The holiday season means something different to everyone and there are about a million and two different traditions people use to celebrate! To some, it could be finding the perfect tree and trimming it just so. To others, it could mean wearing matching pajamas and watching the same movies every year. For me? It’s COOKIES! 

If you’re from the Northern Midwest of America, you know what I mean. The holidays are all about the cookies! I’m talking a ton of cookie tins just full to bursting with a whole bakery’s worth of cookies. Spritz, Sugar Cookies, Snowballs, Peanut Butter Balls, Kiss Cookies, Candy Cane Cookies - the list is quite possibly endless! 

So, to bring a little extra holiday cheer (in a pandemic safe way) the SBCo. Team would like to invite you to join in our first annual Virtual Holiday Cookie Exchange! Listed below are recipes from each of our team members! Our hope is that you get to try some new cookie recipes (please let us know what you think!) and even share some of your own if you’d like! Just leave your added holiday treat recipes in the comments below - we are so excited to share the holiday cookie love!

Sara’s Holiday Spritz Cookies (Buttery, Crunchy & Oh So Addicting!)

INGREDIENTS

- 1 cup sugar

- 1 cup butter

- 1 egg

- ½ tsp salt

- 2 tsp vanilla extract (you can substitute 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1 tsp almond extract)

- 2 ¼ cup flour 

INSTRUCTIONS

- Preheat the oven to 400

- In a large bowl mix butter, sugar, egg, salt, and vanilla. Beat until fluffy. 

- Add in the flour.

- Use a spritz cookie gun to press dough onto a cookie sheet.

- Decorate however you’d like. I tend to decorate with sugar sprinkles and cinnamon candy!

- Bake for 6-8 minutes or until edges are slightly browned. 

- Enjoy! But be warned - you can’t eat just one!

Maggie’s Great Grandma Matson’s Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies (A Holiday Standard!)

INGREDIENTS

- 3 1/4 C flour 

- 1tsp baking soda 

- 1/2 tsp salt 

- 1/2 cup shortening or soft butter 

- 1 cup sugar 

- 1 egg unbeaten 

- 1tsp vanilla 

- 1/2 cup thick sour cream 

INSTRUCTIONS 

- Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt and put aside.

- Beat together for 2 minutes shortening (or soft butter), sugar, egg, vanilla, and sour cream.

- Add flour mixture and beat for 1 min.

- Roll out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick.

- Cut desired shapes and sprinkle with sugar, sprinkles, or leave plain for frosting.

- Bake at 425℉ for about 8 min or until the edges are golden brown.

Kathy’s Vegan Mexican Hot Chocolate Sugar Cookies (Rich, Chocolatey Goodness with a Kick!)

INGREDIENTS

- 1 cup + 1 tbsp cup blanched almond flour

- 1/4 cup sifted coconut flour (just extra fine so it doesn’t clump)

- 1 tsp baking soda

- 1/4 tsp sea salt

- 1/2 tsp cinnamon

- pinch of nutmeg

- 1/2 tsp chili powder or cayenne

- 3/4 cup dairy-free hot cocoa mix *If you don’t have hot chocolate you may substitute (2/3 c coconut sugar and 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder)

- 1 small avocado ( 1/4 to 1/3 cup mashed)

- 1 tsp vanilla

- 1 chia egg (Grind up a few tablespoons of chia. I use my coffee grinder. Place 1 tbsp ground chia with 3 tbsp water and let it sit for 10 minutes until gel is formed.)

- 1/4 cup coconut oil (not melted)

- 1/4 to 1/3 cup dark chocolate shavings or chopped pieces

INSTRUCTIONS

- First mix together the almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. Beat or whisk until flour is smooth

- In another bowl or a stand mixer, beat together the coconut oil and hot chocolate. Mix until creamy

- Once mixed, add in your ripe avocado and vanilla extract, beat again on medium

- Add in chia egg, then beat on low. Stir gently and mix until batter is consistent

- Now lightly beat or stir in the dry mix/flour

- Fold in your dark chocolate shavings

- Form batter into a ball and cover. Place in the fridge for 1-2 hrs. (You can leave in overnight if you need to)

- Once batter is more solid, remove and place on parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350F

- Roll out dough on parchment paper. Use a rolling pin with plastic between dough and pin or cover the rolling pin in Gluten-Free flour

- Once the dough is flat, use cookie cutters or canning jar lids to make circles or stars. You can also use roll dough in balls and press with your hands flat. Your choice. Place 2″ apart on the prepared baking sheet

- Place on a baking sheet with parchment paper. You can sprinkle each with cinnamon sugar for an extra kick of flavor

- Bake for 12-15 minutes. Check at 12 minutes. They will be soft when removed from the oven but then harden a bit when cooled

Caroline’s Citrus, Spice & Everything Nice Cookies (Everything but the Kitchen Sink!)

The women in my family are notorious for never following a recipe to the letter – we always add a little twist of our own! And this is a prime example of taking an old favorite and kicking it up a notch… or three. So feel free to customize these to your liking!

INGREDIENTS

- 3/4 Cup Unsalted Brown Butter (room temperature) Browning your Butter adds an incredible depth of flavor! It brings a lovely nuttiness that goes so well with oatmeal cookies – it just takes a little extra prep!

- 1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar (packed)

- 1/2 Cup Light Brown Sugar (packed)

- 2 Large Eggs (room temperature)

- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

- 1 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour

- 2 Cups Old Fashioned Whole Grain Oats

- 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

- 1 Teaspoon Salt

- 1 1/2 Teaspoon Chai Spices (ground) I used a blend of Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cloves, Cardamom, & a touch of Allspice! Like your Chai super fragrant – add a little extra!

- 1 Cup Toasted Walnuts (chopped) Toasting your Walnuts always brings out the best flavors!

- 3/4 Cup Dried Fruits of your choice I used a blend of Raisins, Golden Raisins, Apricots, & Currants

For the Optional Glaze:

- 1 Orange

- Confectioner’s Sugar

- Chai Spices

INSTRUCTIONS
Brown your butter and let cool back down to room temperature. (This is a must! Adding in the butter while still too warm can scramble the eggs!)

1. Start with 1 cup of unsalted butter (through the browning process you will naturally end up with around ¾ cup of butter) in a medium saucepan. Pro-tip – use a light colored pan to better see when the butter starts to turn color!

2. Melt the butter over medium heat and whisk occasionally for 5-10 minutes. Watch closely for it to create a layer of fine foam on top and then start to darken. As soon as it turns a shade darker, take it off the heat and continue whisking until a lovely amber color.

3. Pour into a glass measuring cup – be sure to get all the brown bits, that’s where all the flavor is! Set aside to cool back to room temperature. 

- Prep your mix-ins while the brown butter is cooling.

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prep baking sheet with parchment paper and spread walnuts into a single layer. Toast in the oven until just a shade or two darker – whole walnuts should take around 10 minutes, chopped only take around 6. (It won’t look like too much of a difference but when you start to smell them, they’re about done. Raw nuts are bland, burnt nuts are awful, but toasted nuts are just right.) Let cool and chop down to your desired size. Set aside.

2. Measure out and prep your blend of dried fruits. Chop down larger pieces so everything is a pretty consistent size. Set aside.

- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, salt, and chai spices. Set aside.

- In a large bowl whip brown butter until smooth and the brown bits are re-incorporated.    

- Cream in the brown sugar and vanilla extract.

- Add in eggs one at a time. The mixture should be smooth and fully combined.

- Add in dry ingredients.

- Just before the flour is fully absorbed, add in your dried fruits and toasted walnuts. Mix just until fully incorporated - Overworking the dough leads to tough cookies!

- Place the dough uncovered in the fridge for about 20 minutes. (This is also a must! Allowing the dough to cool will keep the butter from melting out in the oven.)

- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line the baking sheet with parchment paper.

- Roll the dough into balls and place them a few inches apart on the baking sheet. Gently press flat to about ½ inch thickness. (Return the rest of the dough to the fridge while waiting to bake off – keep that butter cool!)

- Bake! Larger cookies should take 12-14 minutes while regular cookies should take 10-12.

- They’re done when there’s a golden brown ring around the edges and the center is puffed. They’ll look a little underdone – but that’s perfect! They’ll continue to bake and settle from the residual heat outside of the oven.

- Give them a couple of minutes to firm up before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

- While the cookies are cooling, whip up your glaze! I never actually measure during this process but it’s pretty forgiving.

1. Zest a bit of orange rind into a small bowl and squeeze in some fresh orange juice. (I think I usually end up using about half an orange for the juice)

2. In small increments add in a little confectioner’s sugar and whisk until smooth. You’re looking for something thick enough to drizzle but not drip.

3. Taste test! While delicious, I find this benefits from a dash or two of chai spices to cut the bright, sweetness.

4. Drizzle! Since I’m a perfectionist I use a piping bag but you can finish these however you like! Just keep in mind that a little bit goes a long way. I recommend further taste testing to find the right balance of sweetness for you!

5. Let the glaze set for a couple of hours before packing them away so as not to ruin your amazing decorations.

Rainey’s Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies (A Classic for a Reason!)

INGREDIENTS

- 2 1/2 cups  all-purpose flour

- 1  teaspoon baking soda

- 1/2 teaspoon  sea salt

- 8 tablespoons  (1 stick) or more unsalted butter, at room temperature

- 2 cups  packed light brown sugar

- 2  large eggs

- 1 1/2 teaspoons  vanilla extract

- 1 1/2 cups   chocolate chips (measure with your heart)

INSTRUCTIONS

- Preheat oven to 350°F

- Mix flour, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl. Set aside

- Beat brown sugar and butter together in a standing mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, beat until blended. Add vanilla and beat until blended

- Turn off the mixer and add in flour. Beat on medium until all blended, then high speed for a few seconds until the mixture is combined. Add in chocolate chips and beat on high until all mixed in

- Scoop a heaping tablespoon of dough on a cookie sheet (do not flatten). Bake 11 minutes

- Enjoy!