Top 10 Most Popular Holiday Cookie Recipes On Pinterest
There’s a recipe for every kind of cookie lover
Pinterest is good for a lot of things: style inspiration, wedding planning, and mostly finding recipes for anything from a DIY hair mask to a world-class flan. It’s a diverse, multilayered site that also manages to suck away chunks of our day with its endless scroll.
With the holidays approaching full speed, most of your attention has probably been on what presents you’re going to get and how you’re going to manage to buy them all without going completely bankrupt, meaning that you totally forgot about the cooking obligations you committed to. Things get hectic, things fall through the cracks, we get it. To help you out, we consulted Pinterest on what the most popular cookie recipes are. Because, honestly, what monster doesn’t like a good homemade treat?
They could all work for that last-minute potluck you totally forgot about until now, or you can channel your inner child and whip some up for old Saint Nick. Click through for some baking inspiration.
Red Velvet Gooey Butter Cookies
Not going to lie, we didn't know red velvet cookies were a thing until now, and suddenly our cravings have never been stronger. This recipe comes from
, and, judging from the picture alone, we can see why it tops the most pinned list.
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups of flour
2 cups of sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 oz. softened cream cheese
4 tablespoons softened butter
1 egg
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon red liquid food coloring
Directions:
In a bowl mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and salt and put to the side for later.
In another larger bowl, cream the butter and cream cheese together until the mixture is smooth. Then, beat in the egg and the food coloring.
Add the dry ingredients to the mixture you set aside earlier. Mix it all together until dough is formed.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave the dough to chill for around two hours.
Place the powdered sugar into a small bowl. Separate the dough into one-inch balls and roll each ball into the powdered sugar. Place dough balls onto a greased baking tray.
Bake cookies in an oven pre heated to 350 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes.
Leave cookies to cool on a wire rack. Once cooled, store in an airtight container. They should keep for up to three days.
Brown Butter Cinnamon Crinkle Cookies
Nothing says holidays quite like all-cinnamon everything. Our favorite use of the ingredient might be in candle form, but treats are a very close second. Anyone who bites into these versions, courtesy of
, will be singing "
All I Want For Christmas Is You
" in no time.
Ingredients:
10 tablespoons sliced butter
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Directions:
Place the butter in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the butter melts and begins to foam. Continue to cook, whisking (or swirling the pan) frequently until the butter becomes an amber color, this should take two to three minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool slightly.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
Add the granulated and brown sugar into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Pour the cooled butter into the sugars and mix on medium speed to combine. Add in the eggs and vanilla, mixing just until smooth.
Turn the mixer to low and slowly add in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Cover the mixing bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Set aside.
Place the powdered sugar in a shallow bowl. Divide the chilled dough into one tablespoon-sized balls. Roll each ball into the powdered sugar and place onto the prepared pan, about two inches apart.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the cookies are set.
Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
If chocolate is more your flavor, it won't get much better or richer than these fudgy darlings from
.
Ingredients:
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter or vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Directions:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cocoa, granulated sugar, and oil on medium speed. Reduce the speed to low and add one egg at a time until combined. Mix in the remaining ingredients in the order listed, except for the powdered sugar. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for four hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll the dough into one-inch balls and coat with powdered sugar. Place on the prepared baking sheet at least two inches apart.
Bake for 10 minutes. Allow the cookies to rest on the hot cookie sheet for one minute before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
Cranberries and oranges meet cookies in the most delicious shortbread recipe ever by
.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cold cubed butter
1 teaspoon almond extract
Zest of 1 orange
Directions:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Combine cranberries and 1/4 cup of sugar in a food processor and process just until the cranberries are broken down into smaller pieces. Set aside.
Combine flour and remaining sugar in a large bowl.
Use a pastry cutter to cut in butter. You want very fine crumbs.
Stir in extract, cranberries, the sugar mixture, and orange zest.
Use your hands to knead the dough until it comes together and forms a ball.
Shape dough into a log about two inches in diameter and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for two hours or up to 72 hours.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Cut slices of cookie dough about 1/4 inch thick.
Place about a half a cup of sugar in a bowl and coat the cookie slices with sugar.
Place cookies on baking sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or just until cookies are set.
Let cookies cool for several minutes on baking sheet before removing to cooling rack. Let cool completely.
Store in airtight container for three days or freeze for up to three months.
Salted Caramel Stuffed Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
These gooey goodies brought to us by
can be made with or without sea salt. The choice is totally up to your taste buds, but know that you can't go wrong with whichever one you choose.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
10 tablespoon salted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 dozen caramels, unwrapped
3/4 cup powdered sugar
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt, set aside.
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment, whip together butter, granulated sugar and light-brown sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about four minutes. Add in eggs one at a time, stirring after each addition until combine. Mix in vanilla.
With mixer set on low speed, slowly add in dry ingredients and mix just until combine. Scoop dough out two tablespoons at a time and roll into a ball.
Press one caramel into the center, sprinkle top of caramel with a small pinch of coarse sea salt then fold cookie dough around caramel and salt (make sure the caramel is fully covered with dough around all sides).
Shape into a ball once more, then roll in powdered sugar. Align cookies on lined or buttered cookie sheets and bake in preheated oven for 11 to 13 minutes. Allow to cool on cookie sheet for five minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool (note that the caramel will set after it cools, I liked these cookies best warm for soft gooey caramel). Store in an airtight container.
Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookes
Ah, cranberries, we meet again. You've already gotten used to baking the fruit into your cookies, why not try your hand at this white chocolate rendition, also? As
explains, the contrast of the bright, tart cranberries and sweet white chocolate make the combo irresistible.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 pinch of salt
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup white chocolate chips
Directions:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and egg to combine. Lastly, beat in the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and pinch of salt until a soft dough has formed. Stir in the cranberries and white chips by hand.
Refrigerate the cookie dough for at least one hour. You can chill it overnight if you'd like, but one hour chill time is mandatory to prevent cookies from spreading and to create that light, soft, and chewy texture.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with silicone liners or mist lightly with cooking spray. Remove chilled dough from fridge and roll into tablespoon-sized balls. Place onto the cookie sheets about one to two inches apart from one another.
Bake for approximately 8 to 10 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking time to ensure an even cook. Cookies may appear slightly undone, but do not over-bake them! Allow cookies to set on the baking sheets for about 10 minutes or so before carefully transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Buck tradition and mix in a little sour with your sweet, courtesy of this Greek recipe from
.
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup almond meal flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, plus two more for rolling
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, almond meal, baking powder, and salt until combined.
In a large bowl, beat the butter with one cup of the powdered sugar and lemon zest at medium-low speed with a hand mixer until incorporated, then increase the speed to medium-high and cream until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Add the egg yolk and lemon juice and beat until incorporated.
Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and beat on low just until the dough starts to come together—it will still be in clumps. Knead the dough together with your hands in the bowl, and form the dough into one-inch balls. Place on the prepared baking sheets one inch apart and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, rotating halfway between baking, until the bottoms are golden brown. Remove from heat and cool on a wire rack for 5 to 10 minutes.
Place the remaining two cups of powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Roll the cookies a few at a time in the powdered sugar and place on the wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, cookies may be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Buttery Jam Thumbprint Cookies
As
outlines, these melt-in-your-mouth treats pack a powerful punch of flavor. They might look complicated, but it's actually one of the easiest recipes of the bunch.
Ingredients:
2 sticks salted butter at room temperature
1/2 powdered sugar, and 1/4 for dusting
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon table salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup thick fruit preserves (raspberry, blackberry, peach)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F with rack on middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until fluffy and light for two minutes. Add vanilla and salt, scraping down bowl as needed. Switch to medium-low and gently mix in flour, just until combined. Dough will be somewhat sticky (if it's too sticky to work with, cover and chill 30 minutes.
Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into one-inch balls. Place dough balls on parchment lined baking sheets. Press down the center of each ball with thumb/finger making a deep well in the middle.
Fill cookie centers generously with jam/preserves. Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown and puffy. Let cool for five minutes on the baking sheet, then gently transfer to finish cooling on wire rack.
When cookies are completely cooled, dust with confectioners' sugar. Cookies can be kept in airtight container at room temp for a few days.
Haven't mastered how to make your own eggnog? Or just looking for the same flavor sans the alcohol?
has got you covered.
Ingredients:
1 cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup eggnog
1 egg, beaten
3 3/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon nutmeg
Frosting:
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4/-1/2 cup eggnog
1 teaspoon light Karo syrup
Directions:
Mix together butter and sugar.
Add in eggnog and egg.
Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Chill for at least one hour.
Drop by teaspoonfuls (I rolled mine for a second) onto greased baking sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 8 to 10 minutes.
When you pull them out the oven, push tops with the bottom of a greased flat bottom glass to flatten a bit.
Cool on drying rack then frost with eggnog frosting and sprinkle with nutmeg (the Karo syrup makes the frosting harden a bit when dry).
A holiday cookie classic: sugar cookies. Ditch the Pillsbury version for these homemade ones brought to us by
, and you'll never go back to store-bought again.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, almond, peppermint, or coconut extract
5 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Frosting:
2 cups powdered sugar
1-4 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla, almond, peppermint, or coconut extract
Food coloring
Directions:
In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar. Mix in eggs and extract until well combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the remainder of cookie ingredients. Add dry ingredients to wet in batches until combined.
Divide dough into quarters, form into discs, and wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least two hours.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Remove one disc from fridge and roll out on floured surface until dough is ⅛"-1/4 inch thick.
Cut with cookie cutter and baked on an ungreased cookie sheet for six to eight minutes, watching closely. Cookies are done when bottoms are just barely golden brown. Let cool completely on wire racks before frosting. Make sure cookie sheets are cool to touch before place more cookie dough on them.
For frosting, combine sugar, two tablespoons milk, and honey, adding more milk until frosting reaches desired consistency. For piping and spreading, you're looking for a thicker frosting (like cake frosting), for dipping cookies, you'll want something a little bit thinner.
Pipe, spread or dip onto cookies. Will dry to a soft frosting with a glossy coating.
