3 Cookies Recipes Santa Will Love

If you have little ones who are still excited about Santa Claus visiting their house on Christmas Eve, you'll probably be leaving cookies and milk for him. Nice kids will leave him his treats to thank him for his generosity; the naughty ones will try one last bribe to get their presents. Leaving cookies for Santa evolved from the German tradition of honoring Saint Nicholas. St. Nick was a German bishop who is remembered for being especially kind to children. Long ago, a feast would be held in his name, and children would leave food and drink out over night for him and his attendants. Since this tradition happens near Christmas, over time the two celebrations became associated. Here are 3 great (and simple) cookie recipes for you to make with your kids. Use this as an opportunity to build excitement with your children and talk with them about the meaning of Christmas and the importance of giving. Holiday Sugar Cookies You can turn a plain ole' cookie into something special simply by cutting them into festive shapes. And everyone loves sugar! Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup butter - softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions: 1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. 2. Cream together butter and sugar until light. 3. Add vanilla and egg and stir until well combined. 4. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt until a soft dough forms. 5. Shape dough into a flat disc and wrap in waxed paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour before rolling. 6. Dust rolling surface with an equal mixture of all-purpose flour and powdered sugar. Roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness and cut into desired shapes. 7. Place cut cookies onto a baking sheet prepared with cooking spray or covered with parchment paper. 8. Decorate with colored sugar or other decorations as desired. 9. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until very lightly golden. 10. Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes before removing to racks to cool completely. Buttery Chrisp XXL Chocolate Chip Cookies Santa's a big guy and he needs a big cookie. Not only are these giant, gooey, and buttery, but they're super simple to make and require minimal clean up. Ingredients: 

• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons beaten egg
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 6 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips

Instructions: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. 2. Place butter and sugars into a medium mixing bowl, beat with spoon until well combined. Add beaten egg and vanilla, mixing to combine. Add flour, baking soda and salt. Stir a couple times 3. add chocolate chips, stirring to combine. Scoop dough into the middle of your prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until baked through. Let cool for on baking sheet for 10 minutes before 4. removing. 5. Place on a plate for Santa Christmas Eve along with a glass of milk! Perfect Oatmeal Cookies These oatmeal cookies are delicious and a bit different. Instead of raisin-y, they're buttery, crisp, and chewy. Santa won't be able to resist! Ingredients:

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup sweetened, flaked coconut
• 1 stick butter (I use salted)
• 2 tablespoons boiling water
• 1 tablespoon Lyle's Golden Syrup (or light corn syrup)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or half as much table salt)

Instructions: 1. Heat the oven to 300º F and prepare a large cookie sheet. Cover with parchment paper for even browning and easy clean-up, but you could grease it instead. 2. In a large bowl, stir together the oats, coconut, flour, sugar, and salt. Meanwhile melt the butter and syrup together in a small pot over low heat. 3. Stir the baking soda into the boiling water, then stir this into the butter and syrup and pour all of it over the dry ingredients. Stir well, then drop cookie-sized amounts onto the baking sheets, leaving plenty of space for them to spread. 4. Bake for 12-15 minutes, switching the pan around for even baking if needed, until the cookies are golden all over and quite brown on the edges (keep an eye on them -- they can burn quickly); the cookies will look puffy when you remove them from the oven, and then they will sink and go a bit lacy. Leave them on the cookie sheet for 3 or 4 minutes before removing them with a spatula to cool on a rack; if you go at them too early, they will fall all to pieces.

Also read: Great Holiday Festive Family Activities

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Written By Lisa Paul Heydet of ZizzyBee Bags  At ZizzyBee, we believe children bring fun and whimsy to our lives…along with the need for organization of hundreds of teeny, tiny little toy parts. And like most moms, we believe it is important to keep organized while using products for our children that are safe, washable, well designed, and practical. With this in mind, full-time single mom and entrepreneur Lisa Paul Heydet, saw a need and created ZizzyBee Bags.™ ZizzyBee Bags eliminates the need for baskets and bins and makes toys portable and travel a snap.  The attractive bags look good hanging from a hook or stacked in a diaper bag or suitcase. Keep children’s rooms organized by storing toys and clothes in ZizzyBee Bags. With two different sizes to choose from, you can use ZizzyBee Bags to keep items organized in desks, closets and more. They are easily packable and transportable for vacations, gym and work, road trips, school, grandparent’s house, playdates, strollers and so much more. Interested in writing a guest blog for Sleeping Baby? Send your topic idea to pr@sleepingbaby.com. All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. Sleeping Baby makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, current-ness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis. Image courtesy of Jomphong / FreeDigitalPhotos.net