Today: What’s Under Santa’s Hat Cookies Recipe & Snowflake Cookies

Today Show: Holiday Cookie Contest

Today Show chose three finalists from across the country to face off in a cookie battle. The competitors were What’s Under Santa’s Hat Cookies, Snowflake Cookies, and Outrageous Chocolate Holiday Cookies.

Today Show: What’s Under Santa’s Hat Cookies Recipe Ingredients

Caren Hare from San Jose, California, shared her What’s Under Santa’s Hat Cookies. “When you lift up the lid, you can see the chocolate heart,” Caren said, adding that she learned the recipe from a neighbor. They continue to be a beloved family tradition.

• 1 cup Honey
• 1 Egg
• 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Cloves
• 3/4 cup Light Brown Sugar
• 1 fine grated Lemon rind
• 3 cups Flour
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 tsp Nutmeg

Glaze Ingredients

• 3/4 cup Powdered Sugar
• Hot Water

Today Show: What’s Under Santa’s Hat Cookies Recipe Directions

1. Boil honey for a minute or two. Then mix in brown sugar. Once cooled, add egg, plus lemon juice and rind.
2. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and add them a cup at a time to the wet mixture.
3. Cover and chill the dough overnight.
4. On a flour-dusted prep surface, roll out some of the dough to 1/4” thick (keep the rest cold).
5. Cut the dough into four shapes: a circle, a scalloped circle, a hat top, and a tip of the hat.
6. Arrange cookies on a baking sheet and cook for about nine minutes in an oven preheated to 350 F.
7. Let cookies cool before icing them. To make the glaze, stir 1/8 cup to 1/4 cup hot water with 3/4 cup powdered sugar until smooth. Add lemon juice for flavor and add drops of hot water to achieve a spreadable consistency.
8. Use red food coloring to dye a portion of the frosting.
9. Place small chocolates or another favorite candy on the cookies, under the hat tops.

Today Show: Snowflake Cookies Recipe

Whitney Hermes of Minneapolis, Minnesota, shared her Snowflake Cookies made from gingerbread, with royal icing.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Light Molasses
• 1 cup Margarine
• 5 1/2 cups Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 tbsp Vinegar
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 tsp Ginger
• 1/2 tsp Salt

Frosting Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 1 stick soft Margarine
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• Food Coloring (optional)

Directions

1. In a saucepan, combine sugar, molasses, vinegar, and margarine. Slowly bring to a boil. Then let cool.
2. Beat in two eggs once the mix has cooled.
3. Next, add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.
4. Let cool for at least two hours or overnight.
5. Roll out on a flat surface and cut into snowflake shapes.
6. Bake for seven to 10 minutes in a preheated 375 F oven.
7. Combine frosting ingredients and spread or pipe onto the cooled cookies.