Cookies for Santa Round-Up | Printable Letter to Santa

Christmas is a magical time of year. Both the Sacred and Secular traditions place a lot of emphasis on the anticipation of the day and its significance and not just on Christmas Day itself. The Advent Season. Advent Calendars. Twelve Days of Christmas. Even Elf on a Shelf and Black Friday.

This year, I am firmly under Christmas’s magic spell. It could be that we finally have a Christmas tree again after years of being afraid to put one up because of the cats. He is small yet mighty, and he is hung with ornaments we’ve collected over the years and that have been passed down to us from family. We wrapped him in strands of multicolored lights, and at night, our living room is transformed by the dappled glow of our little tree.

Yes, Christmas is a time of magic. It’s a time of wonder and miracles, joy and thanksgiving. And for many, especially those who have children, it is a time for Santa.

And for Santa, it’s a time of hard work and one incredibly long night. Of on Dasher and Dancers. Of “Ready, Rudolphs?!” Of countless takeoffs and landings, of trips down chimneys and up chimneys while the world holds its breath until the sun rises and children tumble downstairs in eager anticipation. Santa, you bring us all joy, and so we leave you some cookies to keep you going on the longest night of your year.

Cookies for Santa Round-Up*

• Gluten-Free Peppermint Bark Cookies from Elizabeth of Gluten-Free Baking Super festive cookies!
• Orange Cookies from Christine of Mediterranean Living for a bit of sunshine in a cold, dark night. They’re beautiful!
• Chocolate Snappers from Nestle, shared by Amy who adds crushed candy canes to the dough before baking
• Gluten-Free Cut-Out Sugar Cookies from Elizabeth of Gluten-Free Baking because Santa is a sucker for a classic sugar cookie!
• Molasses Ginger Cookies with Fresh Ginger from Karen of Karen’s Kitchen Stories. If you’re going to make ginger cookies, go all the way.
• Chanukah Olive Oil Cookies from Laura of Mother Would Know, because Santa loves all cookies!
• Snickerdoodles for Santa from Beth of A Word from Aunt B–really, “for Santa” is in the name of the cookies!
• Dark & Crunchy Peanut Butter Cookies from Anita of Hungry Couple Santa, be prepared for decadent yumminess at Anita’s house.
• Chocolate Brownie Tassies from Cindy of Cindy’s Recipes and Writings. Santa is a Southerner at heart, I’m certain.
• Nutella Espresso Cookies from Laura of Mother Would Know because Santa knows what’s good: Chocolate and Hazelnuts.
• Chocolate Orange Oatmeal Cookies from Betsy of Desserts Required. Santa loves a twist on a classic.
• Liz’s Sugar Cookies from Liz of Liz Reedy Creations (links to facebook) complete with recipe for royal icing. Santa cannot get enough decorated cookies.
• Double-Chocolate, Pecan, and Butterscotch Cookies from Stephanie of The Culinary Life Santa will probably ask for seconds.
• Stained Glass Christmas Cookies from Karen of Karen’s Kitchen Stories. Magically beautiful–Santa loves beautiful cookies!
• Chocolate Chip Puff Pastry Cookies from Blaise of Blaise the Baker. Santa will be very impressed with these.
• Nana’s Butter Cookies from Betsy of Desserts Required. The most elegant jam thumb print cookies ever.
• Janelle’s Ginger Cookies from Janelle of Bakes in Slippers. Rich with molasses–yum!
• Fool’s Toffee from Abbe of This is How I Cook–Santa is no fool and will gobble this up!
• Cocoa Meringue Kisses from Jane of The Heritage Cook. Gluten-free goodness. Kisses for Santa.
• Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies from Kirsten of Comfortably Domestic. Santa loves the chocolate/raspberry combination.
• Best Christmas Cookie Recipe from Irvin of Eat the Love. Because Orange, Clove, and Cinnamon sing Christmas.
• Magenbrot from Deon of FoodJam. Deon says this is something different for Santa. From Switzerland!
• Salted Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Cookies from Erica of The Crumby Cupcake All the things that Santa loves are in here.
• Laura’s Peanut Butter Black Onyx Dream Cookies from Cindy of Savory Spice Shop. Cindy owns our local Savory where I get my Black Onyx cocoa powder. Santa loves the peanut butter chocolate combination.
• Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti from AllRecipes, shared by Niko who makes baskets of biscotti for giving. These are one of her favorites. I’m pretty sure the red and green will speak to Santa.
• Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies from Katie of Recipe for Perfection. Crisp on the edges. Chewy in the middle. The way Katie and Santa prefer.
• Dairy Free Eggnog Cookies from Christie of Food Done Light. I am sure Santa will appreciate that not every cookie is full of calories. Plus, I hear Santa is a fan of Nog.
• Lemon Rosemary Cookies with White Chocolate and Pistachios from Sara of My Imperfect Kitchen. What a special treat with a little herbal kick for Santa!
• Chocolate Peppermint Kiss Cake Mix Christmas Cookies from Pamela of My Man’s Belly. Adorned with Festive Doo-Dads because you can’t overdo at Christmas. These will make Santa smile!
• Gingerbread Man Biscuits from Georgina of G’Gina’s Kitchenette. She and her daughter hand-shaped these–so cute. Santa will be so happy!
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies from Add a Pinch, shared by Lisa who made them and says they are awesome. I imagine Santa will think so too!
• Brownie Cookies from Tina of Tina’s Cookings. Leave a tall, cold glass of milk to go along with these. And seconds on the cookies!

And whatever you do, don’t forget to leave out some carrots or maybe some popcorn for the reindeer, too. It’s a long night for them as well!

Wow, that is quite the Cookies for Santa round-up! I hope you go over this list with your kids and decide what yumminess you will leave out for Santa to fortify him on his journey. And print out a copy of this letter to Santa so he knows what you’ve made for him, and also so he knows how much you appreciate him. Just click to open as a pdf for easy downloading and printing, and have a magical and joyous Christmas. If you decide to eat one or three of the cookies you leave out for Santa, I promise not to tell.

I hope you and your family have a magical Christmas indeed. I leave you with some quotes from favorite Christmas stories and movies that all speak to the magic that is Christmas.

Christmas isn’t just a day, it’s a frame of mind… —Miracle on 34th Street

The best way to spread Christmas Cheer is singing loud for all to hear. —Elf

It’s Christmas Eve. It’s the one night of the year when we all act a little nicer, we smile a little easier, we cheer a little more. For a couple of hours out of the whole year we are the people that we always hoped we would be. —Scrooged

What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more. —How the Grinch Stole Christmas

I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. —A Christmas Carol

Seeing is believing, but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can’t see. —The Polar Express

Thank you for spending some time with me today. Much love. Have a lovely day.

*Thank you so much to all my friends who contributed links to recipes that will fill your kitchens with the unmistakable scent of Christmas. You guys are all the best.