Kris Kringle Cookies

Just made 7 dozen of these and they are amazing!!! I was worried about the sweetness of the white chocolate which I don’t like, but WOW not overly sweet at all!! So yummy. I did have the dough in the fridge for a while as mom came over to make gingerbread, so it was easy to use a scoop with. Love them and they are going in my recipe book!!! Thank you so much!!!

— Cherry

Baking holiday desserts is one of my family’s most beloved Christmas traditions. My VERY favorite cookie to enjoy during the holiday season are these Kris Kringle Cookies. They’re always the most requested cookies from family and friends with their soft and chewy texture and melt-in-your mouth scrumptious flavor.

About this recipe

Just by browsing through the comments of this post, you’ll see that this Christmas cookie is totally adored. This is no surprise to me! I have LOVED this cookie recipe for many years. However, the last few times I’ve baked these cookies, they have spread, turned out flat and didn’t yield the results I remembered in the past.

I decided to do some cookie research and lots of cookie baking. It’s a hard life! 🙂 Here’s a rundown of what worked to make these Kris Kringle cookies not just delicious, but absolutely irresistible. At the end of the post, you’ll find both recipes. I know lots of you really enjoy the original, so I’m leaving it here. I have added a note about chilling the dough. My previous problems with these cookies could have been that my dough or butter was too warm. Give the updated version a try and let me know which one you like best.

Key ingredients & updates

This is a basic cookie recipe with the classic ingredients including butter, sugar, eggs, flour and vanilla. Here’s a note about the ingredients and updates made to the recipe:

• Butter. It is important that the butter is not too warm or soft. Really soft butter will definitely make your cookies spread too much. You butter should be cool to the touch, not warm.
• Sugar. White granulated sugar causes more spreading of cookies than brown sugar. Using more dark brown sugar and a small amount of white sugar makes these cookies perfectly chewy and less likely to become crispy. Light brown sugar will work fine, but doesn’t have the same depth of flavor that the dark brown sugar has.
• Eggs. My original Kris Kringle cookie recipe calls for 2 eggs, but my new and improved recipe uses 1 egg and 1 yolk. This keeps the liquid content down, but still produces a lovely rich flavor.
• Baking essentials. Baking soda and salt ensures these bake properly. This recipe doesn’t contain baking powder, because that will make the cookies spread too much. I added just a bit of cornstarch to the recipe to make these cookies super soft and chewy. The cornstarch also helps with the spreading issue.
• Add-ins. Don’t forget the white chocolate morsels or the dried cranberries! The combination here is quite wonderful! You can even add in 1/2 – 3/4 cup chopped pecans.

How to make this recipe

The instructions below are for my updated cookie recipe. If you’ve had success with the old recipe, you don’t need to change a thing!

1. Prep. Start by heating the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large cookie sheet/baking pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. 
2. Wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, using a stand mixer or a hand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Blend in egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Scrape down the sides of bowl as needed.
3. Add dry ingredients. Add flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt; mix well. Stir in white chocolate and cranberries. 
4. Scoop dough. Use a large spoon or cookie scoop to drop rounded spoonfuls (about 2 tablespoons) of dough, 1-1/2 inches apart, onto baking sheets. Add a few white chocolate morsels and cranberries to the tops of the cookies for presentation. 
5. Bake. Bake for about 9-12 minutes. Your perfect Christmas cookies will bake up light golden brown around the edges, but still soft in the middle. Cool on baking sheets for about 1 minute and remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Baking tips

• Softened butter. Be sure your butter is softened to room temperature, so that it combines properly with the sugars. Room temperature butter is still a bit cool to the touch and it should indent slightly when you press on it with your finger. Take butter out of the refrigerator about 1 hour before beginning your recipe. Try this trick to soften butter quickly.
• Measure flour correctly. Using a food scale is the most precise method for measuring ingredients, especially flour. If you don’t have one, lightly spoon flour (don’t pack) into a measuring cup and without shaking the cup, use a straight edge to level the top.
• Fresh baking soda Be sure that your baking soda is fresh before using, so these rise properly! When I open a new can, I always write the date on the lid with a Sharpie. Discard the opened can after 6 months.
• Bake on parchment or silicone. Lining the pan with either of these will help the cookies bake evenly. Spraying the baking sheet with nonstick spray creates too much grease, which could cause these to spread too much. Silicone baking mats will grip onto the bottom of your cookies to prevent them from spreading too much.
• Don’t overbake. I recommend experimenting with a couple of cookies before baking the entire batch. This will help you find that sweet spot when it comes to bake time in your oven and your preferred level of doneness. As they cool, they will become more chewy than doughy.

Frequently asked questions

Variations

This cookie recipe is pretty much perfect as-is, but feel free to get creative and experiment with your favorite ingredients! Here’s some options:

• Chocolate. Swap out the white chocolate chips for semi-sweet chocolate chips or use a combination of the two types.
• Nuts. Add in up to about 1 cup of chopped nuts if you want an extra crunch. Just be sure to use unsalted nuts, to avoid these cookies turning out too salty.
• Sprinkles. Stir in 1/2 cup of sprinkles. You can even add more to the tops before baking.
• Double the recipe. This recipe yields about 28 medium cookies. You can double the recipe if you need a larger batch for a party, gifting, or event.

Storing & freezing

Kris Kringles are the perfect homemade gift for friends and family. Everyone loves these cookies and the recipe makes a pretty large batch. They also freeze really well. After they’ve completely cooled, I just pop them in a large freezer bag and lay it flat in the freezer, for up to one month.

• Freezing dough. Scoop out balls of dough and place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Chill the dough in the freezer for 30 minutes. This will flash-freeze the dough, so the dough balls don’t stick together. Once firm, you can transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container. Frozen dough will keep well for up to 3 months. Be sure to label your bag with the date.
• Bake from frozen. Baking from frozen will work just fine. The tops of your cookies may darken a bit more, but they will still be delicious. Follow all of the cooking instructions, but add a minute or two onto the bake time.
• Freezing baked cookies. Store in a freezer-safe container or baggie and freeze for up to 3 months.
• Storing. Baked cookies will keep in an airtight container or zip-top baggie at room temperature for about 1 week, but I can’t imagine them lasting that long!

Whether you’re baking cookies for holiday parties, to leave out for Santa, swap with friends, or mail as gifts, one thing is for sure, these Kris Kringles are the cookies for you! Christmas cookies don’t have calories, so bake up a batch of these and enjoy a few too many yourself!

If you try these, let me know! Leave a comment and if your family loves them as much as mine does, be sure to give it a five star ⭐️ rating! Also, tag @kimscravings on Instagram with a picture of your creation. It’s so fun to see what you’re cooking! Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy delicious recipes straight to your inbox.