CHRISTMAS COOKIE COMFORT FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY
Let’s face it, the holidays can be stressful. While you’re trying to be loaded with holiday cheer, you’re also faced with shopping lists that seem to get longer (not to mention more expensive) every year, too many parties to attend, an entire house to decorate inside and out and dozens of recipes to prepare–all of which need your one and only oven to operate at various temperatures simultaneously. It’s all going to be okay, though, just as it is every year. And since you’re indulging for the remainder of the year, why not make The Ultimate Christmas Cookie Recipe. Don’t have enough time to bake? Consider picking up your holiday treats at a local bakery downtown like Paradox Pastry, Albemarle Baking Company or Petite MarieBette.
One of my favorite things to do during the holiday season is to double up on my baking of comfort food. I know it sounds like increasing your workload, but really it simplifies it immensely. I find my favorite holiday dessert recipes and make double or even triple the batch. This gives my family some tasty treats to rev them up for decorating the house (it’s a great two bird, one stone method) and at the same time provides me with great gifts for unexpected friends, neighbors, teachers, cookie exchange parties, etc. that I don’t necessarily have to plan ahead for. Christmas Comfort Cookies fit all of these categories. They not only are amazing comfort food but also look fairly festive with globs of red, white and green peeking out. This recipe calls for large ingredients and makes very large cookies, but I prefer to scale down the size of the chunks as well as the scoops of batter so that I can get many more cookies out of each batch. It’s up to you, but I subscribe to “more is more” rather than the “less is more” philosophy.
The Ultimate Christmas Cookie
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped hazelnuts
- 2 cups chocolate mega morsels (I substitute the green white chocolate chips you can find around the holidays)
- 1/2 cup dried cherries
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 oz unsweet chocolate, melted
- 2 cups + 2 tbsp. flour, sifted
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup marshmallow creme
- 1 cup softened butter
- 3 oz softened cream cheese
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spread nuts on an ungreased cookie sheet and roast for 8 minutes. Set aside; cool completely.
- Butter two cookie sheets. In a large bowl, combine chocolate chips, dried cherries and cooled nuts; set aside.
- In another large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, cream cheese and egg until creamy and smooth. Beat in the milk, melted chocolate and vanilla.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa, then add to the butter mixture. Blend in the marshmallow crème, stirring until thoroughly combined. Add the chips, cherries and nuts. Stir until well mixed. This batter will be extremely thick.
- Place batter in 1/4 cup measurements on a cookie sheet, two inches apart. Bake for 13–17 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheet for one minute before removing to cooling rack.
is a freelance writer, happy cook, mother of two active boys and sometime chauffeur.
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