Fun and festive Christmas Cookies for everyone!
On the night before Christmas, Santa Claus with his reindeer visits all the houses in the world laden with gifts for good children. That’s why it’s important to leave something delicious like the Christmas Cookies under the tree on the night of December 24. And don’t forget the reindeer. They get plenty of fresh carrots and some water. But which cookies does Santa Claus like best? Simple ones, made with lots of love.
Christmas cookies for Santa Claus: simple shortbread
It’s up to you how simple to keep these. The dough is a classic shortbread, but the fun part is cutting out lots of different shapes. Stars, reindeer and little trees, with or without icing, are quick and easy to make. Use a stand mixer with a flat beater to combine 3 1/3 cups Italian 00-style flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup cold (salted) butter until the mixture resembles sand. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can cut the ingredients together by hand. Add 1 egg and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and mix again with your hands. If you like, you can add some grated lemon zest as a flavoring. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour, then roll it out fairly thick with a rolling pin and cut out the cookies. Put the cookies on a baking tray and bake them at 350 °F for about 10 minutes.
Milk Christmas cookies with olive oil
These cookies are perfect for dunking in milk and make a great breakfast or midnight snack for Santa Claus. Sift 4 cups Italian 00-style flour with 2 teaspoons baking powder, then mix in 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar and the grated zest of 1 lemon. Add 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil and 3 eggs and mix with your hands. Add a little milk if needed. When the dough is ready, form it into small balls, roll them in granulated sugar and crush them, then place them, well separated, on a baking tray lined with parchment. Bake them at 350 °F for about 20-25 minutes.
Chocolate Christmas cookies: chip cookies!
Santa Claus has a sweet tooth and loves chocolate. These are the classic American chocolate chip cookies, crisp on the outside and tender inside. To make them, mix 3/4 cups softened butter with 1 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup white sugar. Add 1 whole egg, 1 egg yolk, 1 2/3 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix in chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate and scoop tablespoons of the dough onto a baking tray lined with parchment. Be sure to place them well apart on the tray, because they will spread as they bake. Bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes.
Jam-filled cookies
You can also use shortbread cookie dough to make cookies with a jam filling. Just roll out the dough and cut it into circles. With half the cookies, cut a small circle in the middle of them with a smaller cookie cutter. Bake all the cookies and let them cool. Spread a layer of jam on the whole cookies and place the ring-shaped cookies on top. If you like, dust them with powdered sugar. You can also use hazelnut cream in place of the jam, which Santa Claus would surely enjoy.
Nut cookies
You can also decorate simple shortbread cookies with walnuts, hazelnuts or almonds, or add minced nuts to the dough. If you like raisins in cookies, feel free to add those, too! It’s okay because it’s Christmas.
