The Best Christmas Gift Ever

My husband and I decided to open some Christmas presents early, and when I opened this little gem I was so excited I almost cried!

An adorable kitchen aid mixer and muffin pan charm necklace – it’s the perfect gift, and I gotta tell ya – he definitely earned major points in his favor with this find from Etsy (which has tons of amazing homemade gifts, you can find something for anyone and everyone on your gift list, even those hard to buy for people!)

I am going to wear this with pride for many years to come!

Christmas Means Cookies – And LOTS Of Them!

Caroling, ornaments, lights, presents, shopping, eggnog, family….just a few of the things that come to mind when I think of Christmas. But what’s the first thing I think of when thinking about the holiday season? Why, COOKIES, of course!

Last year, I made Christmas cookies as gifts for people – a LOT of cookies….and it took a lot of time. Was it worth it? Debatable, because it IS great to give something homemade as a gift, but I do know one thing for sure – I won’t be doing that again anytime soon!

 

This year, I had no real reason to make any cookies, which meant I could take my time and pick which ones I wanted to make and actually make them for fun!

 

So what did I make? Well, there were the Sugar cookies – and since I couldn’t decide which recipe to use, I made two batches (cuz you can never have too many cookies, right?)

 

And what could be more perfect for Christmas that Peppermint Patty cookies, a chocolate cookie sandwich filled with minty creamy frosting…yum

 

Gingerbread men are a classic Christmas cookie, and while I enjoy the taste, I am not a fan of the ginger”snap”/crunchy cookie. So I found these Soft Gingersnaps, which combined the unique taste of the gingersnap with a nice soft, chewy cookie (perfect with some milk!)

 

Then there were these …..

 

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies Long name, super delicious results! chocolate, fruit and oats (so you can pretend they are healthy!) combine to make an amazing treat. If you only have time to make one kind of cookie this Christmas, I highly recommend these – they are easy and unique, plus they taste great

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Ingredients:
2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 5-ounce package Ocean Spray® Craisins® Original Dried Cranberries
2/3 cup white chocolate chunks or chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter or margarine and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mixing well. Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition. Stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate chunks.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

Makes approximately 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

**The only thing I like to add is some cinnamon and nutmeg, just a pinch of each, I feel like it really adds to the flavor!

 

So those are my top picks for Christmas Cookies, but I would love to know what kinds you are baking – either for fun or for gifts!