Spiced Hot Cocoa Cookies

It’s becoming harder and harder to choose recipes on the web, as so many things that I come across are made with AI. I suppose that some AI recipes will work, but I’m not really interested in that. Now when I look online, I choose recipes that are a couple of years old or come from a blog that I am familiar with. I also have been using recipes from well-known companies, such as this one from King Arthur Baking.

They sent out a “top recipes” email recently and there were quite a few that looked great! While I believe some cookies were meant as Christmas cookies, they didn’t necessarily scream the holidays. This recipe is certainly wintery, but it certainly is winter! I had some large marshmallows on hand and wanted to use them before they went stale.

I followed this recipe exactly, using both the whisk and beater attachment for my mixer. I had a bit of chocolate hodge podge, but it measured 170 grams, so all was good. The dough is very similar to brownie batter when I put it in the refrigerator, and I was glad to refrigerate it overnight. It was still soft but workable at that point. Partially baking them, topping them with marshmallows, and finishing the baking was easy. I toasted the marshmallows with my kitchen torch and that worked, but I had to be careful not to set the cookies on fire. These cookies are soft and gooey, and so very tasty.

Spiced Hot Cocoa Cookies
170 grams bittersweet chocolate, chopped
85 grams butter, cut in pieces
90 grams flour
6 tablespoons cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
132 grams sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla 
10 marshmallows, halved crosswise

Melt the bittersweet chocolate and butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl, heating in 30 second increments, stirring frequently. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.  

Using a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the sugar and eggs. Whip at medium speed about 5-6 minutes, until the mixture is pale and ribbons into the bowl when the whisk is lifted. Add the melted chocolate mixture and vanilla and whisk until combined, about 1 minute.

Change to the mixer’s flat beater and stir in the flour mixture, about 30 seconds. Use a spatula to stir in any remaining bits. Cover the dough and refrigerate the dough for 2 hours or overnight.

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

Shape dough into 1-1/2 tablespoon balls (each about 28 grams) and place on the prepared baking sheets. 

Bake for 8-9 minutes. The cookies will puff but will be soft and underbaked. Remove the cookies from the oven and press 1/2 a marshmallow into each cookie, flattening and slightly cracking the cookie.

Bake for an additional 3-5 minutes, until the cookies are set and the marshmallows are puffed. Broil the marshmallows with a kitchen torch.

Recipe from King Arthur Baking

Fruity Oat Breakfast Cookies

I hope that you are enjoying the new year! I need to get organized and find recipes for all of the different ingredients that I have picked up recently, but I’ll be honest I am not that quick. I did get two kitchen cupboards swapped so I am very happy about that. I will no longer try and get all my baking pans out of a cupboard with a tiny 10” wide door. Now items that I use infrequently are in that awkward cupboard. 

We still have a lot of treats from the holidays around, so I decided to look in a different direction. I have been getting emails from a few baking sites, including Eating Well, for which I used to have a subscription. These are called breakfast cookies and with oats and dried fruit they are less decadent. I did make some changes, so they aren’t as healthy, but still in the right direction.

These called for cashew butter, but I ended up using peanut butter that I already had on hand. My store didn’t have lemons, so I substituted an orange. Instead of ½ cup flour and ½ cup whole wheat flour, I used 1 cup of all-purpose flour. I find dried blueberries to be a little grainy, so I used dried mixed fruit instead. Choose what you like, the recipe is flexible! So, my cookies aren’t quite as healthy as they could be, but they are lovely and not too sweet. They are a good way to start the new year.

Fruity Oat Breakfast Cookies
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup nut butter (cashew, almond, etc.)
1 egg
Zest of 1 orange
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon vanilla 
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup dried fruit (cherries, cranberries, etc.)
2/3 cup chopped pecans

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

In a large mixer bowl, combine the brown sugar, butter and nut butter and beat on medium until light. Add the egg, orange juice and zest, and vanilla, mixing again on medium to combine. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the oat mixture to the butter/brown sugar mixture. Mix until just combined. Folk in the dried fruit and chopped pecans. 

Shape the dough into 1-1/2” mounds on the prepared baking sheets and gently flatten the cookies with the palm of your hand. 

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the baking sheets half-way through the cooking time. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.  

Recipe from Eating Well

Favorites from 2025

It feels like it has been a very strange year, but I hope that everyone had an excellent holiday season! I don’t always have all the time in the world to bake, but it’s an important part of my life! Baking and some of the other crafty things I do are great distractions. Here are some of my favorites from 2025.

Graham Chocolate Chip Cookies 

My husband often complains that I don’t make enough chocolate chip cookies. I figured that I would try this variation, with the addition of graham cracker crumbs. They were so good! The milk chocolate chips and the graham cracker crumbs add a sweetness you will enjoy.

Iced Oatmeal Cookies Bars 

One of my favorite cookies growing up was Iced Oatmeal Cookies. I have made a few variations, and this is the bar cookie version. You do have to process the oats, so they aren’t too chunky, but that’s the only complexity. These capture the flavor perfectly of the store-bought cookies and are wonderful.

Cinnamon Toast Bars 

I wasn’t sure about this recipe when I made these; I worried that they would be too plain. Boy, was I ever wrong! For those who don’t like super sweet or decadent cookies, these are for you. They remind me of a simple cake with a lovely cinnamon sugar topping. I wish the recipe would have made more.

Cinnamon Apple Bars 

This is one of many cookies that I have made with dried cinnamon apples. Yes, you can use fresh apples, yes you can use any variety of chips. I used the perfect cinnamon apple with cinnamon chip combination. They are sticky but bake up beautifully. 

Peanut Butter Snickers Cookies 

These cookies originated as a way to use leftover Snickers bars. Add peanuts, peanut butter, and peanut butter chips to that and you have a winner! These cookies have lots of ingredients, so watch the yield for this recipe.

German Chocolate Cake Fudge 

This was one of the fudge recipes I made this year, based on a flavor of fudge that I had tried while on holiday. These use dark chocolate chips, but this is flexible. I used unsweetened coconut, as fudge is already sweet enough! 

Candy Cane Marshmallow Oreo Fudge

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate! As the designated fudge maker, this was a recipe that I longed to make! This is a milk chocolate fudge, but then you throw in marshmallows, chopped up Oreos, peppermint baking chips, and candy cane pieces. It seems like this fudge contains too many things and is difficult to name, but the fudge comes together beautifully.

My fudge looks a little bit different than the original recipe that Peabody made for her blog. This, I discovered, was based on the type of peppermint baking chips that you used. I had a few types on hand- from minty chocolate chips to chips that resembled peppermint bark. While I thought these were purely white chocolate with peppermint, but there were some regular chocolate chips mixed in. I suppose I could have sorted out the non-white chocolate, but I didn’t. That layer of fudge was lighter brown rather than white.

When I cut the fudge, the candy cane pieces I had on top had melted somewhat, but I was able to top the fudge with additional crushed peppermint. This didn’t use very many Oreos, so we had many left to eat! I cut this fudge in fairly large pieces, I’m not exactly sure why. This fudge is fairly heavy and does cut better with a warm knife. I also brought mine out of the refrigerator before cutting, which also helped. I would like to make this again, maybe with the correct type of peppermint chips and I would also chop the Oreos into smaller pieces.

Candy Cane Marshmallow Oreo Fudge

12 ounces milk chocolate

15 ounces sweetened condensed milk, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla 
1 tablespoon butter, divided
 1 cup Oreos, crushed into pieces
8 ounces white chocolate
4 ounces Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips
1/2 cup mini marshmallows
1/3 cup peppermint/candy cane pieces

Line an 8” pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

Melt the milk chocolate in the top of a double boileror in a microwave, stirring until melted and smooth. Add half of the sweetened condensed milk, the vanilla, and half a tablespoon of butter. Remove from the heat and fold in the crushed Oreos. Spread evenly in the prepared pan and freeze for 30 minutes. 

In a (clean) double boiler or microwaveable bowl, add the white chocolate and Peppermint Crunch chips. Stirring frequently, melt until smooth. Stir in the remaining sweetened condensed milk and ½ tablespoon butter. Fold in the mini marshmallows. 

Remove the fudge from the freezer and top with the white chocolate fudge, spreading as evenly as possible. Top with the peppermint pieces. Refrigerate for several hours. 

Remove the fudge from the pan and cut with a sharp knife; the fudge will cut more easily with a warm, dry knife.

Recipe from Sweet Recipeas

Christmas Cracker Toffee

Since my holiday baking is broader this year and I’m trying to find easier recipes, this was my opportunity to make cracker toffee, which I have always wanted to try. I have to admit that I had some skepticism, as how could saltine crackers become like toffee? That seemed very farfetched, but I had seen enough recipes that I wanted to give it a try. Since I could decorate these with holiday sprinkles, I knew they would fit right in.

Despite the need to use a candy thermometer, these are very simple. So, so simple! The butter and brown sugar came together quickly, and once I found a stirring spoon that didn’t conduct heat, it was even easier. If you don’t have a candy thermometer, you can bring the mixture to a boil and then boil it for three minutes instead. 

When you cover the saltines with the sugar/brown sugar mixture, it forms a candied mixture, then heating in the oven finishes the toffee. Cover with chocolate, let it set, and then spread it around. I topped mine with mini candies, which I should have pressed in more firmly. This makes really tasty toffee. It isn’t “break your teeth” hard, but I don’t care for that anyway. This has a nice toffee flavor that is easy to eat!

Christmas Cracker Toffee
20-30 saltine crackers 
1 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar 
1 teaspoon vanilla 
½ teaspoon salt 
2 cups milk chocolate chips
Decorative sprinkles and/or candies

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 10” x 15” pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

Place the crackers in a single layer on the prepared pan. Mine didn’t fit perfectly but it didn’t make a difference. 

In a large saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar, stirring frequently, over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and boil for three minutes, stirring frequently. The mixture will be between 270 and 290 degrees on a candy thermometer. 

Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and salt. Pour the mixture over the crackers and spread evenly. 

Bake for 5 minutes, until the caramel is bubbling vigorously. Remove it from the oven and sprinkle evenly with the milk chocolate chips. Cover the baking sheet with foil and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. 

After 5 minutes, remove the foil and gently spread the chocolate evenly over the cracker toffee. Top with decorative sprinkles or candies. Refrigerate for at least two hours. 

Once cooled, remove from the pan and peel away the foil. “Crack” the toffee with your hands or use a knife to create irregular pieces. Store in an airtight container.

Recipe from Mom on Timeout

Christmas Smash Sugar Cookies

When I choose cookies to make for the holidays, I inevitably pick a recipe that I end up not making. I find a different recipe, or I end up not having a needed ingredient, or something else happens. That’s fine with me- there are lots of cookie recipes out there that I want to try. I got a Food Network email about the Top 100 cookies. How could I resist that?

This recipe was the one featured in that email, but there are lots of other interesting cookie recipes. I did one other “smash” recipe, and those turned out well, so this was intriguing. These cookies are a basic sugar cookie that you then roll them in sprinkles. I compiled several different types of sprinkles, and that seemed to work. 

My challenge was to find room in my refrigerator for two baking sheets. I ended up making my refrigerator a giant game of Jenga, shuffling stuff around and balancing one baking sheet on the top of my egg carton. Whatever works! You then smash down the cookies before baking and then drizzle with powdered sugar glaze. These are super festive and cheerful, and I’m really glad that I made these this year.

Christmas Smash Sugar Cookies
3/4 cup butter, room temperature 
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla 
2 eggs, lightly beaten 
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
Holiday sprinkles

3/4 cup powdered sugar 
1-2 tablespoons milk/cream

In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter and sugar on medium until light. Add the vanilla and eggs and mix again on medium to combine. The mixture may look curdled. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir until the dough just comes together.

Shape the dough into 24 equal balls. Shape each piece into a ball and roll the ball in holiday sprinkles. Place on a Silpat-lined baking sheet and refrigerate for one hour.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Remove the baking sheets from the refrigerator. With measuring cup, flatten each cookie to about 3” in diameter. The edges will crack- that is what you want. If the measuring cup sticks to the cookies, dip the cup in flour.

Bake for 12-14 minutes, until the cookies begin to brown along the edges. Allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once the cookies are cool, make the glaze: in a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and milk until the glaze is smooth and thick. Drizzle the glaze randomly over the cooled cookies. Allow the glaze to set before serving.

Recipe from The Food Network

Cranberry & White Chocolate Shortbread

I have had this recipe saved for a long time and I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t made them previously. This is a Canadian recipe, from Robin Hood Flour, which is a big vendor there. They also sponsor the Canadian Baking Show, so I am also familiar for that reason. I really like the Canadian Baking Show, it’s similar to the British show, but with different hosts and judges. And the challenges are a bit different and reflect the mosaic that is truly Canadian.

I haven’t made anything with dried cranberries recently, but it’s one of those things that I always have on hand. The ones that I have are a bit different, and while they are dried, they look almost like they are freeze-dried. The berries are whole, and not wrinkly like a raisin. Different, but I don’t recall that they tasted different last time I used them.

I followed this recipe as posted, but my bars were super crumbly. I know they are shortbread, which is always a bit crumbly, but these were extreme! I think I baked them for a couple of minutes longer than needed; it’s hard to tell as they don’t brown much. I also didn’t cut them after 30 minutes- it’s busy this time of year and I was doing something else! So these don’t look as polished as I had hoped, but they are still very tasty.

Cranberry & White Chocolate Shortbread
1-3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla 
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a 9” x 13” pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, and salt; set aside. In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla on medium until creamy. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour mixture. Fold in the dried cranberries and white chocolate chips. 

Pat evenly into the prepared pan. Prick the top of the bars with a fork.

Bake for 40-50 minutes, until the bar begin to turn golden along the edge. Allow to cool for 30 minutes before cutting into bars. Lift the bars from the pan and peel away the foil. Cut into squares while still warm. Dust with additional powdered sugar before serving.

Recipe from Robin Hood Flour