Holiday Cookies How-To

One of our favorite parts of the holiday season are the tradition and coziness of holiday cookies! Whether you’re enjoying dessert with family and friends or leaving a tasty treat for Santa, cookies play an important role in holiday celebrations. They’ve become a staple of the season!

Did you know that the tradition of leaving cookies out for Santa began during the Great Depression? It was a lesson in giving and doubled as a sign of appreciation from young children for the gifts they received, even in economic hardship. This tradition continues today as children thank Santa for his hard work during the holidays. And cookies continue to be a vital part of celebrating.

At Price Chopper & Market 32, our PICS line offers a delicious variety of cookies. From your favorites like Chocolate Chip, to hidden gems like Dutch Cocoa there is something for everyone. Plus, there is no better combination than cookies and milk, and our lineup of PICS milk makes for the perfect sidekick.

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If you’re looking to be more extravagant with your cookies this year, check out some of these awesome recipes.

Double Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream Sandwiches: PICS Cookies go great with PICS Vanilla Ice Cream and this delicious recipe highlights that pairing. Try it with strawberry ice cream for some Neapolitan flair!

Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal & Dried Cherry Cookies: These delicious Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal & Dried Cherry Cookies combine all the best things about cookies into one. Soft, warm, and delicous these will be a hit with the whole family.

Hot Chocolate Cookies: Chocolate cookies featuring marshmallows and peppermint candies, just a warm cup of hot chocolate in a cookie. These cookies were made for the holidays!

Classic Sugar Cookies: Sugar cookies are a must-have in your holiday collection. This classic recipe does it right.

Paradise Fruit Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies: Fruit is another excellent element to holiday cookies. These Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies are fruity and tasty, adding a fun element to your lineup.

Check out the video recipe below for Pineapple and Cranberry-Orange Thumbprint Cookies. Yummy and perfect for the holidays!

We hope you have a wonderful time baking and enjoying holiday cookies this season! Stop by your local Price Chopper & Market 32 or visit us online for everything you need to get the job done right.

Wishing you a happy holiday season!

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National Homemade Cookie Day

Break out the baking sheets, today is National Homemade Cookie Day! With the beginning of fall and the weather cooling down, warm, fluffy homemade cookies definitely will have you feeling cozy. Whether you’re baking pre-made dough right in the oven, or working from scratch, we have the recipes for you to celebrate appropriately!

These Pumpkin Cookies with Orange Glaze are a great place to start. Perfect for turning the calendar to October. These guys are full of refreshing orangey flavor and all the pumpkin you need to satisfy your craving for fall flavors.

Feeling festive? Try our these cute and creative Halloween Sugar Cookies. Decorate your sugar cookies with candy corn, gels, edible confetti and more to create your monster lineup of yummy treats.

It’s never too early for these Hot Chocolate Cookies! Great for cooler weather and a must at the holidays, these cookies elevate hot chocolate to a new level.

We love these Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal, & Dried Cherry Cookies. Cherry and chocolate flavor combined with the warmth of oatmeal. Delightful!

These PICS Potato Chip Chocolate Chip Cookies combine two classic snacks into one. Potato chips and chocolate chip cookies. The chocolate of the cookies blends with the saltiness of the potato chips for an awesome flavor adventure.

Celebrate cookies right with one of these excellent recipes. No matter which you chooser, we have all of the neccessary ingredients available at your local Price Chopper & Market 32. Your one stop shop for all things cookies!

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Chocolate Covered Pretzels with Caramel and Peanut Butter

Jodie Fitz

PICS Pretzel rods

PICS Mini chocolate morsels, dark, milk or semi-sweet

Caramel apple wraps

PICS Peanut butter (optional)

Colored sprinkles

PICS Nonstick cooking spray

Coat a pizza cutter with nonstick cooking spray.

Place the caramel wraps, one at a time, on a cutting board with a piece of parchment paper between the caramel wrap and your cutting board. Note: The caramel comes with parchment paper dividers that you can use; this prevents the caramel from sticking to the cutting board. 

Using the pizza cutter, cut the caramel wraps into one inch strips. 

Starting at least two inches from one end of the pretzel, carefully wrap the caramel strips around the rest of the pretzel.  Set the caramel wrapped pretzels onto a wax paper lined cookie sheet and set aside.

Pour chocolate morsels into a tall drinking glass, Microwave the chocolates in the glass on high for one minute.  The chocolate will not look fully melted, stir the morsels together until they fully melt after removing the glass from the microwave.  

Dip the caramel covered pretzel into the chocolate leaving the unwrapped end exposed.  

Set the pretzel back onto the waxed paper and coat with a thin layer of colored sprinkles. 

Let the pretzels set until the chocolate has hardened.  

Keep the pretzels in cool storage.

The Caramel Wraps? You can typically locate these in the produce area of your Price Chopper and Market 32 Supermarkets near the apples.

Add Peanut Butter! Simply spread a light layer of peanut butter onto the pretzel before wrapping it with caramel.  Follow the rest of the directions as is.

Nut allergies?  Replace the peanut butter powder with WowButter®.  It’s a delicious nut free, tree nut free, gluten free peanut butter alternative.  It can be found in the allergy friendly aisle at your Price Chopper and Market 32 Supermarkets.

So Much Fun with Kids!  There’s lessons in every recipe making experience for the kids in your life.  Here are a few activities to concentrate on when making this no bake pretzel fun;

  • Cutting safety
  • Wrapping
  • Dipping
  • Melting chocolate
  • Spreading
  • Sprinkling
  • Following directions



Chocolate Caramel Filled Shortbread Cookies

Jodie Fitz

½ cup PICS butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon PICS vanilla extract

1 PICS egg, large

½ cup PICS confectioner’s sugar

1 ½ cups PICS all-purpose flour

¾ cup PICS mini chocolate chips

Filling

2 tablespoons PICS butter

3 tablespoon PICS milk

5 oz. Caramel candies, unwrapped

¼ cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Using an electric mixer, whip together the room temperature butter with the vanilla extract, egg and confectioner’s sugar.  Slowly add in the flour continuing to mix with the electric mixer until all ingredients are mixed well.  

Using a spatula, fold in the mini chocolate chips.

Form the dough into small cookie dough balls and slightly flatten them and place them onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Using a tablespoon sized measuring spoon, dip the base of the measuring spoon into confectioner’s sugar and press it into each cookie to create an indent.

Bake the cookies for 10 – 12 minutes.

Recipe makes approximately 18 cookies.

While the cookies are baking and cooling, prep the filling by first melting 2 tablespoons of butter over low heat in a saucepan.  Once melted, over low heat, add in the 3 tablespoons of milk, 5 oz. unwrapped caramel candies and stir until the candies have melted and the three ingredients are mixed together well.  Turn off the heat and add in ¼ cup of mini chocolate chips.  Continue to stir until they are fully melted and mixed in.

Add the filling into a piping bag once it’s slightly cooled and can be handled.  If you don’t have a piping bag, add the filling to a quart sized freezer bag and clip one corner.

Pipe the filling into the cookie indent.  Let the cookies set until the center hardens, approximately 30 minutes.  

Optional:  Add sprinkles on top before the center hardens.

Storing:  If you are layering the cookies when storing in an airtight container, keep a of layer parchment paper between the layers to prevent the cookie centers from sticking to other cookies.

So Much Fun with Kids!  There’s lessons in every recipe making experience for the kids in your life.  Here are a few activities to concentrate on when making these cookies:

  • Measuring ingredients
  • Mixing
  • Electric mixer safety
  • Melting
  • Stovetop safety
  • Piping
  • Following directions

 

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