Holiday Cookies

Although most of us are celebrating our holidays in a different way this year. Whether it’s due to being stuck inside because of colder weather, or if it’s just engrained in us as humans to get the urge to make baked goods around this time of year, we find ourselves ready to bust out the recipe book. And a lot of us are choosing to continue to simply carry on family tradition. No matter the reason, if you feel a nudge to get out your mixer and heat up the oven, we have some delicious cookie recipes for you! It’s the holidays, so add a little extra joy by turning on some Christmas tunes and start mixing ingredients for your seasonal sweets. Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and even a little Mariah Carey will be the icing on the cookie. One of the biggest challenges we face in our home every year is deciding which cookie to bake, share, and eat first. We always use multiple cookie recipes to ensure there is plenty to go around, and something for everyone. The following recipe is the Kris Kringle Cookie. They are soft, chewy, and absolutely delicious. They are a hit every single year.

Kris Kringle Cookie Ingredients: · Eggs, large · 1 cup Butter · 2 1/4 cups All-purpose flour · 1 tsp Baking soda · 1/2 tsp Salt · 1 cup Sugar · 2 tsp Vanilla extract, pure · 1 cup Dried Cranberries + more to add to the tops of the cookies before baking · 1 cup White chocolate morsels + more to add to the tops of the cookies before baking Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet/baking pan with parchment paper.

2. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy.

3. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add flour, baking soda and salt; mix well. Stir in white chocolate and cranberries. If dough does not feel cool to the touch, chill for 30 minutes or longer before baking. This will prevent spreading.

4. Drop a rounded spoonful (about 2 tablespoons) of dough, 1-1/2 inches apart, onto baking sheets. Add white chocolate morsels, cranberries and pecans (if using) to the tops of the cookies for a prettier cookie.

5. Bake for about 9-12 minutes. Cool on baking sheets for about 1 minute and remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Red Velvet Cookie

Ingredients:

· 1 box of Duncan Hines Red Velvet Cake Mix

· 2tablespoons all-purpose flour

· 2 large eggs

· 1/2 cup of canola oil

· 1teaspoon vanilla extract

· 1 ½ cups white chocolate chips melted or white candy melts

Instructions:

1. To make cookies, in a large bowl combine cake mix and flour. Whisk until clumps disappear. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together cake mix, flour, eggs, oil and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap. The dough will be oily. Refrigerate for at least two hours.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. To assemble the cookies, take about ¼ cup of red velvet cookie dough and flatten in your hands. Place a teaspoon of cheesecake filling in the center and wrap the cookie dough around the filling. Gently roll into a ball and place on prepared baking sheet. Scoop onto lightly greased or parchment lined baking sheets. Only bake 3 cookies at a time. The cookies are large and will spread. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until the cookies begin to crackle. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Remove from baking sheet to a wire cooling rack and cool completely.

3. Melt the white chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl or over a double-boiler. Drizzle the white chocolate over the cooled cookies. Let the cookies set until the chocolate hardens. Serve and enjoy!

Merry Christmas, and happy baking!