Students share cookie recipes for the holidays

Some families go on holiday trips, argue about when to put the Christmas tree(s) up, and make the same meal to eat with their loved ones for the holidays. My family meets up every year in early December to make a mountain of cookies to share throughout the holidays.

Most family recipes are ones that have been passed down through years, discovered online or on a cooking show, or a favorite premade dough. Any way it’s done, cookies are a wonderfully delicious part of holiday celebrations. Some students have come together to share a few of their favorite cookie recipes with everyone for the holidays.

First, a simple and easy five-ingredient Peanut Butter Cookie from my family. I love making it every year for its simplicity.

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup peanut butter

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Once the dough is mixed, roll it into little balls. I like to take a fork and press the cookie dough down onto the cookie sheet in a crisscross pattern that holds well in the oven. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes and let them cool. Finally, a little powdered sugar on top goes a long way for presentation and sweetness.

One submission comes from sophomore Elisabeth Jackson with her family’s Italian Wedding Cookies.

“I like it because it uses ground up almonds instead of flour and when they come out of the oven, you just dunk them in powdered sugar—which makes them so good,” Jackson said. This recipe is originally from www.ciaoflorentina.com.

ITALIAN WEDDING COOKIES

Start to finish: 30 minutes

1 ½ cups salted butter

4 teaspoons vanilla extract

¾ cup ground walnuts

¾ cup ground hazelnuts

3 cups flour

¾ cup powder sugar

½ cup powder sugar (for dusting)

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. While the oven is heating, cream together the butter and ¾ cups of powder sugar until fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and gradually add the walnuts and hazelnuts. Slowly mix in the flour. Use a small spoon to form the cookies into rounds. Arrange them on the cookie sheet (not touching each other) and bake for 20 minutes. Let the cookies cool. Then, dust them with the remaining powder sugar.

Sophomore Britton Anne Bolton submitted a Chocolate No-Bake Oatmeal Cookie recipe.

CHOCOLATE NO BAKE OATMEAL COOKIES

1 ¾ cups sugar

½ cup milk

½ cup butter

4 tablespoons cocoa powder

½ cup peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups Quick 1-Minute Oats

Combine sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa powder in a pot and bring to a boil for 1¹/₂ minutes. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter, vanilla extract, and Quick 1-Minute Oats. Drop onto wax paper and let cool until firm.

Another submission comes from Junior Katie Kirkland with a Cow Patty recipe, which is a Chocolate No-Bake Cookie recipe.

COW PATTY (Chocolate No Bake Cookies)

½ cup butter

1/3 cup cocoa

1/3 cup milk

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cups peanut butter

3 cups oats (to desired thickness)

Combine butter, cocoa, milk, and sugar and boil together for one minute. Take mixture off the heat, then add the vanilla, peanut butter, and oats to desired thickness. Mix together well.  Lastly, drop desired cookie size on a sheet lined with wax paper and allow them to sit until they are solid.

Shared family recipes are secretive and close to home, but sometimes great recipes can be the ones from the box. My mom loves the chocolate chip cookie recipe found in the Crisco butter stick container, and there’s nothing wrong with a simple break-and-bake cookie dough pack.

Lastly, a submission from junior Grace Matthews with her Grandma’s recipe for her Surprise Cookies.  

SURPRISE COOKIES

1 package refrigerator peanut butter cookie dough

Mini Snickers candy bars (or other mini candy of your choice)

Take your Snickers or candy of your choosing and get enough dough to wrap around the candy. After wrapping the candy, bake the cookies according to the packaged dough directions on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.

Of course, there are a plethora of cookie recipes to discover, try, and share for the holidays—so many cookies, so little time. Be sure to share these recipes with your fellow students this time of year or anytime really!