Christmas Cookie Exchange

So every year around Christmas my fam gets together to get our cookie bakin’ on. I absolutely love this tradition because everyone brings the ingredients for one type of cookie and then we all get to take home a fresh batch of each type of cookie. Yes, it’s a pile of cookies, and for someone who typically doesn’t keep cookies in the house because ummm… I would eat them all, this time of year also means breaking out the big girl jeans for a few weeks. Luckily, with my Bella Band in place this year, it ain’t no thing. So bring on the suga baby!

This year I decided to make sugar cookies and since I think the dough is easier to work with after being chilled for 24 hours, I made my dough a day in advance. I also decided to try a new recipe and was soooo hapy with the results!

The Best Rolled Sugar Cookies – allrecipes.com

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Directions

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight). Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

This year we also had a new cookie baker join us!

She’s a mover and a shaker though… honestly, every picture I took of her was like this She rocked at cookie cutting though… future Betty Crocker in the making y’all!

Tip: Never have high expectations for perfectly icing your cookies. If you do, you will be very disappointed… like I was! Thus why this is the last picture of the sugar cookies. They were a disaster! Heather, Kristen and mama can confirm this

Aside from sugar cookies, we also made Chocolate Chip, Christmas (“Fruit Cake”) Cookies and a new fav, White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies. Shout out to Heather for finding and baking this delicious recipe!

White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookie

Ingredients:
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoons baking soda
10 ounces white chocolate (chips or bars cut in chunks)
1 cup macadamia nuts, chopped into chunks

Directions:
Heat oven to 375 F. In large bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt with electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs, beat well. Stir together flour, and the baking soda; gradually add to butter mixture,beating until well blended. Stir in white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. (Edges are golden brown and center is set.) Cool slightly, remove from cookie sheet to wire rack to cool completely.

So although this growing baby and I could of put a serious dent in these cookies, I decided to give most of them away to friends and family. After all, it’s so much better to give than eat receive.

Merry Christmas y’all!