Top 10 recipes from Holiday Cookie Contest

Here’s a look at our top 10 submitted recipes:

Festive Stuffed Cookie Butter Cookies

Submitted by Dana Tatar of Oakwood

Credit: Jim Noelker

Credit: Jim Noelker

Ingredients:

Directions:

First, prepare the cookie butter filling. Take a spoonful of cookie butter and drop it onto parchment paper for a total of 18 dollops. Place them in the freezer while you prepare the cookie dough.

In a mixing bowl, using a handheld or standing mixer with paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix until well combined. Add vanilla extract and beat for another 30 seconds.

In another bowl, mix together flours, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Sift the dry ingredients into the butter-egg mixture and mix until just combined. Stir in the crushed cookies.

Place the dough in the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Take about ¼ cup dough and roll it into a ball. Use your palm to flatten the dough. Place the frozen cookie butter dollop onto the center of the dough. Take the edges and seal the dough — making sure the cookie butter is completely covered. Place 5-6 Teddy Graham crackers on top of the dough, then roll it in holiday sprinkles.

Repeat until you have a total of 18 cookies. Place cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets, 9 cookies to a sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until edges start to become golden brown. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10-15 minutes.

Peanut Butter Snickerdoodle Cookies

Submitted by Rebekah Lermond of Union

Credit: Jim Noelker

Credit: Jim Noelker

Ingredients:

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Cream butter and brown sugar together until smooth. Beat in egg, vanilla and peanut butter until completely combined.

In a separate bowl whisk together flour and baking soda. Pour into wet ingredients and mix just until combined without over mixing. Dough will be very soft. Chill dough for at least 15 minutes.

Place Cinnadust or cinnamon and sugar in a bowl. Stir to combine.

Roll 1 inch rounded tablespoons of dough, roll in cinnamon sugar and place 1 inch apart on baking sheet (they don’t spread too much). Bake cookies for 7-8 minutes. Allow to cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Then remove to a wire rack to finish.

Makes 24-30 cookies.

Brown Butter Espresso Chip Cookies

Submitted by Jelena Staub of Oakwood

Credit: Jim Noelker

Credit: Jim Noelker

Ingredients:

Directions:

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, instant espresso, baking soda, and salt.

Place ½ of the butter into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook the butter until it is a golden brown color and smells nutty and toasted (roughly 5 minutes, do not burn the butter). Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the remaining ½ cup of butter, both brown sugars and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and the cooled brown butter and whip until light and creamy about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg and the egg yolk and mix for another minute. On low speed, add the flour mixture, beating just until incorporated.

Remove the bowl from the mixer. Use a spatula to fold in the chocolate and toffee. Do not over mix as it will create an unfavorable texture.

Scoop the dough with a 2 tablespoon scoop onto a lined cookie sheet. Cover with plastic wrap. Chill the dough overnight. Chilling overnight (and up to three days) allows the butter to rest and flavors to harmonize.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Place the dough onto the cookie sheets and bake 14-16 minutes, or until the cookies begin to brown around the edges, and the centers look set. Don’t over bake.

Once the cookies are out of the oven, sprinkle the top of each cookie with flaky sea salt. Let the cookies cool 10 minutes on the cookie sheet before placing the cookies on a cooling rack to finish the cooling process.

Butterscotch Cheesecake Bars

Submitted by Terry Rich of Dayton

Credit: Jim Noelker

Credit: Jim Noelker

Ingredients:

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (325 degrees if using a glass dish).

Prepare a 13 by 9 inch pan by lining the pan with foil, letting it overhang on each end to easily lift the bars out of the pan for cutting once cooled. Spray the foil with cooking spray or grease the foil.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and morsels together until smooth, stir in graham cracker crumbs. Press half the mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan.

In a large mixer bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk. Mix well. Poor into the prepared pan on top of the graham cracker layer. Top with the remaining graham cracker mixture.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool to room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator before cutting and serving. Refrigerate leftovers.

Chocolate Mint Cookies

Submitted by Greg Smallwood of Waynesville

Credit: Jim Noelker

Credit: Jim Noelker

Ingredients:

Directions:

Melt butter or margarine in microwave along with chocolate chips. Stir in brown sugar, eggs and water. Blend well. Mix in dry ingredients. Refrigerate at least two hours (can be refrigerated much longer).

Place walnut sized chunks of cookie dough on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Remove from pan and add an Andes Mint to each cookie. When melted, spread with a knife. Let cool before serving. Baked cookies can be frozen.

Meringue Cookies

Submitted by Mary Hollenkamp Ramey of Lebanon

Credit: Jim Noelker

Credit: Jim Noelker

Ingredients:

Directions:

Preheat oven to 225 degrees.

Beat egg whites at medium speed with a hand or stand mixer in a small deep bowl, using the whisk attachment if you have them. When frothy, beat in cream of tartar and increase speed to high. Beat until soft peaks form, then add the sugar a tablespoon at a time while you keep beating at high speed until stiff peaks form (points stand up straight when stopped beaters are lifted).

Fold in one finely crushed candy cane plus chocolate chips gently with spatula.

Drop by spoonfuls onto two cookie sheets either lightly greased or lined with parchment paper or silicone mats. Bake for 1 hour without opening the oven door. Turn oven off and leave oven door closed for 1 hour or up to overnight. Meringues will be crisp throughout. Store in an airtight container with layers separated by wax or parchment paper. These freeze well. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Peppermint Chocolate Cookies

Submitted by George Carleton of Butler Township

Credit: Jim Noelker

Credit: Jim Noelker

Ingredients:

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Unwrap the peppermint candies and crush to tiny pieces.

In a bowl combine the flour and cocoa powder. Whisk together to combine.

In a different large bowl, use a mixer to whip butter on high for 1-2 minutes until fluffy. Add both sugars, baking soda and salt. Mix until thoroughly combined. Add eggs, vanilla extract and peppermint extract. Mix until combined. Gradually add flour and cocoa powder mixture, mixing until just combined with each addition. Sift in crushed peppermint candies and chocolate chips. Stir until combined. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Santa’s Snickers Surprises

Submitted by Linda Onkst of Greenville

Credit: Jim Noelker

Credit: Jim Noelker

Ingredients:

Directions:

Combine the butter, peanut butter and sugars using a mixer on a medium to low speed until light and fluffy. Slowly add eggs and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Then mix in flour, salt and baking soda. Cover and chill for 2-3 hours.

Unwrap all of the Snickers brand miniatures.

Remove dough from the refrigerator. Divide into 1 tablespoon pieces and flatten. Place a Snickers Brand Miniature in center of each piece of dough. Form the dough into a ball around each Snickers brand miniature. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Let cookies cool on baking rack or wax paper. When cool, drizzle with melted chocolate chips, then dust with powder sugar.

Toll House Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Submitted by Debi Knapp of Huber Heights

Credit: Jim Noelker

Credit: Jim Noelker

Ingredients

Directions:

Mix flour, soda and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

Using a mixer, blend butter and shortening until well combined. Add white and brown sugar until well blended. Add vanilla and water to the mixture. Beat in eggs. Gradually add flour mixture from the small bowl into the larger bowl. Mix well. Add oatmeal. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts with a large spoon until well mixed.

Place a heaping teaspoon of batter on a parchment covered cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes, checking at 10 minutes for doneness.

Transfer to a cooling rack after 2 minutes of taking the cookie sheet out of the oven. Makes between 3 to 4 dozen depending on the size of the cookie.

White Chocolate Dipped Ginger Cookies

Submitted by Kasey Fuqua of Oakwood

Credit: Jim Noelker

Credit: Jim Noelker

Ingredients:

Directions:

In a medium bowl, sift together 1 cup flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and ginger. Set aside.

Beat butter and sugar together in stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add beaten eggs and sorghum. Mix on low until just combined. Add dry ingredients and mix on low. Add 2 more cups of flour gradually, until it forms a dough. You may end up using less.

Roll ping pong size balls and then roll in a bowl of sugar. Place on a baking sheet covered in a silicone baking mat or parchment paper, about two inches apart. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Let cool on pan for 5 minutes, then cool completely on a cooling rack. Heat white chocolate in microwave in 20 second increments until fully melted. Dip half the cookie into the white chocolate. Place on parchment paper. Add red or green sprinkles before chocolate cools.