Christmas cookie recipes and other holiday treats

Ready to roll up your sleeves and get baking this December? Stir It Up! has a list of Christmas cookies recipes, plus some bonus holiday treats sure to get your kitchen in the holly jolly spirit.

Oatmeal chocolate-chip craisin cookies

The Gourmand Mom
This is a slight adaptation of the recipe you can find on the inside cover of a barrel of Quaker Oats. In my opinion, these are truly the best oatmeal cookies ever. They’re perfectly sweet and buttery, with crisp edges and a slightly chewy center.

By Amy Deline, The Gourmand Mom
Makes about 3 1/2 dozen*

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 sticks salted butter, softened

1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

3 cups quaker oats

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup dried cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

2. In another large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until creamy. Add the vanilla and eggs to the butter mixture. Blend until well combined. Gradually add the flour mixture to the bowl and blend. Stir in the oats, chocolate chips, and apricots.

3. Form into small balls, about 1 inch diameter, and place on an un-greased cookie sheet. Bake for about 14-15 minutes, until the edges begin to brown and the center appears cooked. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for a minute before transferring to a cooling rack.

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Dear Reader,

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