SUPER EASY Holiday Cookie Recipes to Make w Kids...

"WHEN ARE WE MAKING COOKIES?!?!?" ....Does this sound familiar? With little ones living under our roof, this question comes up ALOT during the holidays. Facing a mile-long to-do list from Christmas decorating to shopping to cards to parties to classroom projects, seriously, who has the time to spend all day baking?  NOT ME.  Luckily, however, I have stumbled upon a few easy, foolproof recipes that require very few ingredients, involve simple kid participation, and taste yummy to boot!  The only trick is to give them away before you (or the kids) eat the entire batch.

SUPER EASY SUGAR COOKIES 

(from my very resourceful and sweet sister-in-law, Barbara Bossert)

• 1 box *lemon cake mix
• 1/2 cup oil (olive or vegetable oil)
• 1 egg
• 2 TBS water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Hand-mix together, oil, egg, water...then mix in cake mix until dough forms (no mixer required!)  

3. Using a spoon to scoop and then rolling b/w palms of your hands, form teaspoonful size balls with the batter.

4. Dip balls into (various) little bowls of sprinkles (kids love this part!)

5. Arrange on an ungreased cookie sheet approx 1.5 inches apart.  

6. Bake at 350 for 10 min, or until center is just set.

7. Remove from pan after 1-2 min and cool on wire racks.

(*Note, you can also use yellow/chocolate cake mix, or any flavor desired)

FUDGE CRINKLES 

(from Food.com)

• 1 (18 1/4 oz) box devil's food cake mix (Betty Crocker Super Moist suggested)
• 1/2 cup oil (olive or vegetable oil)
• 2 eggs
• confectioners' sugar (for rolling)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Hand-mix together, oil, egg, water...then mix in cake mix until dough forms (no mixer required!)  

3. Dust hands with confectioners' sugar and shape dough into 1.5" balls.

4. Optional: Let balls 'dry' or chill for a few minutes before rolling in sugar.

5. Roll balls in confectioners' sugar and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. 

6. Bake at 350 for 8-10 min, or until center is just set.

7. Remove from pan after 1-2 min and cool on wire racks.

CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT BARK 

(from Redbookmag.com)

• 12 oz high quality bittersweet/dark or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup coarsely crushed red peppermint candies

1. Line baking sheet with nonstick foil or parchment. 

2. Melt chocolate in microwave-safe bowl on high for 1 min. Remove, stir, then heat 15-30 seconds more. Stir until smooth.

3. Pour chocolate onto prepared baking sheet and spread evenly into rectangle using spoon or spatula.

4. Sprinkle with crushed peppermint pieces.

5. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. 

6. Peel off foil and break bark into pieces.

It should keep about 1 month in an airtight container in refrigerator.

KIDS' TOFFEE 

(from Scholastic.com/Parentandchild Dec/Jan '13)

• 28 squares honey graham crackers
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
• 1 12-oz package semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup mini candy or sprinkles of your choice

Note > I doubled the above recipe to make two pans.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Line a jelly roll pan with aluminum foil and spray w nonstick cooking spray.

3. Spread honey graham crackers until pan is full to all sides.

4. Combine brown sugar and butter in saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a rolling boil and remove from heat.

5. Pour over graham crackers and spread until evenly coated. Bake for 10 minutes.

6. Remove from oven and pour package of chocolate chips over whole pan.

7. As chocolate melts, use back of spoon to spread chocolate to all sides.

8. Sprinkle with candy or sprinkles of choice.

9. Allow toffee to cool for 1-2 hours.

10. Break into bite-size pieces and serve.

PRETZEL TURTLES

(from my dear friend and baking expert, Katie Schwaneke)

Mini pretzels (square/grid ones work well)

**Rolos

**Pecan Halves

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2. Arrange pretzels in a single layer on a parchment or wax paper lined cookie sheet.

3. Place one Rolo on top of each pretzel.

4. Bake for 4 minutes at 300 degrees.

5. Place a pecan on top of each Rolo, pushing it down about half way.

6. Let cool for 30 minutes and store in air-tight container.

**(You can also make a variation on this by replacing the Rolos with Hershey Kisses and the pecans with red and green M&M's for a more festive-looking treat)

BIG SOFT GINGER COOKIES - a little more lengthy, but these have rave reviews and they sound delicious!!

(from allrecipes.com)

• 2 1/4 cup flour
• 2 t ground ginger
• 1 t baking soda
• 3/4 t cinnamon
• 1/2 t ground cloves
• 1/4 t salt
• 3/4 cup butter softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• **1 T water
• **1/4 cup molasses
• 2 T white sugar

Note > I have not tried this, but one reviewer noted the dough was easier to manage AND the cookies didn't flatten as much when she substituted 5T brown sugar for the molasses + water.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Sift together flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.

3. In large bowl, cream together butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, then stir in water and molasses. 

4. Gradually stir (dry) ingredients into molasses mixture.

5. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in remaining 2 T sugar.

6. Place cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.

7. Bake 8-10 minutes, allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.