When it’s cold outside, we can't help but get excited holidays — cookies, being one of the most delightful parts of the festive season. Here are some of our ideas.
No-bake pistachio holiday cookies
Omnivores will enjoy these vegan treats. Start by finely chopping 5 oz. shelled pistachios — if you can peel off the outer darker skin, the color will be brighter. Mix the pistachios with 1 Tbsp. coconut flakes, ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil, ½ cup agave syrup or liquid honey (honey isn't vegan, though!) and a pinch of salt. Knead into a smooth dough and shape it into a log. Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Remove, then slice and decorate with coconut flakes and currant berries to resemble snow and Christmas decorations.
Making classic Christmas sugar cookies
If you can’t resist the traditional sugar cookies of Christmastime, check out our recipe for traditional Christmas cookies. Roll the dough out then use holiday-themed cookie cutters to make the cookies. After baking them and letting them cool, decorate with sugar paste. Make a little Christmas tree with green sugar paste and then add glitter and decorations on top, or cover the whole cookie with red sugar paste and then apply a thin belt and some little black sugar paste buttons to make Santa Claus' belly.
Santa’s reindeer cookies
For a cookie dedicated to Santa’s red-nosed reindeer, prepare the classic cookie dough, but omit the chocolate. Form round cookies on a baking sheet and pinch a part of the cookie to create the drop shape. Apply two mini-pretzels onto the widest part of the cookie (Rudolph's forehead) for the ears, then make the eyes with two pieces of chocolate and apply the red nose on the tip of the cookie using a red-colored chocolate candy.