Southern Kitchen staff| Nashville Tennessean
The tree is trimmed. The Christmas gift list is written. Prepare yourself for the onslaught of holiday party invites.
Have a cookie swap to attend? A Christmas potluck on the horizon? Here, Southern Kitchen helps you get ready for the holidays with some of our favorite cookie recipes, with fun, festive co*cktails to match.
1. Super special gingerbread cookies
Nashville baker Lisa Marie White grew up with slice-and-bake sugar cookies on Christmas. Now the culinary director for Nashville's popular Biscuit Love restaurants, White is an avowed from-scratch baker.
Here, she shares her tried and true recipe for crowd-pleasing gingerbread cookies, which use an uncommon ingredient: golden syrup. The British ingredient, which can be found online on sites such as Amazon, looks like honey. Also called "light treacle," there's no real substitute for its flavor. White also tested the recipe with King Arthur's Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour, so people with gluten allergies can also enjoy her Christmas cookies. Get the recipe here.
co*cktail pairing: Christmapolitan
2. Snowcap cookies
The double whammy of cocoa and bittersweet chocolate make these cookies a chocolate lover’s dream.Bake the cookies immediately after rolling them in powderedsugar. If they sit, the sugar absorbs into the dough and the rich chocolaty cookies lose their snowcapped look. Get the recipe here.
co*cktail pairing: Snowball Old Fashioned
3. Pecan Sandies
A staple of childhood Christmas cookie tins, the original Sandie is a melt-in-your-mouth shortbread cookie dotted with pecan pieces. You will have extra candied pecans, but — trust us — you'll be glad. Get the recipe.
co*cktail pairing: Tom and Jerry
More holiday cheer here:
4. Thumbprint cookies
Growing up in California, baker Cheryl Day brought backmoments of summer trips to Alabama in jars of jams made by her grandmother. At Christmastime,she would open the jamto fill thumbprint cookies for her family.
"Everybody loves cookies," she said. "Cookies are a universal language."
These simple, buttery thumbprintcookies, a recipe from "Cheryl Day's Treasury of Southern Baking," standback and letthe jam shine.
"It's a classic recipe I've had as long as I can remember," she said. "If it's not broken, I'm not going to fix it."
Any jam, store-bought or homemade, will work.Get the recipe
co*cktail pairing: Dasher co*cktail
More about Day:Cheryl Day's new cookbook is a treasure trove of delicious Southern treats
5. Chocolate Pinwheels
The perfect holiday cookie plate needs a few things to sing, including a variety of appealing textures, visual appeal and classic flavor. These cookies stand out for their timeless appeal, striking but simple appearance and, of course, delicious flavor. Get the recipe.
co*cktail pairing: Two-Boil flip
6. Ambrosia cookies
You may tweak the mix-ins for these highly adaptable cookies as you see fit, swapping cranberries for raisins, for example. But to keep the spirit of ambrosia intact, you'll want to make sure to include the coconut and citrus zests. You can, if you must, use sweetened coconut flakes instead of unsweetened. Get the recipe.
co*cktail pairing: Moscow Mule
7. Bourbon-bacon chocolate chip cookies
This is one of those recipes that has the power to change your mind about the best chocolate chip cookies you’ve ever tasted. The saltiness of the bacon combined with the tannins of the chocolate createan umami flavor that’s unforgettable. This will make a unique offering on any cookie plate. Santa will flip. Get the recipe.
co*cktail pairing: Bourbon-pumpkin pie milkshake
8. Chocolate meringue tarts
This is a sophisticated dessert that would be marvelous if served after a lavish holiday meal.
A word on meringue:Older egg whites are unlikely to hold air bubbles as well as fresher whites. To avoid collapse, use fresh, just-cracked eggs, but get your eggs to room temperature before you crack them.
Also, make sure your bowl is spotlessly clean, as a dirty bowl can keep your meringue from coming together.Get the recipe
co*cktail pairing: Espresso martini
9. Kentucky bourbon balls
These bourbon balls are easy to put together and don't require much time to set once formed. Don’t waste your best bourbon in this recipe, where its nuances will be masked. In this case, budget-friendly bourbons are welcome. Get the recipe.
co*cktail pairing: Hatton Smith co*cktail
10. Classic sugar cookies
This recipe from Southern Kitchen contributor Anne Byrn is made for a cookie swap. They're timeless and easy to decorate for some classic holiday fun. Get the recipe.
co*cktail pairing: Classic spiced wassail
11. Wedding cookies
Wedding cookies, sometimes called Mexican wedding cookies or meltaways, are a holiday classic. They are essentially shortbread made with chopped pecans and are super simple to make with children. Get the recipe, courtesy of Virginia Willis
co*cktail pairing: Classic Hurricane
12. Peppermint brownies
OK, we're cheating a bit here, but these brownies are just about the perfect holiday treat with their crisp peppermint and luscious, rich chocolate flavors. Get the recipe
What goes better with Christmas-y brownies than eggnog? Get the perfect boozy nog recipe below:
Jingle Balls Nog
Serve this festive sipper in your best silly holiday mugs. As fair warning, do note that this recipe makes 37 6-ounce pours, so invite a crowd of people over if you don't want to get too snookered.
Ingredients
750 ml cognac (Pierre Ferrand 1840)
750 ml sherry (Harvey’s Bristol Cream)
72 fluidounces almond milk, unsweetened
50fluidounces heavy whipping cream
3 cups sugar, white
24 eggs
12 drops almond extract
16 drops vanilla extract
1 ½ tablespoons ground nutmeg, plus extra to garnish
Instructions
In a large pot or container, beat eggs, nutmegand sugar with a hand mixer until smooth and sugar is fully incorporated and dissolved.
Add almond milk and mix again.
In a separate pot or container, aerate the heavy whipping cream using a hand mixer (do not whip to any thickness). Add that to the original egg mixture and mix to combine all ingredients.
Add sherry, cognac and extracts. Mix again and refrigerate. Re-blend or shake the batch each time before serving.
Garnish each serving with freshly grated nutmeg.
