pan.
5. Allow caramels to cool completely at room temperature.
6. Remove parchment paper from pan and cut caramels to your desired size with a sharp knife coated in butter.
7. Wrap in wax paper and store in fridge until they are ready to serve.
• If you don’t have a food temomoter you can place a piece of the caramel before pouring into a pan and drop in water, if it hardens its ready.
Candied Pecans:
Ingredients:
– 3 cups unsalted pecan halves
– 1 large egg white
– 1 tbsp water
– 2 tsp vanilla extract
– 1/2 cup granulated sugar
– 1/4 cup light brown sugar
– 1 tsp salt
– 1 tsp cinnamon (add 1/2 tsp more if you love cinnamon)
– Pinch of nutmeg
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
2. Grease a sheet pan with a little bit of oil.
3. In a large bowl whisk the egg white along with water and vanilla until it’s frothy.
4. Add pecans to egg white mixture and coat all the pecans.
5. In a separate bowl mix granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
6. Pour sugar mix into pecans and stir to coat again.
7. Place your pecans into your sheet pan layering them evenly (not overcrowding) and bake in the middle rack for one hour flipping every 15 minutes.
8. When finished place on stove to cool completely then enjoy.
Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies:
Ingredients:
Cookie:
– 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
– 1/2 cup cocoa powder
– 1/2 tsp salt
– 1/2 tsp baking powder
– 3/4 cup unsalted butter (softened)
– 3/4 cup light brown sugar
– 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
– 2 egg yolks (room temperature)
– 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Center:
– 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
– 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
– Christmas sprinkles
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium size bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder and set aside.
3. In a different bowl combine butter, brown sugar and granulated white sugar and cream together.
4. To the butter mixture add egg yolks and vanilla can mix.
5. Add dry mixture to wet mixture and mix until fully combined.
6. Scoop about a tbsp of dough and roll into balls.
7. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and transfer dough to the pans.
8. Using a 1/2 tsp press down on dough lightly to create an indent.
9. Chill dough in fridge for 30 minutes.
10. Spread cookie dough about 1 inch from each other and bake for 10 minutes.
11. Once cookies are baked, press on the cookie again with the tsp if they have lost their indent.
12. Let cookies rest for 5 minutes while you make the chocolate center.
13. In a small bowl add the chocolate chips.
14. In a small post add heavy cream until it’s reached a boil.
15. Remove heavy cream off the stove and pour into chocolate chips and allow to sit for a minute.
16. Stir and combine mixture until it’s become a little thick.
17. Now fill each indent with the chocolate filling and sprinkle with Christmas sprinkles.
18. Chill cookies in fridge for 15 minutes to allow chocolate to set.
Sugar Cookies + Cream Cheese Frosting:
Ingredients:
Cookies
– 1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
– 6 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
– 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
– 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
– 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
– 2 tsp vanilla extract
– 1/2 tsp kosher salt
– 1/2 tsp baking powder
– 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
Frosting:
– 1/2 cup (112g) unsalted butter, room temp
– 2 oz full fat cream cheese, room temp
– 2 cups (220g) powdered sugar, spooned and leveled
– 1 tsp vanilla extract
– Gel food coloring (optional)
– Sprinkles, for decorating
Directions:
1. In a mixer mix butter, cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy.
2. Scrape down bowl and add in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla until smooth.
3. Now mix in the salt, baking powder and cream of tartar until combined.
4. Add flour to mixture and once dough has thicken remove from bowl and use a rubber spatula to ensure the dough is well combined.
5. Dump your cookie dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll out dough to about 1in thick rectangle.
6. Wrap and chill overnight.
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
8. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
9. In a floured surface roll dough to 1/4in thickness.
10. Grab whatever cookie cutter you prefer and cut out as many as you can.
11. Place cookies an inch from each other and bake for 8-10 minutes.
12. Let cookies rest while you make the frosting.
13. In a large bowl mix butter an d creme cheese until smooth.
14. Slowly add in powder sugar then add vanilla.
15. You can add food coloring now if you want and mix until combine.
16. Spread frosting on cookies and top with sprinkles immediately.
Homemade Caramel Sauce:
Ingredients:
– 3 cups granulated sugar
– 18 tbsp room temp unsalted butter
– 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
– 1/2 tbsp vanilla bean paste
– Pinch of sea salt
Directions:
1. Melt sugar on low until golden then add butter (cubed).
2. Once butter has completely melted mix in heavy cream.
3. Remove from heat and add vanilla bean paste, salt and mix.
Oreo Truffles:
Ingredients:
– 36 oreos
– 1 cream cheese (soften)
– Milk chocolate melting wafers
– White chocolate melting wafers
– Christmas sprinkles
Directions:
1. In a ziplock bag place Oreos and crush them until they are crumbs. If you have a food processor that’s even better.
2. Add soften creme cheese and using a rubber spatula stir until completely combine.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and measuring out 1 1/2 tbsp Oreo balls and placing them on the pan.
4. Once nicely rolled place them in the freezer for 30 minutes or in the fridge for an hour.
5. Dip half of the Oreo balls in milk chocolate and decorate with sprinkles immediately.
6. Then repeat with the white chocolate and set aside to cool.
