Christmas and cookies go hand-in-hand, don’t they? From cookie exchanges to family recipes handed down from one generation to the next, cookies just seem to be a part of the holiday celebration fabric. And I for one am here for every single morsel of it.
Over the last 22 months of Disney snack-making fun that I’ve had doing the Saturday Snacks article series, I’ve had the fortune of baking up some of the most delicious Disney cookies. From the bi-coastal in-park favorite Jack-Jack’s Num Num Cookies to the Contemporary Resort’s Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies, we’ve just about made them all (and I say we because I view each recipe that I try to re-create in my kitchen as a collaboration…you and I are in this together). When it comes to cookies, the Disney chefs truly have something for everyone.
So the question most on my mind today is exactly which Disney cookie recipes I’d recommend most for a holiday weekend. I’ve chosen my top three, and I’ll begin with third place and work up to the top spot. And the best thing about these recipes? I’d bet dollars to donuts (well, cookies in this case) that you and I have some of the required ingredients already hanging out in our pantry. In my mind, that’s a HUGE notch in the win category.
Got your apron and favorite whisk ready? You’ll find the recipes and my accounts of making them linked in the paragraphs below. Here we go…
Grand Floridian Resort & Spa’s Gingerbread Cookies
The bakery team at the Grand is known for having the Disney gingerbread game down pat. If you’ve ever questioned their gingerbread prowess, one look at the effort, love, and time that they pour into constructing the resort lobby’s annual gingerbread house should settle things in their favor. So it comes as no surprise that their at-home gingerbread cookie recipe is a winner.
There’s just something about a great gingerbread cookie at Christmas, and this cookie checks all of the boxes. You’ll need several spices (most of which you might have in the back of your spice cabinet), but one you might not have is star anise. You’ll need the ground variety, which I accomplished thanks to my little coffee bean grinder.
These cookies – in whatever form you choose to shape them – are the holidays encapsulated. They feature a delightful, warm flavor, and depending on how much sanding sugar you choose to cover them in, they can be just a bit sweet, too. They are just so good.
Wilderness Lodge’s Molasses Crackle Cookies
I really didn’t get into cookies at Christmas until marrying my hubby years ago. Cookies during the holidays are a thing with his family, and I soon got on board. One of those cookies most near and dear to my heart is a molasses cookie, so when the Disney chefs released the recipe for Wilderness Lodge’s Molasses Crackle Cookie, I knew it was one that I had to try for Saturday Snacks. I’m so glad that I did because what resulted was a molasses cookie for the ages. It’s easy to throw together, and the pay off is big.
Give the cookies a little press before you pop the pans in the oven and you’ll pull out the most gorgeous, deeply crackled cookies ever. They’re a sight to behold, and even better to taste. Savor these, my friends. They’ll have a toasty chew on the exterior and a soft interior. I’ll be making a batch tonight.
Grand Floridian Resort & Spa Chocolate Chip Cookies
The Grand’s chocolate chip cookie recipe, and its results, are the crème de la crème, my friends. I’ve spent the last two evenings whipping up batches of these cookies, and it was time well spent. Any moment that you spend with one of these cookies in your hand is a moment that’s blessed. Truly. I love them so much that I ate one before breakfast this morning. Ahem.
The Grand’s bakery team takes the top spot; they just don’t mess around. Their recipe is different than what you’ll find on the back of the Nestlé Toll House chocolate chip bag. We’re asked to use confectioners’ sugar rather than the granulated variety, which results in a puffier and thicker cookie. These cookies are absolutely delicious, and between Jackie and me, I think we’ve baked roughly eleventy-seven batches of these little babies over the past 12 months. They are the chocolate chip cookies that you never knew you needed, and they’ll quickly become your go-to cookies. No joke.
If you have other favorite cookie recipes that you’d add to our Christmastime baking list, please leave them in the comments section below. I’m always on the lookout for a new cookie to bake. The more cookies, the merrier.
Whatever you’re eating over the holidays, I hope that you savor every moment, and of course, every bite. Merry Christmas, everyone. 