These are my favorite cookies ever, the chunky chocolate in every bite and the soft vanilla dough is just divine. the dough can be rolled to make a slab or portioned into 12 balls. This is the same cookie dough base as my M&M cookies but I use chopped dark baking chocolate like Valrhona Guanaja 70% or something similar. If you have kids, you might want to use semi-sweet or milk chocolate just so it’s not too bitter. I find using white chocolate makes this too sweet for my liking, but you can also give that a try.

The cookie dough can be put together in less than 15 minutes, then chilling time is an 1 hour plus baking time of 12-15 minutes. If you’ve never made cookies before, watch the short video below as a guide. I find that a lot of beginners need a little bit of guidance when it comes to cookie baking, so make sure you follow the recipe to the T if you’re making this for the first time. Good luck & happy baking!

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CJFpoR-BkEg/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
 
Difficulty: Easy Prep Time: 15 Mins Cook Time: 18 Mins Total Time: 33 Mins

Chunky Chocolate Cookies

Makes 12

  I like to use chunks of dark chocolate for this recipe, and I prefer Valrhona Guanaja 70% but it’s not accessible to everyone. You can use any good quality chocolate, and if you have kids, use semi-sweet chocolate instead to give it a tad more sweetness.    

Ingredients

Instructions

0/5 Instructions
  • In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream butter & sugar together on high until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, sift together dry ingredients.
  • Add egg and vanilla, mix until incorporated then bring the mixer down to low. Gradually spoon the dry ingredients into the batter, then add the chocolate chunks. Cover the dough and chill for at least 1 hour up to 1 day. (See notes)
  • Preheat oven to 170C. Divide the dough into 12 equal size balls (around 65-70g if you’re using a scale). Roll each portion into a ball then place cookies on a tray lined with baking paper.
  • Bake cookies at 170C for 15-18 mins. The edges will be light brown and the centre will be soft, pop out of the oven and let cool for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack and cool down completely in the fridge. (See notes)

Notes

  1. One reason for cookies spreading is if you over-cream your cookies. On the video above, you will be able to see the process clearly.
  2. This dough needs to be chilled otherwise the cookies will spread. You can make these cookies ahead and chill for 1 day. If you leave it in the fridge for more than one day, the cookies will not rise in the oven.
  3. This recipe is also freezer friendly. To freeze, follow the recipe up to stuffing the cookies with marshmallows then pop the balls on a plate lined with baking paper and freeze for 1 hour. Once the balls are frozen on the outside, they can be placed in freezer bags.
  4. To bake cookie dough from the freezer, take the dough out and place them on a tray line with baking paper, then preheat oven to 170C. The preheating time allows the cookie dough to thaw a little. When the oven is ready bake the cookies for 14 mins. Then cool as instructed.
  5. I like to let the cookies cool down and set in the fridge instead of room temperature. It takes less time and the cookies retain their softness in the centre.

 

It’s the week of Christmas and everyone is rushing around trying to get ready. Kids are on school holidays and parents are trying to find time between them and wrapping presents plus heading to the supermarkets to shop for their Christmas menus. Traffic is heavy and queues are long, but if you are super organised and aren’t running around like a headless chicken, you might actually have a few minutes to spare to put together a batch of cookies for the kids and Santa on Christmas Eve!

I have plenty of great, tried and tested cookie recipes in my collection but today, I’m sharing the colourful m&m cookie recipe. It’s perfect for Christmas because it looks so festive with the bright colours, plus everybody loves m&ms and they can be bought anywhere in the world. You can use the minis or the regular m&ms or mix them together, just make sure you use the same amount stated on the recipe. Don’t forget the glass of milk for Santa!

Watch how easy this dough is put together, if you’re new at baking cookies, it’s helpful to see what light and fluffy is like when creaming butter and sugar. Have fun and let me know how you go by tagging me on Instagram or Facebook or via the comment section below. Hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a much better 2021!!!

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CJFpoR-BkEg/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

 
Difficulty: Medium

M&M Cookies

Makes 1 dozen cookies

Ingredients

Instructions

0/4 Instructions
  • In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream butter & sugar together on high until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, sift together dry ingredients.
  • Add egg and vanilla, mix until incorporated then bring the mixer down to low. Gradually spoon the dry ingredients into the batter, then add 3/4 of the m&ms and reserve the rest. Cover the dough and chill for at least 1 hour up to 1 day. (See notes)
  • Preheat oven to 170C. Divide the dough into 12 equal size balls (around 65-70g if you’re using a scale). Roll each portion into a ball then place cookies on a tray lined with baking paper. Press the rest of the m&ms on the cookie dough.
  • Bake cookies at 170C for 15-18 mins. The edges will be light brown and the centre will be soft, pop out of the oven and let cool for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack and cool down completely in the fridge. (See notes)

Notes

  1. One reason for cookies spreading is if you over-cream your cookies. On the video above, you will be able to see the process clearly.
  2. This dough needs to be chilled otherwise the cookies will spread. You can make these cookies ahead and chill for 1 day. If you leave it in the fridge for more than one day, the cookies will not rise in the oven.
  3. This recipe is also freezer friendly. To freeze, follow the recipe up to stuffing the cookies with marshmallows then pop the balls on a plate lined with baking paper and freeze for 1 hour. Once the balls are frozen on the outside, they can be placed in freezer bags.
  4. To bake cookie dough from the freezer, take the dough out and place them on a tray line with baking paper, then preheat oven to 170C. The preheating time allows the cookie dough to thaw a little. When the oven is ready bake the cookies for 14 mins. Then cool as instructed.
  5. I like to let the cookies cool down and set in the fridge instead of room temperature. It takes less time and the cookies retain their softness in the centre.

 

 

 

School holidays are coming and a lot of parents are looking for fun things to do with their kids. If you can’t order my Christmas Cookie Tree Kit, you don’t have to miss out on all the fun! I am sharing the recipe and the video for assembly so you can make this at home too.

Growing up, I never really associated gingerbread house with Christmas because in the Philippines they’re not really popular, however, everybody associates Christmas trees with Christmas, so I thought making a Christmas Tree made of cookies would be so cool! I use vanilla sugar cookies for the base and icing sugar and food colouring for the icing. You can use a small star nozzle for some fancy piping, or just leave it as is for something more straight forward. I made 2 trees to shoot this video and I used different styles in each so you can see and decide how you want to decorate yours.

In the end, this is all about getting your creative juices running and having some fun. The best part is, this makes a great centrepiece for your Christmas table and everyone can have a piece after the feast! Nom nom nom.

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Joanne Marie Press (@mrs.fancypants.recipes)

 

I suggest you watch the video before you start assembling the tree. The important thing is to get the correct consistency of the icing. Now, if you are in Sydney, then you’re lucky! You can still order my kit from Mrs.Fancypants Kitchen. I only have a few delivery slots left for Christmas, so make sure you put your Christmas order in soon. There are so many goodies available in the kitchen, so don’t hold back. They’re only available for a limited time.

 

 

Have fun making this! It will keep the little ones busy for sure. Don’t forget to let me know how you fared via the comments below or by tagging me on social media. I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a brighter 2021 with your loved ones!

 

 

 
Difficulty: Medium

Christmas Cookie Tree

Makes 2 Christmas Trees

 

Ingredients

Instructions

0/9 Instructions
  • In the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla & egg and beat on high until combined.
  • Meanwhile sift cornflour, salt and flour together. Turn beater down to low and spoon the dry ingredients until combined.
  • Dust a bench top with flour then roll out the dough to 3mm thickness. If its too soft put it in the fridge for 15 minutes.
  • Using an 8pc star cutter set, cut-out one of each size then the same number of the smaller sizes. You will use the smaller stars in between each layer to give your tree height and make piping the leaves easier later.
  • Finally cut-out one more smallest star for your topper. You should have at least 17 stars for 1 tree. This recipe makes enough dough for 2 trees. Place them carefully on a lined baking tray and chill for 30 minutes while you preheat your oven to 180C.
  • Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes or until the bottoms are light brown but the tops should still be quite light. Set aside until cookies are completely cooled down.
  • Get a piping bag ready. In a small bowl mix icing sugar, food colour and liquid flavouring if using. Start by adding 5ml of water then stir. Your icing should look like a thick paste so that it doesn't run and drip down your tree. Watch the video to see the consistency of my icing. If the mix is too thick, add 1/2 tsp of water at a time until you get a good paste-y consistency.
  • Transfer icing to a piping bag and nip a the tip. Pipe some icing to cover your star topper then cover it with gold sprinkles and let dry, if you don't want to use gold sprinkles, use the Christmas sprinkles or just dust the cookie with icing sugar without any icing.
  • Using the icing as glue, build your tree one cookie after another just like the video. When you reach the top, use some more icing as glue to stick the star topper on the tree. Dust with icing sugar for snowy effect.