8 more days until Christmas and you better believe that we have been getting our bake-on! (Lame vegan joke I know) 😉

Actually, I now have some pretty hot competition in this house. May I present to you little miss Kesa the baker! She has even got her own apron and everything! I don’t even have an apron!

She loves to bake away all day in her little kitchen (just like her momma). She can even make ‘ginger snaps’ out of thin air! Watch out for her, she is the next up and coming baking star I tell you.

We have been busy nearly every night baking away, then eating away, and then baking away some more (to replace the eaten baking). A vicious and addictive cycle I tell you. Today I just wanted to share with you the recipes for the yummy treats that we made, all in one super long Christmas cookie-dedicated post! I know that all you cookies fans and last-minute Christmas bakers will appreciate it, so here we go…

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Pie Crust Cookies

These cookies are made from my recipe for whole wheat pie crust, which is super simple to prepare and requires no chilling. Just mix it up, roll it out and you are good to go. For these cookies, we got out our Christmas cookie cutters and made a variety of shapes, then sprinkled them with a cinnamon/sugar mixture. These cookies melt in your mouth and have a beautiful flaky texture. The cinnamon/sugar makes them perfectly sweet. A nice and easy holiday cookie that everyone can appreciate.

Whole Wheat Pie Crust

(recipe for 1 crust, makes approximately 20 cookies)

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 tablespoons cane sugar
• 2/3 cups sunflower oil
• 1  teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 4 tablespoons cold water

Cinnamon/Sugar Mixture

• 1/4 cup cane sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, place the flour, salt and sugar.
3. Add the oil, apple cider vinegar and cold water and mix until a nice ball of dough forms.
4. Roll the dough out 1/4-1/2 inch thick onto a lightly floured surface and then cut with cookie cutters.
5. Place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with the cinnamon/sugar mixture.
6. Bake for 5-7 minutes. The cookies should be slightly golden, but not browned. They cook fast so watch them carefully. 5 minutes was perfect for my oven.

The girls had a lot of fun making these.

Especially sprinkling the sugar on.

They used A LOT!

Into the oven.

They smelled so good baking that after they came out we had to try them.

They are Autumn approved.

Soft Sugar-Sprinkled Ginger Molasses Cookies

These cookies are nice and soft with a sugar-sprinkled coating. They are the best ginger snap cookies ever. I do mean ever. No one who has ever tried these says otherwise.

Makes approximately 24 cookies.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/2 cup sunflower oil
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup cane sugar (for rolling)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, ground ginger and cinnamon.
3. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, sunflower oil, molasses and vanilla.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until combined.
5. Take a bit of the dough in your hands and roll it into a teaspoon-sized ball.
6. Roll the cookie dough ball in the cane sugar, place it on a baking sheet and press down slightly. Repeat until all the cookie dough is used up.
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until slightly cracked and lightly browned.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Snowballs

I don’t think a recipe needs to go into much further explanation when it has chocolate and peanut butter in the title, so I will just say if you are a chocolate and peanut butter fan go and make these! They are a healthy snack that is good any time. No sugar, no flour, no-bake wholesome goodness. Super simple and super delectable. Enjoy!

• 3/4 cup pitted dates
• 3/4 cup crunchy natural peanut butter (crunchy P.B makes these extra yummy)
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Directions

1. Place the dates in a food processor on high speed for about a minute, or until the dates form a thick paste.
2. Remove the dates from the food processor and place into a medium sized mixing bowl.
3. Add the peanut butter and cocoa powder and mix the ingredients together until well combined.
4. Roll the mixture into 1 inch balls and then into the coconut to coat.

Variations: Use almond butter or cashew butter in place of peanut butter. Add chocolate chips or dried cranberries. Roll into cinnamon or powdered sugar. Anything goes!

There you have it, 3 of my favorite Christmas baking recipes. I hope you will try some out and have some fun getting your bake-on! (Is it funnier the second time?)

Merry Christmas! 🙂