Snow on the ground + Christmas music on Google = Christmas cookie time! Yes, I know it’s only November. Yes, I know there is a turkey holiday coming up before the jolly man in a red suit visits. And yet, I still don’t care that you think it’s too early for anything Christmas. Is there really a defined timeline for baking cookies?? Not in this house! (I won’t even mention that Eli and Ava both have their Christmas trees lit and decorated in their bedrooms) Plus, it’s unusual for us to have enough snow to go sledding in November (just a couple years ago it was 70 degrees on Thanksgiving!), so it seems more like Christmas right now.

I have lots of cookie recipes that are standard for Christmas – the kind that are passed down from one generation to the next and are expected foods at holiday gatherings. Most are German recipes that came from my great-grandma, but some are also just tried and true recipes that are delicious and look pretty on platters. Whatever the case, these are the cookies that lead to Christmas baking memories…and I LOVE it! From the time I could reach the kitchen counter, I baked cookies with my mom and grandma, and the older I got, the more responsibility I had in the cookie-making process. When my younger cousin, Maureen, was able to start helping, she would join me on “cookie baking day” and we would blare Bing Crosby’s Christmas songs as we made hundreds and hundreds of cookies. One time, we accidentally quadrupled a recipe instead of just doubling it, and another time we used granulated sugar instead of powdered sugar (those cookies definitely had the potential to break a tooth!), but we always ended up with more successes than failures, and even more memories. Cookie baking is at the top of my Christmas traditions list to pass down to my kids.

Okay, so back to the cookie recipe at hand! Today we kicked off the holiday season with “Dip Strip” cookies. This recipe was my grandma Mamaw’s recipe and I just started making it a few years ago when I got my own cookie press gun. I unexpectedly lost my dear Mamaw this year, and it’s been rough working my way through the grieving process. She was one of those special people who always saw the good in everyone, remembered the little things like how you take your coffee or your favorite snack, and everything she did and decision she made radiated Christ’s love; after spending just 5 minutes with her, you felt like you were hanging out with one of God’s angels on earth. I could go on and on about Mamaw, but I’ll stick to her cookie recipe for now.

So to make Dip Strip cookies, you need a cookie press gun. I like this Wilton press because it is easy to clean, comes with a variety of discs, and holds a good amount of dough at one time. I’ve tried the electric cookie guns before, but the dough jammed in it or let out too much at one time; simpler is better!

For Dip Strip cookies, you’ll want to use the straight line disc and make rows of dough on a cookie sheet. AFTER the dough bakes is when you cut the strips into individual cookies. This allows the cookies to hold their shape better while baking, and it’s easier than trying to start and stop the cookie gun to give exact cookie sizes.

After the dough has baked and is still HOT, cut each long strip into 1 1/2″ sections. If you want your cookies a little bigger or smaller that is fine, but just make sure the pieces are all the same size. Once the cookies have cooled, spread a bit of peanut butter on the smooth side of one cookie and top with another. The amount of peanut butter is not exact ~ just make sure it’s enough to hold the cookies together but not too much that is smooshes out the sides.

The final step is dipping each end of the cookie into melted chocolate and then a topping ~ shredded coconut, finely chopped pecans, sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, etc. I like using semi-sweet chocolate chips, but you could use milk chocolate even white chocolate. It would be pretty to dip white chocolate ends in crushed peppermints!

I hope you enjoy these cookies as much as my family does, and don’t forget to make your own baking memories this holiday season! Get the kiddos involved in dipping the ends of cookies in their favorite toppings. Stay tuned for many more Christmas cookie recipes yet to come this season!

Dip Strip Cookies

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups of flour
• Smooth peanut butter
• Semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Toppings for dipping – shredded coconut, finely chopped pecans, sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, crushed peppermint

1. Cream the first 4 ingredients; add flour slowly and continue mixing until a ball of dough forms away from the mixing bowl side. Chill for 30 minutes.
2. In a cookie press gun, use the single line disc to continuously run lines of dough on cookie sheets.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
4. While cookie strips are hot, use a knife to cut into smaller pieces. Let cool completely.
5. Spread peanut butter on the smooth side of one cookie. Top with another one.
6. Melt chocolate chips and dip ends of cookies in melted chocolate and then into toppings. Cool completely before storing.