Christmas is only 12 weeks away! Have you started your shopping yet? I have picked up a few gifts and hidden them away for Christmas. I like to shop early and hopefully find the perfect gift.
April of Abby’s Sweets decided to get a head start on Christmas baking and she asked Megan of Megan’s Cookin’ and me to join her in a 12 weeks of Christmas Cookie challenge. The goal is to bake one batch of cookies each week until Christmas. April and Megan are hoping to find some new favorites to include in their Christmas Cookie Platters. My plan is to make cookies that freeze well. Freeze one dozen from each batch and at the end of 12 weeks I’ll have cookies all ready to wrap up and give away.
April posted Cinnamon Crisps for her week #1 cookie. She found the recipe in the new Better Homes and Garden Christmas Cookies magazine and I decided to make it my week #1 cookie too!
I changed it up a little bit to use what I had in my pantry. I used regular molasses instead of light molasses, added HERSHEY’S cinnamon chips, and rolled it in Turbinado sugar. These cookies are spicy and chewy on the inside and sweet and crunchy on the outside. A perfect Christmas time cookie.
Stop by Megan’s and check out her delicious week #1 cookie Chocolate Almond Coconut Bars.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp each baking powder and baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
- 2/3 cup HERSHEY'S cinnamon chips
- Turbinado sugar
Directions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy.
- Add baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; beat until well combined. Add egg; beat until blended, then beat in molasses. On low speed, beat in flour until just blended, add cinnamon chps.
- Shape dough into 1 inch balls; roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes until cookies are light brown around edges and tops crackle. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Notes
Adapted from Better Homes and Garden Christmas Cookies
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I love to bake, especially cookies, cakes, and pies. I’ll post my adventures in the kitchen, my favorite new recipes, as well as our family favorites.
Didn't realize that Christmas is only 12 weeks away till you mentioned it! These cookies are just great and so festive!
Oooh great reminder! I didn't realise it was only 12 weeks away!
I know these will be so good because you've used those precious Hershey's Cinnamon Chips! I'm hanging onto my last precious bag of them hehe. Problem is that they're so moreish by themselves! 
Molasses cookies are among my all-time favorites. These look sensational!
These look so yummy I want to make these too! I love the idea of freezing a dozen a week. I'll try that too!
Christmas is creeping up on us fast. Love these cookies, so perfect for fall/winter.
You are talking about Christmas only 12 weeks away? I am having our Mooncake or Mid Autumn Festival today and only left two and half hour to go.
I'm addicted to the cinnamon chips too! These are awesome.
What scrumptious treats! I love the rich flavor of molasses and cinnamon chips are so yummy all on their own! I bet their great in these.
What a yummy cookie! My family and I don't exchange gifts, so I never have to fight the crowd at the mall during the holiday season!!
I have to get my hand on those chips! Love the color of these cookies, they look delicious! Thanks for the reminder!
YUMMY AND FLAVORFUL COOKIES,PERFECT FOR THE SEASON..
These cookies are fantastic , actually no i haven't started shopping for christmas i guess i'm a bit lazy for that at the moment!
TWELVE WEEKS!!! EEK! Wow. I need to start Xmas shopping. Your cookies look delicious. I'm bookmarking this recipe. Thanks!
I like your variation on these cookies! they look yummy! I'm glad you are baking along, can't see what make next week!
Yummy! Molasses and cinnamon screams Christmas : )
Shopping this early?…Not a bad idea.
oh these sound like so much fun! i love the christmas flavors!
The 12 weeks of Christmas Cookies! I love it! You'll have the perfect gifts come Christmas
That's it, I really have to find me these cinnamon chips that everyone keeps baking with! Cookies look wonderful.
Great looking cookies Barbara
That cookie challenge sounds like fun!
Scrumptious looking Barbara. I don't think we have those chips up here in Canada yet….hmmm…shall have to check it out! Love that you are into baking already for Christmas….at least trying out different recipes. I too have my cookie 'logbook' by my computer and writing ideas down. Love the season…here we go…scooting quickly through Thanksgiving (here in Canada next weekend) and right on to Christmas….grin.
I'm putting this one on my list of cookies for the holidays. I'm sure that I would love these with a cup of coffee!
Groan…twelve weeks away. I try to shop early but am not doing too well with that this year. Oh well, it all seems to work out somehow. Molalsses spice cookies are my fav, Barbara. I'll be trying this recipe for sure.
Barbara, I love the new blog title picture!
These cookies look amazing, I can't believe we are thinking about Christmas already! The years seem to fly by lately!
I'm the one wearing garlic around my neck to ward off Christmas for at least another month, but it never hurts to start thinking about it:D
Barbara – these look so decadent and delicious! I am going to have to try these soon – perfect for the holidays coming up!
These are the perfect Christmas cookies. I can't believe it's only 12 weeks away.
I think my son would really love these! I love the cinnamon chips! They are so pretty too!
Now I'm all stressed about the 12 weeks before Christmas! Yikes!
I wish I could get started 12 weeks early, but that wouldn't allow me to procrastinate! I love Christmas shopping, and I love Christmas decorations, so I hate to miss that by going early. I know, I don't have to finish early! Anyway, I'm following now and I can't wait to see all your cookies!
These look really good and I love the idea of freezing some each week to have a bunch to pull out later!! I'll be back to find more freeze-able cookie recipes like this!
Just 12 weeks? I better not blink. I do all my baking for Halloween. I started this a few years ago to give myself less stress in December. Of course I am like the Keebler Elf all this month. I also found that people were not on over load with sweets and appreciated the same cookies in Halloween colors better then at Christmas. Sounds crazy but it works for me and the people I bake for.
Joyce
First of all…ACK!! Christmas is really only 12 weeks away? Really??
I'm bookmarking this recipe. These look fantastic and I've got a bunch of cinnamon chips I should use up.
Yummie, what a nice combination of flavors, cinnamon and molasses, need to look for the cinnamon chips
I love holiday cookies! can't believe we're quickly approaching the holiday season.
love the new look of your blog
I love your thinking Barbara, bake cookies and freeze a batch and you're all set for Christmas! I never thought of it that way! These look terrific, you're on to a good start!!
aarrgghh Christmas!! I know it's going to creep up on me this year! I haven't even started preparing, however, I do know that I'm making home-made hampers for the majority of peple: jams, chutneys, lemon curd, cookies etc (that way it's enjoyable for me too!!)
What a great idea to work together on this and to start your baking. I bet you come up with some new ideas and creative thinking. Good luck. I am going to follow and see if I can pick up some good ideas for my family.
The last cookies, I made were pumpkin and chocolate filled with peanut butter and a chocolate from Nigella. All worked.
Have fun with this.
What a great idea – 12 weeks of cookies!! I can't believe it's so close though!!! eeekk
Wow! What a great idea to start making xmas cookies now. Maybe I'll get started sooner thanks to you. Thanks for checking out my blog and leaving me a comment. It's great because now I found your wonderful blog which is going right on my blog roll! Kathleen
Wow what a great little event you have going on here:) It reminds me of something I'm doing with another blogger. I love the added cinnamon chips to this recipe. I'm not sure I have seen them in the store…I'm going to keep my eyes peeled:)
Oh, these look Heavenly. I can't wait to try them. Thank you for sharing. The cinnamon chips sound awesome, but like Nutmeg Nanny, I'm not sure I've ever seen them in the grocery store.