I thought I would do this now in case anyone wanted cookie recipes before Thanksgiving (which sparks and idea for a possible Thanksgiving thread?). Here are my favorite Christmas cookies. I make candy too and if I have time later today I will try to post those recipes in the comments.

Midnight Mint Thins

1 cup flour 1/3 cup dark cocoa powder 1 tsp instant espresso powder or instant coffee 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup sugar 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1 large egg 1 tbsp milk 2 tsp vanilla 1 package Andes Creme de Menthe backing chips (divided)

In medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.

Beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla. Aft flour mixture; beat at low speed (I just mix this with a wooden spoon) just until combined. Stir in 1 cup of the baking chips.

Drop dough 1 1 tbsp at a time onto parchment lined baking sheets spacing cookies about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375 until set and no longer shiny, about 9-10 minutes. Cool completely on cooling rack.

Place remaining baking chips in a small freezer weight reclosable plastic bag; seal bag and immerse in a bowl of hot water until melted. Wipe bag dry. Knead chocolate in bag until smooth. Snip off one corner of bag to make very small hole. Drizzle chocolate over cookies. Let cookies stand in single layer until chocolate drizzle is firm. Store in airtight container. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

I usually skip the drizzle because they don't really need it. They are so good without it. It will add a very nice look to them, however.

Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies. These are my very favorite.

Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I had to laugh about these. Someone here asked about the best chocolate chip cookie recipes and I made the comment that for all the chocolate chip cookie recipes I had tried, the recipe on the back of the chocolate chips was always the best recipe. Literally two or three days later I found these and they are divine. (Funnily, I found these after someone linked Ree Drummond and there was a link for these at the bottom).

So what are your favorite Christmas cookie recipes?