Christmas Cookies for Santa

Spread some holiday cheer with these must-try Christmas cookies! Add a fun twist to your traditional recipes by baking them on the Traeger this year. You’ll be baking spirits bright with this festive cookie assortment.

Yes, you can smoke Christmas cookies on the Traeger, in fact, Santa prefers it! So, get the kids up, grab some coffee, start up the Christmas music and let's have some fun! We are making spritz cookies, gingerbread cookies, and chocolate chip cookies (with a special secret ingredient), all ready in time for Christmas Eve and Santa’s visit!

Spritz Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 stick butter
• ¼ cup vegetable shortening
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp almond extract
• 2 cups flour
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt

Tools

• Traeger Ironwood Series 885
• Cookie sheet 
• Cookie scoop 
• Disposable piping bags

Instructions

Gingerbread Cookies

Ingredients

Cookies 

• 10 tbsp (⅔ cup, 145g) unsalted butter, softened
• ¾ cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar
• ⅔ cup (200g) unsulphured molasses
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 ½ cups (438g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp ground ginger 
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground allspice
• ½ tsp ground cloves

Icing

• 3 cups (360g) confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (omit and replace w/ water for stark white icing)
• 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
• 4 1/2 - 5 tablespoons (76-75ml) room temperature water
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl or kitchen aid, beat the butter for 1 minute on medium speed until the texture is smooth and creamy. Add in the brown sugar and molasses and beat at medium high speed until it is creamy looking. Beat in egg and vanilla.
2. In a different bowl whisk in the flour, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. on a low mixing speed, add into the wet ingredients. Look for the dough to be thick and slightly sticky.
3. Divide the dough in half and wrap in plastic wrap. Pat each down into a disk shape. Chill the dough for at least 3 hours. Chill overnight if time allows.
4. After chilling, take the dough out. Flour the table you are working on to avoid sticking including your rolling pin and hands. Roll the disk out to ¼ inch thick.
5. Cut the dough in the shape you select. We chose the Gingerbread man cut out. Repeat this with the second wrapped dough. Place the cookies on a lined cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
6. Bake the gingerbread cookies on the Traeger at 375° for 9 or 10 minutes. The longer the cookies bake, the harder and crunchier they will be. You can choose your preference. We went on a slightly softer side.
7. Let the cookies cool for at least 5 minutes.
8. To create the frosting you will need disposable piping bags.
9. In a medium bowl, stir in confectioners sugar, vanilla, light corn syrup and water. It will be very thick. Use a whisk to make it easier to stir. If it is too thick, you can add ½ tbsp of water.
10. Add the icing into the piping bag and start decorating! You can enjoy the cookies right away or allow 24 hours for the icing to completely dry.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• ¾ cup (1.5 sticks, 170g) unsalted butter
• ¾ cup (150g) packed brown sugar
• ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 ¼ cup (225g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup caramel bits

Instructions

1. In a larger mixing bowl or kitchen aid, beat the butter, brown sugar, sugar together on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
2. In a separate bowl. combine flour, corn starch, baking soda and salt. Add it into the wet ingredients on low speed. Add in the chocolate chip and the caramel bits on low speed.
3. Wrap the cookie dough and place the dough into the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour.
4. Remove the dough from the fridge and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Roll the dough into balls and place on the sheet.
5. Turn Traeger on at 375°. Bake for 10-11 minutes.
6. Allow the cookies 5 minutes to cool, and enjoy!