Similar to my dinner party recipes, most of my cookies that I made for the Christmas Cookie Box Day were from handwritten, passed down recipes rather than online sources. However, if you recognize the sources for any of these, please let me know, otherwise I will be attributing them to the person I got them from.

For my cookie day I was accommodating several dietary restrictions. Several of my friends keep kosher or eat Halal (not a huge issue for a cookie day, and I inadvertently picked the first day of Hanukkah so not as much of a concern as I expected!), I have 3 friends who are coeliac (did you know that Rice Krispie’s brand cereal is not gluten free??), and a friend who is anaphylactic to eggs (this one was hard!).

Mom’s Caramel Nut Bars

She has published this one in a couple community cookbooks, Dockside Dining in Paris, Tennessee if you can get your hands on a vintage copy. Egg free! Would be easy to make gluten free with oat flour!

• 1 c. quick cook oats
• 1 c. packed brown sugar
• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 3/4 c. melted butter
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 54 soft caramels (approx. 1.5 packs)
• 1/3 c. milk
• 1 c. milk chocolate chips
• 1/2 c. chopped walnuts.

1. Preheat the oven to 35oF.
2. Grease a 9×13″ pan with nonstick spray.
3. In a large bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, flour, butter, soda, and salt.
4. Reserve 1 cup of mixture. Put remaining mixture in the greased 9×13″ pan; pat down lightly.
5. Bake for 10 minutes.
6. While that is baking, in a double boiler (boil water in a saucepan, place a heat safe bowl on top of the saucepan with the boiling water underneath but don’t have the water touch the bottom of the bowl), melt caramels with milk.
7. Remove crust from oven, do not turn off oven.
8. Pour melted caramel over crust.
9. Sprinkle with chocolate chips, walnuts, and remaining oat mixture.
10. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool completely and then refrigerate to allow caramel to set.
11. Cut into bars to serve (these are rich so relatively small bars).

Amber’s Gingersnaps

dairy-free

• 1 c. sugar, plus extra to roll dough balls in.
• 3/4 c. shortening
• 1 egg
• 1/4 c. molasses
• 2 c. flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. cloves
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. ginger

1. Preheat oven to 325F.
2. Cream shortening and sugar using a mixer.
3. Add egg and molasses, beat in.
4. Beat in dry ingredients, until combined.
5. Roll into balls.
6. Dip in white sugar.
7. Bake at 325F until they crack, about 10 minutes. Cookies will flatten while baking.
8. Remove to wire rack to cool.

Mrs. Kathy’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 3 1/3 c. flour
• 1 1/2 c. butter
• 1 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 c. white sugar
• 1 1/2c. (6 oz (one big box or 1.5 small boxes)) vanilla pudding mix
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 3 c. chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Creams butter and both sugars, vanilla pudding mix, and vanilla.
3. Add in eggs, flour, and baking soda, mix well.
4. Stir in chocolate chips.
5. Bake at 375F for 8-10 minutes.

Emma’s Mexican Spiced Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 2 c. chocolate chips
• 1 c. butter, softened
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 c. brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp. instant coffee granules
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 c. all purpose flour
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt,
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Melt one cup chocolate chips, cool to room temperature.
3. Beat butter and sugar until fluffy.
4. Beat in eggs, one at a time.
5. Stir coffee with vanilla, beat into butter mixture.
6. Blend in melted chocolate.
7. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper.
8. Add to butter mixture, mixing on low, just until combined.
9. Stir in remaining chocolate chips.
10. Drop dough by the spoonful onto baking sheets.
11. Bake 10 minutes until set but still soft.
12. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Mrs. Kathy’s Lemon Meltaways

egg-free

• 1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 c. cornstarch
• 1/3 c. powdered sugar
• 3.4 c. butter – softened
• 1 tsp. grated lemon peel
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a large bowl combine all ingredients, beat at low speed, 2-3 minutes until well mixed.
3. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into 8″x1″ rolls.
4. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 1-2 hours.
5. With a sharp knife, cut each half into 1/4″ slices. Place on cookie sheet.
6. Bake for 8-12 minutes until set (cookies will not brown).
7. Cool completely.

Frosting

• 3/4 c. powdered sugar
• 1/4 c. butter, softened
• 1 tsp. grated lemon peel
• 1 tsp. lemon juice

1. In a small bowl, combine all frosting ingredients.
2. Beat at medium speed until fluffy.
3. Frost cookies, makes 4 dozen.

Gluten-free Bakes

Flourless Chocolate Cookies

Gluten-free Amaretti Cookies

Confectionary

Dark Chocolate, Dried Cherry, and Orange Bark

• Mercken’s Dark Chocolate Melting Rounds
• Dried Cherries
• Orange Zest

1. Melt dark chocolate in a double boiler.
2. Prepare a quarter sheet pan with parchment paper.
3. Pour melted chocolate over parchment paper.
4. Top with orange zest and dried cherries.

Milk Chocolate Peppermint Bark

• Mercken’s Milk Chocolate Melting Rounds
• White Chocolate (I actually don’t like the Mercken’s white chocolate rounds)
• Candy Canes, smashed

1. Melt milk chocolate in a double boiler.
2. Prepare a quarter sheet pan with parchment paper.
3. Melt white chocolate in a double boiler (in a fresh bowl!).
4. Pour white chocolate over milk chocolate, use a knife or toothpick to swirl milk and white chocolates.
5. Top with crushed candy canes.

Rice Krispie Buns

• Dairy Milk milk chocolate, it must be the British version. The first ingredient of British Dairy Milk is milk, the first ingredient of North American Dairy Milk is sugar (part of this is climate, North American chocolate has more sugar as we are warmer) and it makes a massive difference.
• Rice Krispies.
• Cupcake liners.

1. Melt Dairy Milk in a double boiler.
2. Mix Rice Krispies into melted Dairy Milk until well-coated.
3. Spoon into mounds in each cupcake liner.
4. You can increase the ratios however you need to make as many as you want.

Top Hats

• Dairy Milk milk chocolate, it must be the British version. The first ingredient of British Dairy Milk is milk, the first ingredient of North American Dairy Milk is sugar (part of this is climate, North American chocolate has more sugar as we are warmer) and it makes a massive difference.
• Marshmallows.
• Smarties (M&Ms if you are in the USA).
• Cupcake liners.

1. Melt Dairy Milk in a double boiler.
2. Spoon melted chocolate into cupcake liner to create a small layer in the bottom of the cupcake liner.
3. Press marshmallow in melted chocolate.
4. Place a small dot of melted chocolate on top of marshmallow.
5. Press Smartie into dot of melted chocolate.