Every year I toy with the idea of making Christmas cookies during the holidays but there has always been something that has stopped me from doing it – I have either been too afraid to try something new, or too unlucky to find the most perfect recipe, or just too busy to spend some time experimenting in the kitchen. This year, however, all of these excuses just vanished – I got a lot braver in the kitchen and tried a few new recipes on my own; I found some fantastic new culinary blogs with recipes that even a person without any experience like me could try out; and most importantly I got more free time while working from home. For this reason, I set myself the task at the beginning of the month to try out and make my first batch of Christmas cookies this holiday season.
I found a new culinary blog just in time for Easter (http://www.cooks-and-bakes.com/ – available only in Bulgarian) which helped me make my first kuzunak (a traditional sweet Bulgarian bread that we usually prepare for the Easter holidays). So it was only natural to go to it again and find some inspiration for my first batch of Christmas cookies as well. The creator, Daniela Dineva, has posted a great variety of recipes so to cater for every taste. I chose the “Snowy Chocolate Cookies” recipe because they are a bit different than your usual Christmas cookies but they still create the cosy Christmas feeling, which we usually associate with our Christmas cooking. And now I can easily say that my first attempt at making Christmas cookies has not only been successful but also extremely delicious!
If you are on the look for a slightly different recipe for your Christmas cookies this year, I am sharing Daniela’s recipe with you today. Happy cooking! 🙂
Snowy Christmas Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ½ cup white sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups of all purpose or plain flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup icing sugar (for coating)
Directions
- Step 1 In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, white sugar and vegetable oil. Beat in eggs one at a time, until fully incorporated. Mix in the vanilla.
- Step 2 In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture just until a dough forms (do not over beat). Cover bowl with wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Step 3 When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F | 180°C. Line 2 cookie sheets or baking trays with parchment paper (baking paper). Roll 1 tablespoonful of dough into balls for smaller cookies, or 2 tablespoonfuls for larger cookies.
- Step 4 Add the icing sugar to a smaller bowl. Generously and evenly coat each ball of dough in icing sugar and place onto prepared cookie sheets.
- Step 5 Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes (for small cookies) or 12 minutes (for larger cookies). The cookies will come out soft from the oven but will harden up as they cool.
- Step 6 Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool. Put the cookies in a box or a jar that can be safely closed so that you can keep them soft for a longer period of time.
Do you have any favorite Christmas cookies recipes? Let me know in the comments.
