DAY 3: Lemon Cookie Cups
If you like lemon bars, you will love these cute little lemon cups! They are made with a rich, buttery cookie cup base and filled with homemade lemon curd filling.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving and decorate as desired.
Sweet and tart, and perfect for adding to cookie plates.
RECIPE:
DAY 2: Chocolate Chip Chocolate Pudding Cookies
This year I did some experimenting with adding pudding mix to cookie recipes. The pudding mix helps keep the cookies soft and chewy and adds a rich flavor to the dough.
This is a chocolate chocolate chip cookie dough. I dipped them in white chocolate and decorated with seasonal sprinkles for Christmas cookie plates.
RECIPE:
Filed under Cookies
If you are still looking for more Christmas cookies, here are some other great ideas for giving (and keeping).
Swedish Peppar KaKar:
(a soft mild gingerbread; even more fun when you make them tiny)
Mint Oreo Cookies:
(super easy: start with a cake mix)
Christmas Chocolate Chip Cookies:
(soft, chewy cookies all dressed up for Christmas)
Cherry Nut Mudslides:
(a great cookie for more discriminating tastes)
Snickerdoodles:
(as much fun to eat as to say)
Raspberry Almond Linzer Cookies:
(my favorite cookies ever)
Peanut Butter Kisses:
(try using some of the fancy Kisses flavors)
Chocolate Rolo and Andes Chocolate Mint Cookies:
(two very different cookies from one easy dough)
Russian Tea Cakes:
(these are the kids’ favorites-they are suckers for a little colored sugar)
Chocolate Caramel Thumbprints:
(Santa’s favorite indulgence)
Sugar Cookies:
(soft and slightly sweet; the anchor of any respectable Christmas cookie tray)
Here is a recap of our Second Annual Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies. For me, I am off to the gym to try and burn off a few of these calories.
Happy Baking!
—
DAY 1: Raspberry Crumb Bars
DAY 2: Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
DAY 3: Chocolate Nutella Cookies
DAY 4: Glazed Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
DAY 5: Almond Macaroon Brownies
DAY 6: Trail Mix Cookies
DAY 7: Cream Cheese Cut-Out Cookies
DAY 8: Chocolate Revel Bars
DAY 9: Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Cookies
DAY 10: Caramel Pecan Bars
DAY 11: Turtle Pretzel Snaps
DAY 12: Coconut Macaroons
DAY 12: For our final Christmas cookie this season, a traditional coconut macaroon. This is a flourless, gluten-free cookie made from coconut, egg whites, sugar, and almond extract. They can be made sugar-free as well by using unsweetened coconut and a sugar substitute. The ones pictured here are the full-sugar variety.
The “dough” is cooked on the stove prior to baking, which leaves you with a wonderful chewy macaroon on the inside and slightly crispy toasted coconut on the outside. Dipping the bottoms in chocolate is optional, but I definitely recommend it.
RECIPE:
1 (14 oz) pkg flaked sweetened coconut
6 egg whites
1 cup sugar
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp almond extract
1 cup semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips, melted (optional)
Preheat oven to 325°F.
In a medium saucepan, stir together coconut, egg whites, sugar, and salt. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring constantly (a spoon drawn through the mixture should leave a clean path). Remove from heat; stir in almond extract.
Drop onto greased cookie sheets (or line with a Silpat) by rounded teaspoonfuls. Let stand on cookie sheets for 15 minutes before baking. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool on pan for 2 minutes before removing to wire rack. Cool completely.
Dip bottoms of macaroons in melted chocolate, if desired. Place on waxed paper until chocolate has hardened.
Makes about 4 dozen cookies
NoEmptyChairs.me
TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS COOKIES (2010) RECAP:
DAY 1: Raspberry Crumb Bars
DAY 2: Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
DAY 3: Chocolate Nutella Cookies
DAY 4: Glazed Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
DAY 5: Almond Macaroon Brownies
DAY 6: Trail Mix Cookies
DAY 7: Cream Cheese Cut-Out Cookies
DAY 8: Chocolate Revel Bars
DAY 9: Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Cookies
DAY 10: Caramel Pecan Bars
DAY 11: Turtle Pretzel Snaps
DAY 11: Technically, these are a candy, not a cookie, but they still make a great addition to any holiday cookie tray. Sweet & salty; crunch & chewy. A great combination of tastes and textures.
These candies are a simple, fun alternative to traditional Turtle Candies. They are also an easy treat to make with kids. They can do almost all of the work themselves.
The base of these treats is a Pretzel Snap: the square criss-crossed shaped pretzels that look kind of like a window pane. Place the pretzels in a single layer on a lined baking sheet. You can use a Silpat, parchment paper or foil to line the pan. Top each pretzel with half of a caramel. Instead of a caramel, you can also use a Rolo candy. I prefer the flavor of the plain caramel, topped with a bittersweet chocolate chip. Using plain caramels also allows me to make some “chocolate free” candies for Little A. But the Rolos do save you one step.
Bake the caramel topped pretzels for about 5-7 minutes, until caramels (or Rolos) are soft. Remove from oven and immediately top with a chocolate chip. I like the Ghirardelli bittersweet chips, for both the flavor and the fact that they are slightly bigger than normal semi-sweet chocolate chips. (If you are using Rolos, you don’t need to use any chocolate chips) The chocolate will melt by the time you have finished putting one on each caramel. Press one M&M or toasted pecan half into the soft chocolate. Let candies cool completely before moving from baking sheet. 
RECIPE:
Pretzel Snaps (criss-cross shaped)
Caramels or Rolos
Chocolate chips (if using plain caramels); I like the larger Ghirardelli bittersweet chips
Peanut M&Ms
Whole Pecans, toasted (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Lay pretzel snaps in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat, parchment paper or foil. Cut caramels in half and place one half on each pretzel (Alternately, top each pretzel with a Rolo candy). Bake for 5-7 minutes, or until caramels are soft. Remove from oven and immediately top each caramel with one chocolate chip (omit chocolate chips when using Rolos). When chocolate is soft, press an M&M or pecan half into the chocolate. Let chocolate harden before moving to a serving plate.
NoEmptyChairs.me
TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS COOKIES (2010) RECAP:
DAY 1: Raspberry Crumb Bars
DAY 2: Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
DAY 3: Chocolate Nutella Cookies
DAY 4: Glazed Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
DAY 5: Almond Macaroon Brownies
DAY 6: Trail Mix Cookies
DAY 7: Cream Cheese Cut-Out Cookies
DAY 8: Chocolate Revel Bars
DAY 9: Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Cookies
DAY 10: Caramel Pecan Bars
Raspberry Sweet Rolls
Chicken Tikka Masala
Caramelized Onion Dip
Coconut Cream Pie Bars
Thai Green Curry
Ratatouille
Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake
Bacon Jalapeno Scones
Fried Rice
Cinnamon Swirl Bread
No Empty Chairs 