Christmas cookie roundup – 2019
I LOVE to bake. Especially around the holidays and today, I am sharing with you my Christmas cookie roundup for 2019. These are the cookies that made it on my list this year. Some are old favorites that I make year after year while others are new to the list.
Throughout the year, as I’m scrolling through Pinterest, I like to save any new cookie recipes that catch my eye to my Christmas Cookie board. And as fall draws near, I start to narrow down my list of what I want to make.
There are some recipes that make the cut every year. They are family favorites and are tried and true recipes that turn out great year after year. The holidays wouldn’t be the holidays without them! Below are our family’s favorites with links to the recipes so that you can try them as well.
Christmas Cookie RoundUp – Family Favorites
Chocolate Chip
Without a doubt this is hands down my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe I have made so far. And I have tried quite a few. They are super easy to make. You can skip the mixer and it all comes together in just one bowl!
This recipe is full of little tricks that help ensure a perfectly soft, chewy chocolate chip cookie every time. This includes melted butter, the addition of cornstarch, and chilling the batter before baking. You can’t go wrong with any recipe by Sally’s Baking Addiction and this one is no exception. I make these and store them in the freezer year-round and triple my batches d
Soft Sugar Cookies
This recipe I inherited when I married into my husband’s family. It’s a recipe that my mother-in-law received from a close, sweet friend of hers and she has been making them for years. My husband grew up on these cookies and to say they are his favorite is an understatement! I will forever be grateful that I received a copy of this recipe so I can whip them up at any time. I definitely win the favorite wife award when I do!
This recipe calls for a TON of flour and you alternate adding your flour mixture to the batter with milk. This dough is on the sticky side so make sure to have extra flour on hand for the rolling pin, your hands, and the surface you roll the cookies out on. The cookies are incredibly soft, not too sweet, and perfect with or without icing. In fact, Mike likes them best with little to none. This recipe isn’t on my Christmas Cookie Pinterest board but you can find it here under my food and drink recipes.
Maple Pecan Shortbread
Mike loves maple and last year I was on the hunt for a maple cookie recipe I thought he might like.
This recipe by My Baking Bliss actually became a fast favorite of my mom’s though and they made the cut again this year. They are addicting and it’s hard to eat just one.
The extra sweetness you get from dipping half the cookie in icing and the crunch from the pecans make this a favorite of mine too! You can find the recipe for this one here but I’m warning you they are addicting!
chocolate chip pudding cookies
I was first introduced to these cookies by one of my great aunts when I was younger. On one of our visits, she made us her vanilla and chocolate chip versions. I remember sneaking quite a few of these as my mom and my great aunt caught up.
I’ve misplaced my copy of the recipe but this one that I found on Pinterest from Tasty Kitchen is very close if not an identical recipe to what I remember. It makes a ton and when it isn’t the holidays I usually cut this recipe in half.
Adding the dry pudding mix to the batter is what makes these cookies so soft and yummy. My favorites to make are classic vanilla and chocolate chip but there are various other versions you could try and test out. All you would have to do is swap out the pudding for your favorite flavor. The options are endless!
Pumpkin Cookies
Once the weather starts to cool off and pumpkin spice everything hits the market, requests for these cookies by Dear Crissy start to roll in.
They are hands down THE BEST pumpkin cookie recipe I have found so far. They are SO SOFT and full of all the fall spices and flavor.
It’s an easy recipe to make and the batter has a whipped/fluffy like consistency to it. The icing for these comes together pretty easily as well but I like them just as much without. I usually hold some back without icing for Mike and me.
Because these cookies are so moist and soft, it is important to let them cool a bit on the cookie tray and completely on a wire rack or your kitchen table before handling and storing.
I’ve made a rookie mistake before and put these away too soon or stacked them on top of each other and they stick together or fall apart.
I usually use a teaspoon to drop cookies on the tray and at that size, this recipe makes a TON. Expect to get around 70 cookies from one batch.
Christmas Cookie Roundup – New for 2019
Cinnamon Crinkle Cookies
The first new cookie on my Christmas cookie roundup list is these cinnamon crinkle cookies made with brown butter from Cookies and Cups.
This recipe had me at cinnamon and brown butter and I couldn’t wait to make them. The dough doesn’t yield a ton of cookies and after I mixed them up, I wished I had doubled the batch. I am kind of glad I didn’t though because I think I need to mess with this one a bit.
The dough tasted AMAZING! With its cinnamon and brown butter goodness! I was super excited to bake them off and give them a try. I think I may have accidentally added a touch too much flour though. Some of the cookies were a bit crumbly as I tried to roll them into balls.
I didn’t try one out of the oven like I normally do and instead these went straight into the freezer when cooled. I took a few out a couple of days later and while the flavor is great I feel like they are a little dense. Confirming my thoughts of adding too much flour. I’m not giving up on these yet though and will try another batch.
Chocolate Brownie Batter Cookies
I made this recipe from Averie Cooks a couple of years ago for the first time. It’s not totally new to me but I haven’t had a chance to make them since. This chocolate brownie batter cookie is the thing of brownie lover’s dreams! Super chocolatey, extra fudgy, and incredibly decadent.
When I made them for the first time I remember the batter being extremely sticky. Heed the warning in the instructions and make sure you chill the batter after it is all mixed. This allows you to be able to roll the cookies. I still had to stop and wash my hands from time to time because it is THAT sticky. After all the dough has been rolled into balls they must be chilled a second time before going into the oven. This will ensure your cookies puff up and don’t go flat.
I remember thinking at the time I was making these that it was a very time-consuming cookie recipe. Or at least more so than the ones I typically make. BUT….Let me tell you. It is SO WORTH IT!
Much like my favorite chocolate chip and pumpkin cookie recipes above, it is hard to keep these in the house. EXTREMELY HARD. Once I start eating them it is hard to stop.
I only made one.single.batch the first time I made them and it was probably a good thing. Not many were left for me to shove into my face after dishing them out at family get-togethers.
This time around though I’m taking my chances and doubling up. I mean the holidays only come once a year right so why not indulge!
Chocolate Snow Ball Cookies
These were not on my list to make this year but after receiving a few from my very talented mother in law, I decided to hunt down a recipe and make some myself.
My mom loves the traditional ones and I grew up calling them wedding cookies but they go by many different names. I was never a huge fan though until trying this chocolate version!
I found this Double Chocolate Snowball Cookies recipe at Crazy for Crust and scooped up the ingredients the next day. The recipe calls for special dark unsweetened cocoa powder. I used a regular unsweetened cocoa powder that I already had on hand but will try the special dark kind next time around. Instead of nuts, these cookies get an extra dose of chocolate in the form of mini chocolate chips.
These buttery, chocolatey, little snow balls became a fast fav and will definitely be on the 2020 Christmas cookie list!
There you have it! My 2019 Christmas cookie round-up list!
Because of the variety and volume of cookies I make, I usually start baking once October hits. This ensures plenty of time to test out new recipes and tweak them if needed.
Starting early also allows me to stock up so when the holidays are in full swing, I am ready. All I have to do is pull them from the freezer, arrange them on a tray and off we go!
What are some your family’s favorite holiday cookies or must haves for the holiday season? Share in the comments below!
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