Santa Approved Christmas Cookies

Right From Santa's Kitchen

With Christmas being only days away, I wanted to put together 5 delicious cookie recipes that I'm just dying to try! And thought that you guys would like to try them as well.

If you are a cookie lover, love all kinds, (like me,) this scrumptious post is for you guys.

Sadly, this will be the last Blogmas topic post for the season. BUT I have a few winter editions coming soon!

Lets end Blogmas on a happy note, and bake some cookies!!

Peppermint Bark Macaroons

Prep Time: 2 hours Cook Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 22

Ingredients

14 grams cocoa powder

100 grams egg whites

75 grams powdered sugar

96 grams almond flour

100 grams white sugar

Brown food coloring

85 grams of white chocolate

1/4 cup crushed peppermint candy canes

piping bag

Peppermint Dark Chocolate Ganache

150 grams of dark chopped chocolate

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

100 grans of heavy cream

Peppermint White Chocolate Ganache

38 grams heavy cream

3 tbsp. crushed peppermint candy canes

1/4 tsp peppermint extract

85 grams of white chopped chocolate

Instructions

First, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Take the powered sugar, cocoa powder, and almond flour and sift together, set aside for later.

Make sure to whisk the sugar and egg white powder in a sizable bowl, and place t over a pan with just simmering water. Add the sugar and egg whites and mix until its frothy and sugar in melted. (Be sure to keep the bowl from touching the simmering water because we do not want the egg whites to cook.)

Next, transfer the syrup to the bowl of a strand mixer. Whisk the mixture on low for about 30 seconds, then slowly move to a medium setting for about an extra 1-2 min, till the mix is white and fluffy! Take the speed to medium high, for a couple more minutes, until stiff peaks are formed.

Pour the sifted powder mix you sifted together earlier, into the stiff meringue.

Begin to fold gently forming the letter J with your spatula.

Add food coloring, for extra color if you like.

You can stop folding the batter when it is glossy and has a thick/flowing consistency.

You do not want your batter to be over runny. be gentle and make sure not to over mix.

Put the batter into your piping bag, and place the bag at an 90 degrees over the center of each macaroon template. Pipe into small round sizes. When done, tap the trays against the counter top a few times each.

It's time to let the trays sit for a about 20-40 min, to let the shells dry a bit.

Preheat oven to 325F, and bake one tray at a time for 5 min and rotate tray.

(Each tray for about 15-20 min.

When all done and baked, let the macaroons cool before adding the filling.

Peppermint Dark Chocolate Ganache

Start by chopping the chocolate finely, and place into bowl. Heat the heavy cream in small pan, over a medium heat. (Do not boil the heavy cream.)

Pour the cream over the chopped chocolate, let it sit for a min.

Begin to stir with a spatula until melted, add the peppermint extract and stir!

Let it sit till its room temp. (Not to cold, not to warm.)

Place the peppermint dark chocolate into a piping bag, and pipe a ring of ganache around the edges of a bottom macaroon shell.

And carefully spoon some white peppermint chocolate ganache in the center of the macaroons. And place another macaroon on top.

Melt the white chocolate for the topping in a small bowl in microwave for about 15 second intervals, stirring between it's melted completely.

Dip the tops of the macaroons in the melted white chocolate and place onto the baking sheet. Sprinkle with crushed peppermint candy canes.

Peppermint White Chocolate Ganache

(This step should be done before making the Dark chocolate ganache.)

Chop up the white chocolate finely and place into a bowl. Heat the cream until its almost at a boil. Pour over the chopped chocolate and let it sit for a min.

Whisk the mix together until its melted. Add the peppermint extract to the mixture and stir. Add the crushed peppermint. Let the ganache cool to room temp.

You can store the macaroons in the fridge up to five days. Or even freeze them for about 2 months! Share with friends and family or keep these tasty French treats for yourself!

Vegan Christmas Hearts

Prep time: 20 minutes. Cook time: 10 Servings: 20

Ingredients

Raspberry jam for filling

Powdered sugar for dusting

1 tsp of vanilla

a pinch of sea salt (fine)

2 cups of spelt flour plain white flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 stick plus 4 heaped tbsp vegan butter

2 tbsp rice syrup

1/3 cup of coconut sugar or brown sugar

Instructions

Take a large bowl and mix the baking soda and flour. In a different bowl, cream together the sugar, syrup, vegan butter, salt, and vanilla. Add the flour and knead until its combined.

You can wrap this in foil and let sit in the fridge for about 30 min.

Preheat oven at 350F. Roll out the dough for 2 baking pan sheets. With a round cutter, cut out the cookies. Cut half of them again with a smaller cutter in the shape of a heart.

Bake for about 8-10 min. Once cool, place a small amount of jam between two cookies.

Dust with powdered sugar, and enjoy!

Snowflake Butter Cookies

Prep time: 15 minutes. Cook time: 10 minutes. Chilling time: 1 hour. Servings: 9 dozen

Ingredients

2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

2 cups granulated sugar

1 unsalted butter

4 cups of all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

Instructions

Take a medium bowl and whisk together the baking powder, salt, and all purpose flour, set aside for later. In a different bowl, using a hand mixer, beat the sugar and butter on a medium high speed, till light and fluffy. Now, add the eggs and vanilla extract, along with the whisked dry mixture and mix on a low speed till blended.

Cover up the dough and place in the refrigerator t chill for about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 325F, line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside for later.

When rolling out the dough, with 1/2" -5/8" of thickness, place it onto a floured surface.

Take out the cookie cutters and cut each cookie and put them on the baking sheet.

(to get a well done cookie shape, you can refrigerate 10-15 minutes before putting them in the oven to bake!) Bake the cookies about 8-10 min at 325F. When done, remove from the oven, and let cool. Happy eating!

Vegan No-Bake Gingerbread Truffles

Prep time: 10 minutes. Freezing time: 30 minutes. Servings: 10.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon coconut oil

200 grams gluten free ginger cookies

100 grams of dairy free white chocolate

100 grams vegan cream cheese

royal icing

brown food coloring

1 crushed ginger cookie

Begin by lining a baking tray with parchment paper. Blend the ginger cookies until they are all crumbs. In a bowl, mix the cookies crumbs with the cream cheese, mix until smooth. Form the mix into small sized balls and place onto the baking tray.

You can place the tray in the freezer while melting the chocolate and the coconut oil.

Now, remove from the freezer, take a cocktail stick, dip the balls into the melted chocolate to fully coat them.

Sprinkle the crushed cookies and royal icing the little gingerbread men.

Remove the stick, place into the freezer for about 30 min. Take out and eat up!

Hot Cocoa Cookies

Prep time: 30 minutes. Cook time: 12 minutes. Servings: 36+

Ingredients

3 eggs

1/2 cup butter

18 marshmallows

1 1/2teaspoons vanilla

20 ounces semisweet chocolate

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup of cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/4 cups of light brown sugar

Instructions

Take out a heat safe bowl, and place the butter and 12 ounces of chopped chocolate into it, microwave at 30 seconds intervals and stir in-between till melted and smooth. Let cool for about 10-15 min.

With a different bowl, mix the cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and flour, and whisk.

Mix together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla until smooth, pour the chocolate mixture and blend. Add the flour mix in 2 batches, mix to combined.

Cover up tightly and refrigerate the dough for about 1 hour. Preheat oven at 325 degrees. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper and plop tablespoons of the dough into round balls. (2-3 inches apart.)

Bake till the tops crack, which is about 10-12 min.

Cut the remaining 8 ounces of chocolate into squares the size of regular size marshmallows.

Meanwhile when the cookies are baking, cut the marshmallows in half and place a square piece of chocolate on the cut side of each marshmallow, set aside till later.

Remove from the oven, carefully press a marshmallow piece into each of the cookies.

Bake until the marshmallows soften, ( about 4 min.)

Remove from the oven and cool for about 15 minutes. Decorate the top with grated chocolate or other if you desire. Enjoy, loves!

Happy Baking And Happy Holidays!

With any of these cookies you choose for Santa, (or you, of course.) It's sure to be a sweet Christmas! That's for sure.

(One year, I remember as a little girl, my mom had suggested that "Santa" might be a little tired of eating just cookies and drinking milk year after year. So, instead of the classic milk and cookies, we decided to leave a glass of ice cold Mt. dew and a Twinkie cake.

Still to this day, it's one of my favorite memories around the holidays!)

You are more than welcome to use any of the following listed above!

Who knows, maybe you'll come up with a new Christmas eve snack.

(This post was suppose to be sent out a day or two before Christmas, however there was a few technical difficulty's. But it's still going up, because I really enjoyed writing this one. And you can always save this for next year or bake a few for a new years party!)

P.s. after the Holiday season is over, this blog will go back to it's regular postings and back to every Tuesday and Friday!

Merry Christmas and a Happy Holidays from me to you! Xx. -A