The holidays are marked by snow, cheer and most importantly: desserts. Here are some easy-to-follow recipes to test out in your kitchen this weekend.
Sugar cookies
Sugar cookies are simple, lovable and can be made into whatever shape you desire. They are a modern staple of the holiday season and require little time and effort.
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cups of powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup softened butter or vegan butter
- a few drops of vanilla extract
- a few drops of almond extract
- 1 egg or 1 tbsp of applesauce for a vegan substitution
- 1/2 cup of of self-rising flour
Instructions:
- Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Mix powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, almond extract and egg first. Then add flour.
- Freeze dough for 15-20 minutes.
- Grease your cookie sheet.
- Roll out dough to be 1/4 inch thick. If you don’t have a rolling pin, a wine bottle covered in flour works well!
- Cut cookies into fun shapes!
- Bake 7-8 minutes, until edges are golden brown.
Gingerbread cookies
For those who have a little more time to spend in the kitchen and are eager for a traditional treat, gingerbread cookies are the way to go.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp shortening or butter replacement
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 1/8 cup cold water
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- a dash of salt
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Mix sugar, shortening, molasses and water together.
- Stir in remaining ingredients.
- Cover and freeze for 15 minutes.
- While the dough hardens, grease cookie sheet.
- Roll out dough to be 1/4 inch thick.
- Cut with your favorite cookie cutters!
- Place cookies 2 inches apart on baking sheet and bake for 8-12 minutes, checking often.
Icing:
Everyone knows that a holiday cookie is only as good as its icing. This recipe is a go-to in my family, bringing holiday joy to festivities for years.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tsp milk or water
- 1 tsp butter or alternative
- vanilla extract, to taste
- almond extract, to taste
Instructions:
- Melt butter and water or milk together.
- Stir butter liquid into powdered sugar and add remaining ingredients.
- Add extra water or milk as needed, but be careful not to make the icing too runny.
- Frost your cookies, letting them dry for at least two hours before boxing them up.
White chocolate-covered pretzels:
For the busiest of students, white chocolate-covered pretzels are the way to get holiday flavor in a pinch.
Ingredients:
- one bag of snack pretzels
- one bag of white chocolate or white chocolate chips
Instructions:
- Melt chocolate in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes. Check consistency.
- Melt in additional 15-second intervals, until chocolate is smooth and melted.
- Cover pretzels in white chocolate and add sprinkles for extra festivity.
- Let harden for at least an hour.
