It’s that time of year again, folks, the best time of year. You may be thinking that I’m referring to the cooler weather, the holidays, the break from classes, or the general festiveness in the air, but you’d be wrong. I’m talkin’ cookies. Christmas cookie season is upon us, my friends! (I’m sorry, I was trying to be politically correct in the title by calling them “holiday” cookies, but it just doesn’t roll off the tongue the way “Christmas cookies” does. Forgive me.)
‘Tis the season where it’s socially acceptable to slap on a pair of sweatpants and eat sweets until you’re rolling on the floor in pain, regretting every decision you’ve ever made. If you’re looking for a voice of reason, you’ve come to the wrong place. I’m going to give you all some of my favorite Christmas cookie recipes, but I’m going to have to forewarn you that these suckers are impossible to eat just one (or ten) of.
1. Christmas Crack
Alternatively, this recipe also goes by the name “saltine toffee,” but this stuff is as addictive as crack (I’m assuming here, calm down) so that name is more fitting. This is probably one of the easiest recipes out there, so even the cooking impaired can handle it. If you break the finished product up into really tiny pieces, the calories don’t count. It’s scientifically proven, kind of. Find the recipe here.
2. Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
If you’re as big of a peanut butter fanatic as I am, these babies will be right up your alley. A peanut butter cookie stuffed with a Reece’s peanut butter cup? Um yes, I’ll take 12 please. If you eat these in one bite, the calories don’t count. Find them here.
[ pagebreak ]
3. Ritz Cookies
On that peanut butter note, check out these beautiful lil’ guys. I kid you not, they taste just like the Girl Scout Tagalong cookies (though you should totally buy them from the Scouts when they’re in season because I know from firsthand experience that pushing a box of $12 cookies is hard work). If you close your eyes when you eat these, the calories don’t count. Find them here.
4. Peppermint Bark
Okay, I know these aren’t cookies, but “Holiday Desserts” sounded like the lamest title ever, so I lied. Anyway, this recipe tastes like those little squares of Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark, but this recipe doesn’t come individually wrapped, so nobody can prove that you just ate 32 squares of it. The bottom layer is made of semi-sweet chocolate, which is partially dark chocolate, which has antioxidants that cancel out the calories. Find it here.
5. Sour Cream Sugar Cookie Cutouts
Decorating sugar cookies has become something of a tradition in the Schaefer household, and this is the recipe we use every year. Don’t be put off by the sour cream; it makes them super fluffy and moist. Seriously, if Morgan Freeman’s voice was a cookie, it would be this cookie. Plus, if you decorate these yourself, the calories don’t count. Find them here.
And that’s that. I’m going to be giving these Christmas cookies—and all Christmas cookies for that matter—5 out of 5 donuts because I may or may not have drooled a few times while writing this article.
I hope you try some of these recipes out this holiday season, and I’ll see you all again in 2014! As always, remember to tweet me (@sydschaefer) any comments or suggestions about what I should consider next week. Until next time, stay classy Tallahassee.