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My mother always set out cookies and hot cocoa or milk for Santa on Christmas Eve. And every Christmas morning, the cookies were gone. Looking back, it seemed like Santa liked the same kind of cookies that my dad liked.
So today, we’ll tell you what kind of cookies Santa likes. And give you a recipe for hot cocoa from scratch.
Santa Likes Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Chocolate Chip Cookies and Bars
This is a really neat recipe for Santa. You can make him a dense blondie bar cookie or a chewy chocolate chip cookie. The difference is how you bake it. The recipe makes blondies that are chewy and moist or quality chocolate chip cookies in either a drop cookie or refrigerator cookie. The refrigerator cookie has a little different appearance and texture than does the drop cookie. It is thinner, more wafer-like, crisper, and more formal looking. Because the refrigerator cookie is sliced with many of the chips and nuts cut into smaller pieces, these cookies have a more formal, flecked appearance.
If you like, you can divide this recipe. Place about half of the dough in an 8 x 8-inch baking pan to make bar cookies and use the rest of the dough for drop or refrigerator cookies. This is an ideal solution for a smaller family: bake a half-batch of bar cookies now and refrigerator cookies several days later.
Blondie Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup walnuts
1 cup milk chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- Cream 1/2 cup of the butter, sugar, and salt together. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each. Beat until light and fluffy.
- In a medium microwave-safe bowl, melt the second 1/2 cup of butter in the microwave until it is mostly melted, about 45 seconds at high power. Stir in the brown sugar to make a thick syrup. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Measure the flour by spooning it into the measuring cups. (If you scoop the flour from the bag, it will be packed and you will have too much flour.) Mix in the baking soda so that it is dispersed.
- Beat the brown sugar mixture into the creamed sugar mixture. Add the flour mixture in two or three additions mixing only until combined. Add the chocolate chips and nuts.
- Line an 8 1/2 x 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil. If you use aluminum foil, press the foil into the pan with it extending from both ends of the pan. Grease the foil. Spread the batter in the pan. The dough is heavy and thick. Use a spatula to pat the dough down and distribute it evenly in the pan.
- Bake for 24 to 28 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Remove the pan to cool on a wire rack. After the cookies have cooled for 45 minutes or so, remove the cookies from the pan by grasping the ends of the foil or parchment paper and lift from the pan. Remove the cookies to a cutting board and cut them into the desired sizes and shapes using a ruler to measure the cuts uniformly and a sharp, serrated knife to cut through the nuts cleanly.
Chocolate Chip Drop Cookies
Use the same recipe to make chocolate chip drop cookies. Instead of baking in a pan, drop rounded spoonfuls of dough on a greased baking sheet. Bake for nine to eleven minutes at 350 degrees. Remove the cookies to a wire rack to cool.
Chocolate Chip Refrigerator Cookies
Use the same recipe to make chocolate chip refrigerator cookies. Roll the dough into two logs in wax paper with the logs being about 1 3/4 inches in diameter. Refrigerate the logs for a couple hours. Slice the logs into 3/8-inch thick slices with a sharp, serrated knife. Place the slices on a greased baking sheet. Bake for ten to twelve minutes at 350 degrees. Remove the cookies to a wire rack to cool.
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Santa Also Likes Chocolate Nut Cookies
This is a good chocolate cookie recipe, one that Santa will like. Like many refrigerator cookie recipes, this one produces a light, crisp, yet tender cookie—perfect with Santa’s cocoa.
This is an extra large recipe. Refrigerate or freeze any dough that you don’t use immediately. As with most cookies, it is important not to over bake these cookies.
Chocolate Walnut Refrigerator Cookies
Ingredients
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
Directions
Measure the flour by scooping some into a bowl and then spooning the flour into the measuring cup. (If you measure packed flour, you will have too much.) Add the baking powder and baking soda and stir to combine.
Cream the butter, sugar, and salt together. Add the extract. Beat in the eggs until the mixture is light and fluffy. Melt and add the chocolate.
Add the flour mixture and the nuts. With the mixer or your hands, mix the dough into a single mass.
Divide the dough into three parts. Place each on sheets of waxed paper and roll the dough in the waxed paper into 1 3/4-inch diameter logs. Refrigerate the logs for at least two hours or until firm.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove one log from the refrigerator and cut it into slices a bit thicker than 1/4 inch. Put the slices on an ungreased baking sheet with room for expansion. Bake for 9 the cookies just begin to lose their glossy appearance. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
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Santa Likes Peanut Butter Cookies
These peanut butter cookies have two characteristics that Santa will love. They have enough butter to be smooth without the “sandy” texture of many peanut butter cookies and they are loaded with snack-type peanuts. We designed these as kids’ cookies but they may be even better as adult cookies.
Peanutty Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups salted snack-type peanuts
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
- Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.
- Cream the butter and sugars together. Add the peanut butter, honey, eggs and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy. Add the dry ingredients and beat in. Add the peanuts.
- Spoon the batter onto greased cookie sheets about two inches apart. With the back of the spoon, flatten the dough to 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch in thickness. Bake them for nine to ten minutes or until done. (Do not over bake.) Let them sit on the baking sheet for one minute and then move them to wire racks to cool.
Santa Likes Hot Cocoa
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Santa likes hot cocoa from scratch. I’m sure it’s because Santa likes extra chocolatey cocoa. Or maybe it’s cocoa made with milk chocolate. Maybe he just likes good hot cocoa made with whole milk.
We make dark cocoa with Ramstadt Breda Rich Dark Cocoa, whole milk, and 1/2 teaspoon Marsden and Bathe Madagascar Vanilla. For a milder, smoother cocoa, we use Ramstadt Breda Medium Dark Cocoa.
In a medium pan, combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder with a whisk until it is uniformly mixed.
Add 1 cup milk and whisk until combined.
Cook and stir over medium heat just until it starts to boil. Gradually add another 3 ½ cups milk while whisking.
Heat through until hot but not boiling.
Add a teaspoon of optional vanilla.
Our cocoa was much richer and darker. If you want it less rich, use more milk.
About the Author
Dennis Weaver has burned food from Point Barrow, Alaska, to Miami, Florida. He is the founder of The Prepared Pantry in Rigby, Idaho. He loves to help people bake and shares his vast collection of cooking and baking knowledge on his blog as well as in his e-books and magazines. Dennis lives in Rigby, Idaho, with his wife, Merri Ann. They have five wonderful children and six beautiful granddaughters.