christmas Archives - Just J.Faye

My Christmas Cookie List

December 13, 2019 by Jenna

Christmas is less than two weeks away! Let’s make and eat and share all the best Christmas cookies!

Last weekend I was home in Minnesota for an early Christmas celebration with my family. It was absolutely perfect with all of my favorite people and a lot of delicious cookies.

After our little celebration my mom and I were reminiscing over all of our favorite cookies over the years. It’s amazing how cookies can bring back such good memories, like baking dozens and dozens and dozens of cookies every year with close family friends or entering the Star Tribune Holiday Cookie Contest. Our conversation inspired me to make a bunch and share them with co-workers and friends over the next few weeks.

Here is what I am thinking so far.

Molasses Creams with Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting. These are hands-down my all-time favorite Christmas cookies.
Oreo Truffles. Also lovingly know as “snowman poop”. These are so easy and so dangerously good. I typically used almond bark instead of the white chocolate chips listed on the recipe in the link.
Sugar Cookies. Sugar cookies are classic and you need them for Christmas. If you have a sugar cookie recipe that you love, please send it to me! I’d love to do some roll-out frosted ones, but if I’m running low on time and creativity I may just make these sprinkle sugar cookies with some red and green sprinkles.
Popularity Cookies, AKA Saltine Toffee Bark. I haven’t had these in a while, but it’s time to bring them back. Can you really go wrong with chocolatey, nutty toffee? Nope. My mom always used Club crackers instead of Saltines.
Mint Chocolate Meltaway Cookies. I used to be obsessed with these cookies! Unfortunately, the ones in my head are not the ones I linked to. The cookies I’m imagining have a similar base to that recipe, but with chocolate ganache and an Andes Mint on top. I did a lot of Googling and this is the best I could find. Mom, if you are reading this can you please try to find and send me this recipe?! Thanks in advance 🙂
Snickerdoodles. Similar to sugar cookies: 1) you have to have them and 2) if you have a recipe you love, please send it my way!

Those are my musts, but if I have time, which I won’t, I’d love to also make any of these: linzer cookies, Mexican wedding cookies/Russian tea cakes, coconut macaroons, rugelach, shortbread, raspberry thumbprint cookies, chocolate cranberry ginger bites, etc.

Looking at this list I probably should have start baking weeks ago. Oh well.

What are your favorite, must-have cookies?

Chocolate Cranberry Ginger Cookies (Vegan)

December 15, 2015 by Jenna

These Chocolate Cranberry Ginger Cookies would be a great addition to your holiday cookie tray.

Why?

Because…

They are easy to make.

They are actually not too bad for you (as far as cookies go).

They are DELICIOUS.

I don’t see any reason to continue this list.

Last year I mentioned that my mom and I enter the Star Tribune Cookie Contest each year. Since I live in Denver now, we weren’t able to have our little baking day this year to create a new cookie recipe. (Maybe next year we’ll have to do it via Skype. Mom – thoughts??)

Two years ago we submitted the recipe for these Chocolate Cranberry Ginger Cookies. Although it didn’t make it as a finalist, the recipe did receive an Honorable Mention, which was a huge win in our book. HUGE.

These Chocolate Cranberry Ginger Cookies even made it into The Duesterhoeft Café cookbook. So you know they’re good.

So yeah.

They are easy to make – All you need is a bowl, some measuring equipment, and a wooden spoon. The wet ingredients are added into the dry ingredients to form some thick dough, which is then rolled into balls and baked into cookies.

They are healthy-ish – These cookies are vegan and filled with great things like coconut oil, applesauce, and white whole wheat flour. Not to mention the added health benefits from chocolate, cranberry, and ginger. Feel free to grab more than one.

They are delicious – Chocolate cookies are always amazing, but the ginger and cranberry give them an extra dose of delicious and a nice holiday flavor.

Gobble up two and then savor one. You don’t even need to feel guilty about it.

Don’t forget to add these cookies to your tray too: Molasses Cremes with Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting and Christmas Treasure Drop Cookies.

Happy baking!!

Chocolate Cranberry Ginger Cookies (Vegan)

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

14 mins

Total time

24 mins

These Chocolate Cranberry Ginger Cookies are the perfect addition to your holiday cookies tray. They are easy, healthy, vegan, and very delicious!

Serves: 24 cookies

Ingredients

1 ½ cup white whole wheat flour
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
¼ cup coconut oil, melted
⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
¼ cup crystallized ginger
⅓ cup dried cranberries

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour -> ground ginger).
In a medium bowl, stir together the coconut oil, applesauce, and vanilla extract.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Stir in the crystallized ginger and dried cranberries. The dough will be thick.
Roll dough into small balls and place about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 12-14 minutes, being careful not to over-bake. Let cool for 10 minutes before transferring cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

You can find crystallized ginger in a couple of different places. The first few times I made these I used crystallized candied ginger chunks from Trader Joes and chopped them into small pieces. This year I used Archer Farms crystallized ginger from the spice aisle in Target.
The corn starch can be omitted, but it gives the cookies a softer and chewier texture.
Drizzling (vegan) chocolate on top of these cookies is also a good idea and dresses them up a bit.
You can make the dough ahead of time, shape them into balls, and place in a Ziploc bag in the freezer until you’re ready to bake them. Just let them thaw a little bit before placing them in the oven.
Baked cookies last up to 5 days in an airtight container.

Merry Christmas!

December 25, 2014 by Jenna

To my dear friends,

I wish you all a very merry Christmas! I hope you are able to spend it with loved ones. Eat delicious food. Drink good drinks. Be merry. Laugh a lot.

Lots of love, Jenna

jenna.faye.ivey