Make the Most Amazing Christmas Cookies With Almond Breeze® Almo...

Who’s ready for milk and cookies?! If you are always the one to sneak out of bed the night before Christmas to “take a taste” of Santa’s milk and cookies, then these recipes are for you! We created five new Christmas cookie recipes — all with an exciting twist.

Instead of milk, these cookies are made with non-dairy Almond Breeze® Almondmilk! Smooth and rich almond milk is the perfect substitute when baking for anyone looking to cut back on dairy. At So Yummy, we are obsessed with Almond Breeze® because it’s made with real California almonds, so it’s incredibly creamy and flavorful. It’s not only great for baking cookies, but it’s delicious for dunking and drinking too!

Almond Breeze® Almondmilk comes in classic flavors like vanilla and chocolate, but don’t sleep on the Almondmilk Nog. Your favorite seasonal beverage is now completely dairy-free thanks to Almond Breeze®. We combined two of the main Christmas flavors into one decadent dessert with our Nog Snickerdoodle Whoopie Pie recipe. Snickerdoodle cookies paired with some Almond Breeze® Nog frosting are sure to get you on Santa’s nice list this year. 

In fact, we have a feeling that leaving a plate of any of these cookies under the tree for Santa will leave him feeling extra generous when it comes to gifts this year. So don’t wait! Shop for everything you need to bake your own Almond Breeze® Christmas Cookies today!

Nog Snickerdoodle Whoopie Pies

Servings: 24

Difficulty: medium 

Ingredients 

Cookies:

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup Almond Breeze® Almondmilk Nog
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Filling:

• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1 ounce cream cheese, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup Almond Breeze® Almondmilk Nog or more as needed

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a large baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl cream together butter, 1 cup sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes on high speed).
3. Add eggnog, eggs, and vanilla and mix until smooth. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, and cream of tartar.
4. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until combined.
5. In a small bowl whisk together remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Roll cookie dough into 1-inch balls, then roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture and place 1-inches apart on prepared baking sheet.
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes until very lightly golden brown. Allow to cool completely on wire rack. In a large bowl cream together butter, cream cheese, and vanilla until very light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes on high speed.
7. Add salt, and gradually add powdered sugar until completely incorporated. Add 1/4 cup eggnog and mix on high speed until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add more eggnog as needed to reach a smooth, spreadable consistency (but not runny). 
8. Flip half of the cookies up-side down, spread with filling, then top with a second cookie right-side up. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

Peppermint Hot Cocoa Cookies

Servings: 12 cookies 

Difficulty: medium

Ingredients

Peppermint Fudge: 

• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2/3 cup Almond Breeze® Chocolate Almondmilk
• 3/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 5 ounces chopped dark chocolate or 3/4 cup additional chocolate chips (I use 70% dark)
• 2 tablespoons salted butter, cubed
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract

Cookies: 

• 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar (use 1/2 cup for a sweeter cookie)
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions

To make the peppermint fudge filling: 

1. In a medium bowl, melt together cocoa powder, Almond Breeze® Chocolate Almondmilk, chocolate chips, dark chocolate, and butter in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, until smooth. Stir in the peppermint. You can also use a candy cane if you have one and stir into the hot chocolate mixture until half of it dissolves into the fudge. Transfer to a glass container. Freeze 30 minutes, until firm.
2. Roll the fudge sauce into scant tablespoon-size balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Freeze until firm, at least 30 minutes or overnight.

To make the cookies: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until combined. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined.
2. Add the vanilla, beating until creamy. Add the flour and baking soda. Remove 2 of the frozen fudge balls and cut into 4 pieces. Fold chunks of fudge into dough, leaving streaks of fudge throughout. Roll the cookie dough into 2 tablespoon-size balls.
3. Place 1 frozen fudge ball in the center of the dough, pushing down gently into the dough. Add 1 additional tablespoon size cookie dough ball on top, sealing the dough around the fudge.
4. Place the balls 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet (don’t bake more than 4 cookies per baking sheet). Transfer to the oven and bake for 8 minutes.
5. Remove the pan from the oven and tap the baking sheet on the counter 3 times to flatten them down.
6. Return to the oven and bake another 4-5 minutes or until the cookies are just beginning to set on the edges, but still doughy in the center. Remove from the oven and tap the baking sheet on the counter 2-3 times to flatten them down again.
7. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet. They will continue to cook slightly as they sit on the baking sheet. Enjoy warm!

Floral Wreaths

Servings: 20 cookies

Difficulty: medium 

Ingredients 

For the cookies: 

• 8 ounces very soft butter
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup cornstarch

For the glaze: 

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 4-5 tablespoons Almond Breeze® Vanilla Almondmilk 
• Edible flowers

Directions

1. Place soft butter in a medium-size mixing bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula until nice and smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix together by hand for about 30 seconds until well blended.
2. Add the flour and cornstarch. Stir until dry ingredients are incorporated. The dough will be a little shaggy. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gather into a ball.
3. Knead 5-6 times until fairly smooth and all the small pieces are worked in. (Get your arm workout in!) Form into a ball again and flatten with your hand to form a flat disk. 
4. Roll out the dough to an approximate 3/8-inch thickness. Cut out wreaths (in one or more sizes) and transfer to prepared pans with a thin, metal spatula. Re-roll scraps as many times as needed to use up the dough.
5. Place cutouts in the refrigerator for at least one hour or up to 24 hours. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove 1 pan of cutouts from the refrigerator and bake for 12-14 minutes, or until just beginning to turn golden at the edges. Rotate pans halfway through for even browning. Repeat with the second pan of cutouts. Cool completely before icing.
6. For the icing combine powdered sugar and 4 tablespoons Almond Breeze® Vanilla Almondmilk  in a medium-size bowl. Mix until smooth and top with edible flower petals before the glaze can set on the cookie! Enjoy.

Maple Pecan Skillet Cookies

Servings: 8 maple pecan skillet cookie slices 

Difficulty: hard 

Ingredients 

• ¾  cups chopped pecans 
• 4 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• 10 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for pan
• 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons  light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoon Almond Breeze® Almondmilk Nog
• Coarse white sanding sugar

Directions

1. Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. Toss pecans, maple syrup, and ½ teaspoon of salt in a medium bowl.
2. Scrape onto a rimmed baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and spread nuts into a single layer. Bake until pecans are slightly darkened and syrup is dark and bubbling, 15–20 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and carefully toss pecans in hot syrup to coat again. Let cool on baking sheet until caramel hardens, about 30 minutes. Break up candied pecans into pieces; discard any burned bits. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
4. Generously butter a 10″ cast-iron or stainless-steel skillet; line bottom with a round of parchment paper and butter parchment.
5. Pulse flour, brown sugar, half of candied pecans, and 1¼ teaspoon salt in a food processor until nuts are finely chopped. Add egg, 1 tablespoon vanilla, and remaining 10 tablespoons of butter and process until a shaggy dough forms.
6. Transfer dough to a large bowl and knead a couple of times just to bring it together. Using damp hands, pat dough evenly into skillet, extending all the way to the sides of the pan. Bake cookie until edges are golden brown and center is slightly puffed, 30–35 minutes.
7. Let cool in skillet 1 hour. Invert cookie onto a cutting board and cut into 8 wedges. Turn right side up and transfer to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet.
8. Whisk powdered sugar and Almond Breeze® Almondmilk Nog together. Drizzle glaze over wedges and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Let sit until glaze is set.  (Recipe adapted from Rick Martinez)

Chocolate Peppermint Crinkles 

Servings: 48 cookies 

Difficulty: easy 

Ingredients 

• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate 
• 1 ¼ all purpose flour
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt1 stick butter
• 1 ½ cups packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• ⅓ cup Almond Breeze® Chocolate Almondmilk
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Directions

1. Microwave chocolate in 30 second increments until melted and smooth. Let cool slightly.
2. Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl. Beat butter and sugar together then mix in eggs, vanilla, peppermint and melted chocolate.
3. Add dry ingredients in two batches, adding the Almond Breeze® Chocolate Almondmilk in between additions.
4. Refrigerate dough for 2 hours. Then make 2 inch balls of dough, roll them in granulated sugar then powdered sugar.
5. Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees F for 7 minutes, then rotate the baking sheet and cook for another 7 minutes. Let cool completely on wire racks and then enjoy!