The time of year when children eagerly await to write a letter to Santa Claus - or at least an email - to ask for their Christmas gift is approaching. Along with it, of course, come the "obligations" towards the jolly old man, who, after making the effort to visit your home, must be treated to some cookies and milk, which you will have left under the Christmas tree.

If there are no children in the house, Santa's cookies can be enjoyed by you as well, so let's see how we can make these cute cookies that delight both young and old (besides Santa, of course).

Recipe for Cookies

Ingredients

• 150 grams butter
• 150 grams sugar (brown)
• 75 grams sugar (granulated)
• 1 orange (zest)
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 eggs (medium)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 vanillin
• 280 grams all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1 pinch ground clove

Execution

• Place the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, orange zest, and salt in the mixer bowl.
• Beat at high speed for 3-4 minutes, until the mixture becomes fluffy.
• Remove the bowl from the mixer, add the eggs, vanilla, and mix with a spatula.
• In a bowl, add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and gently mix with a spatula to combine the ingredients.
• Add the dry ingredients from the bowl to the mixer bowl and mix with the spatula until combined.
• Transfer the dough to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
• Then, preheat the oven to 170°C with the fan on.
• Divide the dough into small equal pieces, shape them into cookies, and place them on a baking tray, leaving space between them.
• Bake in the oven for about 10-12 minutes.
• Finally, remove the tray from the oven and set the cookies aside to cool.

What will you need, though, to complete the recipe and keep Santa Claus satisfied?

Garnishing & Topping

Here you can let your imagination run free and decorate the fragrant little cookies with whatever you want. Before baking them, you can add chocolate chips or sprinkles so they melt and become one. You can make a glaze or use fondant to create various designs. Or you can even dip them in a bain-marie with delicious chocolate. You choose, and whatever you choose will surely please Santa Claus too.

You can also add a little food coloring to part of the dough, so you can give your cookies different colors, or even some flavoring for extra aroma.

Serving

And of course, you can't help but place the most perfect cookies for Santa Claus in an appropriate container.

After you have made, decorated, and served your cookies, on the night before Christmas leave them under the Christmas tree on a tray along with a glass of milk and your perfect Christmas card!