Easy Christmas Cookie Exchange Recipes
Looking for Christmas cookie exchange ideas? You’ll love these easy recipes for dark chocolate bark and Mexican wedding cakes!
One of the best parts of the Christmas season (or worst, depending on how you look at it) is the abundance of goodies. Over the years, I’ve really pared back my baking to keep us from over-indulging. I find that if it isn’t in the house, we don’t eat it. However, to satisfy the sweet tooth in all of us, I do make a few family favourites.
Last year, it was chocolate almond biscotti and chocolate caramel pretzels. You may also remember it was my first year partaking in a baking exchange. I was so excited to get some of my friend Sandi’s decadent shortbread and chewy molasses cookies.
This year, trying to be a little more health conscious, I asked my holistic nutritionist friend Karen to share one of her holiday recipes.
On Monday, Karen stopped by for tea and brought the most delicious dark chocolate bark I have tasted. To add, it’s full of antioxidants, contains magnesium contributing to serotonin levels, and has less sugar than milk chocolate (as she informed me). A decadent treat providing nutrition- bring it on!
How to Make Dark Chocolate Bark
Ingredients
- 10 ounces chopped 70% dark Chocolate
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup finely chopped raw, shelled pistachios
- 1 ounce white chocolate
Directions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Melt dark chocolate in a double boiler or in a glass/metal bowl set over simmering water. Stir often until completely melted.
- Spread the chocolate into a rectangle on the parchment lined pan. Sprinkle with cranberries and pistachios, and allow to set (refrigerating will speed up the setting time).
- Once set, melt white chocolate, spoon into sandwich bag, cutting a tiny tip out of the corner so the bag can be used like a pasty bag. Pipe white chocolate over the chocolate bark. Allow to set.
- Break or cut into 16 pieces. Enjoy!
Get Karen’s recipe for homemade marshmallows with pistachios and cranberries!
Now on to my cookie exchange recipe…
Not quite so healthy, but very delicious, is a cookie I remember my mom making every Christmas. I love the crunchiness of the nuts, combined with the subtle almond flavour and slight sweetness of these little gems.
How to Make Mexican Wedding Cakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 4 tablespoons icing sugar (confectioner’s)
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup finely chopped walnuts
- extra icing sugar for rolling
Directions
- Cut butter into sugar and flour. Add vanilla and almond extract and combine. Stir in walnuts and mix gently with hands until it comes together (don’t overwork). Wrap and place in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400oF. Roll dough into 1¼-inch balls and press down slightly with your fingers. Bake for 12-13 minutes (the bottoms will be golden brown).
- Remove from pan and cool for about 5 minutes. Roll cookies in icing sugar and allow to completely cool.
Makes 2 dozen.
Have any favourite cookie exchange recipes? I’d love for you to share them in the comments below!
More Christmas Baking Ideas
- Christmas Linzer Cookies
- Cupcakes with Eggnog Buttercream
- Mini Gingerbread Bundt Cakes
- Caramel Pecan Bundt Cake
Want more delicious recipes and ideas like these sent directly to your inbox? Be sure to SUBSCRIBE.
Have a sweet day,
Thanks for the link party! Your bark and cookies look just wonderful! I love goodies to add to cookie trays that are not cookies… variety is so nice (so I hope you don’t mind that I linked up two Christmas non-cookies)!
Your recipes look so good, especially those jingle bell bars. Thanks for sharing!
I hope it’s ok that I joined in as well!! =)
Of course! The more the merrier!
Thanks for following my blog! I’m looking forward to following yours as well!! I love the Dark Chocolate Bark recipe-must try it soon!! =)
These are so pretty! And easy and fun (the perfect combination for me)! I think I’m going to make them…..I’ll let you know how they turn out!
Thanks for linking up!
Have a blessed and totally awesome day!
karianne
Hope you like them. They’re a weakness of mine this time of year. xo, Shauna
Mmm…your bark looks amazing!! (:
It’s the work of my friend Karen at Nourish With Karen, and it is so yummy! Thanks for stopping by!
These look delicious! I’d love for you to share this or any of your great ideas at the link party going on now (and every Saturday – Tuesday) at ‘Or so she says …’ Hope to see you there!
Oh my! That dark chocolate bark looks to die for! I’m pinning your pic for next year! (I especially like the green and red combo of the pistachios and cranberries…so clever!)
How did I miss this!?!? The Dark Chocolate Bark looks so incredibly good! Wish I could stop by and share tea and treats with you!!! I hope this week leading up to Christmas is so special and sweet for you! XO, Aimee
Thanks for stopping by and linking up some of your recipes. Tea and cookies would be lovely. I know we would have so much to chat about. Enjoy your week as well (P.S. Holiday Countdown link party is on Thursday and you can share any of your Christmas projects. Hope to see you again!).