Kris Kringle Cookies

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Of every single person I know, my mom makes the biggest spread of Christmas treats. Each year there are some staples that she has to make. Oreo balls, peanut butter balls, pretzel rings, peanut blossoms, and, of course, a great big batch of sugar cookies. She’s actually scaled back. That list used to include a batch of the best toffee ever, cinnamon sugar pecans, and cornflake wreaths. That’s why you won’t generally see me baking many sweets around the holidays. I know exactly what she’s got waiting for us! However, I did decide I want to try to start creating my own traditions. That means I’m in search of my favorite Christmas treats. When I’m searching through recipe books I’m always on the lookout. The first ones I tried were these Kris Kringle cookies. 

Recipe Book

This is another recipe from the book called “A Harvest of Recipes.” It was compiled by the Grand Blanc Jaycee Auxiliary back in 1976. The other recipe that I tried from this recipe book is the jam cake. We loved that one so the book was already a winner. Plus, this one had a star by it in the book. That means someone else looked at it and starred it. I love when other people make notes so I know what to try!

This one was submitted by Bernice Wazny. I’m only including that because if someone google searches her name I hope they find this. I hope they know that someone out here is still cooking their mom or grandma’s recipes. If you know Bernice personally, give her a big thank you for me! Let her know there are people still trying her recipe for the first time. 

Timing

There is a little bit of timing required on these cookies. They are not just a dough that you can throw together and then bake right away. These need to be chilled. The first step only needs to be chilled for about an hour. The second chill only needs to be another hour. It just needs to be firm enough to cut it. If you don’t chill it enough you won’t be able to slice it. I think you’d be okay to throw it in overnight if that helps your schedule though. I’m all about making recipes work for me and not the other way around. I don’t like to stay up late and bake because I need my beauty sleep. 

Ingredients

• 6 oz. semi- sweet chocolate pieces
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 egg
• 1 cup sifted powdered sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla
• Dash of salt
• ½ cup flaked coconut
• ½ cup chopped, dry, roasted peanuts

Directions

• In a medium saucepan, melt the chocolate and butter over low heat, stirring constantly.
• Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm.
• Beat in the egg until smooth.
• Add the powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla.

• Mix well.
• Stir in the coconut and nuts. 
• Chill.
• Form into a 10 inch long roll.
• Wrap in waxed paper and chill until firm.

• Slice ¼ inch thich.
• Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. 
• Should make 40 cookies. 

Tips

Surprisingly, I made zero adjustments to this recipe! I know you guys find that hard to believe considering I adjust all of mine. 

The best way I found to do this is to sift the powdered sugar into a mixing bowl. The first few steps can be done right in the saucepan. Then add the ingredients from the saucepan into the mixing bowl once they are lukewarm. It shouldn’t take too long to chill it and be able to shape it into a roll. I think I left mine in the fridge for about an hour and that could have been a little long. 

In the pictures you can see how my roll is shaped. I only got about 30 cookies from my roll which leads me to believe that it was a little too big in diameter. I know that my cookies were definitely thin enough though. These should be a thinner and crispier cookie.

Some of my slices started to fall apart a little bit. I just smushed together all of the broken bits and made them into a cookie. I think some of the peanut chunks were a little big causing it to crumble too. Either way, we made it work!

Did We Like Them? 

Yes, in short, we did like them. They are a thin cookie and they really aren’t too sweet. Honestly, they aren’t like anything I’ve ever had before either. I love that they are very unique too. Now, I’m not sure they will make it into my Christmas line-up. I like having them as an option but I can see where some people might not love them. 

The criteria to get on my Christmas list is going to be very, very difficult. They will be considered but I’m on the fence still.

In Summary: Kris Kringle Cookies

If you google Kris Kringle cookies you will not see anything like these. I thought for sure I was doing something wrong. I reread the recipe multiple times because I was sure I forgot an ingredient. Turns out, these are just a unique cookie and the interweb hasn’t quite seen them yet. Which is a pretty cool thing! You might have heard of Kris Kringle cookies but they probably aren’t these ones. 

Give these Kris Kringles a shot and let me know what you think! I’d love to know if they make your list of Christmas treats. If not, what is on your list? Please share so I can consider them for our list!