12 Scrumptious Holiday Cookies to Make With Your Kids
It’s that time of year again — the season of festive parties, family gatherings, and holiday celebrations! With so many events on the calendar, one question always seems to pop up: What should I bring? Well, look no further because holiday cookies are the perfect solution. These sweet treats are a universal favorite and guaranteed to please any crowd. Whether you’re attending a casual get-together or a more formal celebration, holiday cookies are always a hit. If you’re ready to bake up a storm, here are some easy holiday cookie ideas that will make your festive season even sweeter.
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Benne Seed Wafers
Benne seed wafers or sesame seed cookies are salty and sweet treats most widely associated with the cuisine and customs of the winter holiday of Kwanzaa. Chewy and nutty, this toasted, caramelized sesame seed cookie is a crispy and crunchy snack waiting to be enjoyed!
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Chocolate Brownie Cookies
Who doesn’t love chocolate? Lucky for you these brownie holiday cookies are the perfect treat to bring to any holiday get-together! Simply mix the ingredients into a bowl, roll them onto a sheet and bake them until they turn into beautiful chocolate cookies.
Cinnamon Bacon Cookies
Before officially ringing in the new year, enjoy a cookie both sweet and salty, chewy and crispy, part breakfast food, part dessert – before you knock it, make sure you enjoy a bacon cookie or two or three!
Duvshaniot
These tiny holiday cookies are quite the honey-button treat! Traditionally made with honey and spices, Duvshaniots or honey buttons are sweet Israeli cookies that can be enjoyed during Rosh Hashanah or Hanukkah. Add a sweet or zesty glaze or substitute with powdered sugar and see them disappear from your winter holiday dessert spread!
Gingerbread Men
While Santa and his elves are hard at work to prepare for Christmas Eve, get yourself and the little ones hard at work and play creating this quintessential Christmas treat. Have the kids stencil out as many Gingerbread Men as they can from the dough with a cookie cutter, let them get a little creative with decorating, and plate them for Santa. And don’t forget the milk!
Hamantaschen
Traditionally enjoyed during the Jewish holiday of Purim, Hamantaschen are triangular-shaped, butter-based cookies. Choose your choice of jam, nut, caramel, cheese or chocolatey filling, and bite into this savory treat!
Kichels
Kichels or Jewish bow tie cookies are a well-known, egg-rich treat in Jewish cuisine. Originating from Yiddish, this “small cake” is a cross between a cookie and a cracker with its light, airy and crunchy texture. Just roll and twist them into their proper shape, watch them puff up, and enjoy!
Mandel Bread
Similar to biscotti, Mandel Bread or Mandelbrot requires its “loaf” to be twice-baked to obtain its traditional crispy crunchy flavor, but it can be soft-baked for a more tender texture. Mix your flour, eggs, vanilla extract, and assorted nuts or chocolate chips, and dunk this confection into a steaming cup of tea or coffee!
Maple Syrup Cookies
Although we think of big celebrations of faith and remembrance when thinking of the winter holidays, there are some rather delectable days of celebration as well. When you finish drowning your pancakes and waffles with one of Canada’s largest exports, maple syrup, enjoy an after-dinner snack in the form of a maple, pecan & raisin oat cookie!
Shortbread Cookies
This simple, melt-in-your-mouth, buttery cookie requires minimal ingredients: butter, sugar, flour, salt, and vanilla extract. Much like the sugar cookie, you can’t stop at just one!
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Snickerdoodle
Whether you enjoy them crispy and crunchy or soft and savory, snickerdoodles are tangy, sugary treats. Sometimes confused with sugar cookies for their sweetness, the added cream of tartar, crackled surface, and cinnamon give this cookie its distinct flavor.
Sugar Cookies
Satisfy your sweet tooth with the sweetest of all the holiday cookies recipes: sugar cookies! This simple cookie recipe is not beholden to any one winter holiday, although it is heavily associated with the winter season. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt, wipe out your icing piping bag and whip up a baker’s dozen or two!
