Not Getting Nuttin': 5 Cookies to Get You Back on Santa's Nice List

You may think you've been good this year, but Santa's got an awful lot of ground to cover in one night. These sleigh-stopping cookies leave nothing to chance. Just don't forget the milk.

Related: These Pretty (and Delicious!) Holiday Cookie Recipes Are Perfect for Gifting

Santa's Snowflakes

No matter how many more chimneys await his arrival, Santa won't be able to resist these tempting sweets on Christmas Eve.

1/4 recipe Basic Sugar-Cookie Dough
Sanding sugar or colored sprinkles, for decorating

1. Divide dough in half. Roll out each half between two pieces of parchment paper to about 1/8 inch thick. Transfer each half to a baking sheet; cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks on upper and lower thirds. Remove one sheet of dough from refrigerator, and let stand 1 minute. Using a 3-inch snowflakeshaped cookie cutter, cut out shapes. Place shapes 2 inches apart on parchment- lined baking sheets. Gather together scraps, and reroll as above; chill until firm, 10 to 15 minutes, then cut out more shapes. Repeat process with second sheet of dough.

3. Decorate cookies with sanding sugar or sprinkles, as desired.

4. Bake cookies in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching positions of sheets halfway through, until golden around the edges and slightly firm to the touch, about 15 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets 1 minute; transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Store in airtight containers at room temperature, up to 5 days.

Old-Fashioned Lemon Sugar Cookies

These large cookies have a classic lemony flavor, a chewy texture, and glistening, crackly tops created with a double sprinkling of sanding sugar.

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks), softened
2 large eggs
Sanding sugar, for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl; set aside.

2. Put sugars and lemon zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed 30 seconds. Add butter; mix until pale and fluffy, about 1 minute. Mix in eggs, 1 at a time, and then the lemon juice. Reduce speed; gradually add flour mixture, and mix until just combined.

3. Scoop dough using a 2-inch ice cream scoop; space cookies 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Flatten cookies slightly with a spatula. Sprinkle tops with sanding sugar, then lightly brush with a wet pastry brush; sprinkle with more sanding sugar.

4. Bake cookies until golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks using a spatula; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

Related: 27 Easy Party Food Ideas You Can Make in a Pinch

Key Lime Thumbprints

Sweet-tart Key lime thumbprints bring cakey and creamy together in each bite.

For the Dough
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon coarse salt

For the Filling
1 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon finely grated Key lime zest (from 5 limes), or substitute regular limes
3 tablespoons fresh Key lime juice (from 12 limes), or substiute regular limes
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

1. Make the dough: Cream butter and granulated sugar with a mixer until pale and fluffy. Add yolks and vanilla, and beat for 1 minute. Reduce speed to low, and beat in flour and salt until combined. Cover, and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour (or up to 1 day).

2. Make the filling: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk granulated sugar, flour, and eggs in a medium bowl. Stir in lime zest and juice and salt.

3. Roll balls using 2 teaspoons dough for each. Place 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. With the handle of a wooden spoon, press gently in the center of each to create an indentation. Bake for 10 minutes. Press centers if indentations lose definition. Spoon filling into centers. Bake until cookies are light brown around edges, 6 to 8 minutes. Let cool on wire racks.

Chocolate-Espresso Snowcaps

These cookies look like little snow-covered mountains. Roll each ball in confectioners' sugar twice to make sure it's thoroughly coated and no dark dough is visible.

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 teaspoons instant espresso
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon milk
Confectioners' sugar, for coating

1. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, espresso, baking powder, and salt. With an electric mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg until well combined; mix in cooled chocolate. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture; beat in milk until just combined. Flatten dough into a disk; wrap in plastic. Freeze until firm, about 45 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Pour confectioners' sugar (about 1/2 cup) into a medium bowl; working in batches, roll balls in sugar two times, letting them sit in sugar between coatings.

3. Place on prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies have spread and coating is cracked, 12 to 14 minutes; cookies will still be soft to the touch. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Hazelnut Thumbprints

To toast the nuts for these cookies, place them on a rimmed baking sheet in an oven heated to 350 degrees for 10 minutes; then transfer them to a clean kitchen towel and rub them until the skins come off. Grind them in a food processor.

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg, separated, each part lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 cup toasted skinned hazelnuts, ground
Strawberry jam, for filling

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Put butter and 1/2 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg yolk and vanilla, and mix well. Reduce speed to low. Add flour and salt, and mix until just combined. Refrigerate dough for 2 hours.

2. Stir together toasted hazelnuts and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in a small bowl. Roll dough into 1-inch balls; dip balls in egg white, then in hazelnut-sugar mixture. Space 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Press down center of each ball with your thumb. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven; press down centers again with the end of a wooden spoon. Return to oven. Bake cookies until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes more. Let cool slightly on sheets on wire racks. Fill each center with jam.

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We hear these gingerbread bells are Santa's favorites.