It’s almost everyone’s favorite time of the year and what better way to celebrate with three original cookie recipes?
Cookies are hands down one of the best parts of the holiday season. Whether it’s for family and friends or just a cozy night in, whipping up a batch of cookies is always warranted.
With the upcoming festivities right around the corner, there’s no better time than now to up your baking game and VALLEY can show you how.
Here are three original cookie recipes that’ll everyone will be asking you for.
Gingerbread Teddy Bears
What You’ll Need
- 1 cup butter, cubed
- 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 2/3 cup molasses
- 1 large egg, room temperature, lightly beaten
- 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- Mini chocolate chips (optional)
- Icing and sprinkles for decorating (optional)
What You’ll Do
- First, combine your butter, brown sugar and molasses in a small saucepan on and cook on medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Pour into a large bowl and let it sit for 10 minutes. Add in your vanilla and egg and stir. Then combine flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda and cloves while gradually mixing in butter. Mix well and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat your oven to 350°. Shape the dough into 10 small 2 in. balls, 40 smaller ½-in. balls and 20 even tinier 3/8-in. balls. Preheat oven to 350°. Shape dough into ten 2-in. balls, ten 1-in. balls, forty 1/2-in. balls and twenty 3/8-in.balls. Place the 2-in. balls on 3 foil-lined baking sheets for the body of 8 bears; flatten to 1/2-in. thickness. Position 1-in. balls for heads; flatten to 1/2-in. thickness. Attach four 1/2-in. balls to each bear for arms and legs. Attach two 3/8-in. balls for ears. Add chocolate chips for eyes and buttons.
- Bake 10-12 minutes or until set. Cool 10 minutes before carefully removing to wire racks to cool completely. With frosting, pipe ears, muzzle and paws; add sprinkles for fingers, toes and nose.
Lemon Snowdrops
What You’ll Need
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- Sugar
- FILLING:
- 1 large egg, room temperature, lightly beaten
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 teaspoons butter
- Additional confectioners’ sugar (optional)
What You’ll Do
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Cream butter, confectioners’ sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Beat in extract. Gradually beat in flour. Shape teaspoonfuls of dough into balls (if necessary, refrigerate the dough, covered, until firm enough to shape). Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets; flatten slightly with the bottom of a glass dipped in granulated sugar. Bake until light brown, 10-12 minutes. Remove cookies from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
- For the filling, whisk together egg, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice in a small heavy saucepan over medium-low heat until blended. Add butter; cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and a thermometer reads at least 170°, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat immediately (do not allow to boil). Transfer to a small bowl and cool. Press plastic wrap onto surface of filling. Refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.
- To serve, spread lemon filling on half of the cookies; cover with remaining cookies. If desired, dust with confectioners’ sugar. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
- Freeze option: Freeze unfilled, undecorated cookies in freezer containers. To use, thaw cookies in covered containers. Fill and decorate as directed.
Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
What You’ll Need
- 2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) Country Crock Baking Sticks
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon red food coloring
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
What You’ll Do
- Preheat oven to 325° and line 2 baking sheets with parchment. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In another large bowl using a hand mixer, beat Country Crock Baking Sticks and sugar together until they are light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time and beat after each addition then add vanilla and red food coloring. Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Roll about 1 tablespoon dough into a ball, then roll the ball in powdered sugar. Repeat with the remaining dough then reroll each ball in powdered sugar again.
- Arrange balls about 1″ apart on prepared baking sheets and bake until cookies have flattened and set in the middle, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on trays for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to let cool completely.
Holiday cookies are necessary for the soul, so it’s more than okay to indulge a little—or a lot.
Tag us on Instagram @VALLEYMag with all your festive cookie pics!
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