PSECU Employees' Best Holiday Cookie Recipes

The holidays are full of traditions - heirloom decorations, family recipes, dinner menus, events, and activities. But it’s fun to mix things up every now and then. We’ve put together a list of our employees’ favorite cookie recipes to offer up some inspiration this year!

[Pro tip: Use your Founder's Rewards Card or PSECU debit card  to stock up on your baking supplies and reap the rewards!]

Almond Spritz Press Cookies (Food.com)

• 1 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 1/4 sifted flour
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp almond extract
• Food coloring, red and green

Cream shortening, adding sugar in gradually. Add unbeaten egg, sifted dry ingredients, flavoring, and a few drops of food coloring. Mix well. (NOTE: you must sift the flour first and then measure or you will add too much flour, and the dough will be too stiff!)

Fill cookie press. Form cookies on ungreased cookie sheets using the tree plate. Decorate with tiny multi-colored sprinkles.

Bake at 400°F for 6-8 minutes. Cool just slightly and remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. (If you wait too long, they will break when you try to move them.)

Hungarian Kiffles from Mildly Meandering

For the Cookies

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup butter
• 1 TBSP active dry yeast
• 1/2 TBSP sugar
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 egg yolks, beaten
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

For the Filling

• 2 egg whites, beaten until stiff
• 3/4 cup ground walnuts
• Sugar to taste
• 1/4 tsp lemon juice

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and butter, cutting together with either two knives or a pastry cutter. In a separate mixing bowl, combine sour cream, yeast, and sugar and mix until well combined. Let sit while the yeast dissolves. Add yeast mixture into the flour mixture along with the vanilla and egg yolks. Mix the dough together by hand until it is well combined. Split the dough in half and wrap it up in either plastic wrap or wax paper. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours or overnight.

Right before the dough comes out of the refrigerator, combine ingredients for filling. Set aside.

On a large cutting board, sprinkle 1/3 cup flour and 1/3 cup sugar. Roll out the dough into a thin circle before cutting it into 8 triangles. 

Place 1 tsp of filling on each triangle and roll up, starting on the wider end. Place on a lined cookie sheet with the open end down and bend the cookie a bit so it looks like a crescent. Repeat with process for all of the triangles from both things of dough.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top and serve.

Gingerbread Blondies from Broma Bakery

For the Blondies

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 TBSP molasses
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp fresh grated ginger (optional)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

For the Cream Cheese Icing

• 4 TBSP unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8 x 8 pan with parchment paper.

Combine the melted butter, brown sugar, and molasses in a large mixing bowl and whisk until homogenous.

Add the egg, vanilla, and fresh ginger (if using) and mix to combine.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold to combine. Do NOT over mix.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread it into an even layer. Bake at 350°F for 20 to 30 minutes or until the edges are set but the middle is still slightly gooey.

While the blondies cool, make the cream cheese icing. Beat the softened butter and cream cheese until homogenous, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Once the blondies are cool, spread with the cream cheese icing. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or leave plain. Slice and serve!

REESE'S® Chewy Chocolate Cookies with Peanut Butter Chips

• 3/4 cup HERSHEY'S® Cocoa
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 2/3 cups REESE'S® Peanut Butter Chips (10 oz package)
• 1 1/4 cups butter or margarine (2-1/2 sticks), softened
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt

Heat oven to 350°F. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with a mixer until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating well. Stir in peanut butter chips.

Drop by rounded teaspoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 8 to 9 minutes. (Do NOT overbake; cookies will be soft. They will puff while baking and flatten while cooling). Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies (Sally’s Baking Recipes)

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 3/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar 
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
• 2 tsp cornstarch 
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup white chocolate chips, plus a few extra for garnish
• 1 cup dried cranberries, plus a few extra for garnish

In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together on medium speed until combined and creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.

In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt together. On low speed, slowly mix the wet ingredients until combined. The cookie dough will be soft and thick. Add the white chocolate chips and dried cranberries and beat on low speed until combined. Cover dough tightly and chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour and up to 3-4 days. Chilling is imperative to prevent the cookies from over-spreading.

Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator. If the cookie dough is chilled longer than 3-4 hours, let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. This makes the firm cookie dough easier to scoop and roll.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.

As the oven preheats, scoop and roll dough, about 1.5 Tablespoons of dough each, into balls. The dough may be slightly crumbly but will come together as you work it with your hands. Arrange dough balls 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 11-12 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. The centers will still look soft. If the cookies didn’t spread much, lightly bang the baking sheets on the counter a couple of times while the cookies are still warm. They’ll stretch and deflate.

Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. During this time, press extra white chocolate chips and dried cranberries into the warm tops. This is optional and only for looks. After 5 minutes, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

• ½ cup coconut oil, solid but scoopable stick of vegan butter (113g) - room temp
• 1 1/4 cup of light brown sugar, packed
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup of coconut milk
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
• Flaky sea salt, optional

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, brown sugar, and vanilla until well combined. Add the coconut milk and applesauce and whisk together until combined. Set this aside.

In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt, then add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and stir until ingredients are fully incorporated. The batter will be very thick. Fold in 1 and 3/4 cups of the vegan chocolate chips.

Using a cookie scoop, portion out the mixture evenly. Do not overcrowd the sheet.

Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the center has set. Press remaining chocolate chips on top of the warm cookies, and sprinkle with sea salt (optional). Cool cookies on the baking sheet for 15 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Baci di Dama (Chocolate Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies) from Giadzy

For the Cookies

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 egg at room temperature
• 3/4 cup flour, such as Petra
• 1 cup hazelnut flour (or almond flour), firmly packed

For the Filling

• 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup chocolate hazelnut spread

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Combine the butter and powdered sugar until pale, light, and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract, salt, and egg. Beat for 1 minute. Add the flour and hazelnut/almond flour and mix on low until just combined.

Portion the cookie dough mounds using a very small ice cream scoop or just scant of 2 teaspoon portions. Roll each one into a small ball in your hand, then place on the baking sheet at least 1 inch apart from each other. The dough should yield about 44 cookies. Bake for 11 to 12 minutes or until just set and barely browned on the bottom. Remove from the oven to cool completely to room temperature.

Meanwhile, add the chocolate chips to a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in between, until they are completely melted. Add the chocolate hazelnut spread and mix until completely combined. Allow to cool to room temperature so that it is not runny.

Using either a piping bag or spoon, dollop just over a teaspoon of the chocolate hazelnut mixture onto the bottom side of half of the cookies. Allow the chocolate to set slightly for about 2 minutes before lightly pressing the second half of the cookie down on top. Allow the cookies to sit undisturbed until the chocolate has set, about 10 minutes.

Maple Cookies by Gesine Bullock-Prado

• 12 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup real maple syrup, preferably grade B
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, maple syrup, and 1/2 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl.

In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, and salt until fully combined. Add the flour mixture all at once to the butter mixture and mix on low speed until just incorporated. Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Press the dough into a disk and wrap it up. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thick. Using a 2-inch maple leaf cookie cutter, stamp out cookies and place them 1/2 inch apart on the prepared pans. Press together and reroll the scraps one time. Sprinkle the cookies with a light, even layer of the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Bake until the edges of the cookies are slightly golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.

Earn Rewards Every Time You Shop

Don’t these recipes sound delicious? We think any of them would be a welcome addition to your family’s traditional holiday baking efforts. As you shop for ingredients, take advantage of PSECU’s debit and Founder’s Rewards cards to earn cash back on purchases.

Founder’s Rewards Card: Earn 2%¹ or 1.5% cash rewards on every purchase, with no category restrictions and rewards that never expire. This card is perfect for those who want to maximize their holiday shopping rewards, whether on baking supplies or other seasonal treats. Apply today!

Debit Card Rewards: Make every swipe count with rewards for eligible purchases² with your PSECU debit card. You can earn $.05 cash rewards on eligible purchases or $.10 cash rewards when you have qualifying monthly direct deposits totaling at least $500. Learn more!

Ready to make your holiday shopping work for you? Using a PSECU card can make stocking up on baking essentials easier and more rewarding. Happy baking!

¹You can earn 1.5% cash rewards on purchases. You can earn 2% cash rewards on purchases if you maintain a PSECU checking account and qualifying monthly direct deposit(s) of at least $500. Some exclusions may apply. See the Visa® Founder's Card and Visa® Alumni Rewards Card Rewards Program Terms and Conditions for full details.

²You can earn $0.10 cash rewards on eligible purchases of $10 or over with a PSECU checking account and one or more qualifying monthly direct deposit(s) totaling at least $500. You can earn $0.05 cash rewards on eligible purchases of $10 or over for accounts with a PSECU checking account. Certain restrictions may apply. See the Visa® Debit Card Rewards Program Terms and Conditions for full details.