The turkey is in the oven, table is set, potatoes are mashed and all your guests have arrived. Okay, not for a little bit, but we're giving you some Thanksgiving recipes and ideas a little early this year. There's only one thing left to do and that's mix up a cocktail (that is, if you don't already have one in hand). A meal as special as your Thanksgiving feast calls for an equally special cocktail. Whether you're looking for an aperitif to wet your whistle or something to warm you up after a post-dinner walk or a nightcap, we've put together a few of our favorite libations. They're sure to wind up on your winter rotation. Cheers to these creative Thanksgiving cocktail recipes!
Christmas cookie decorating is holiday tradition for us here at B+C, so we were so stoked to find this recipe for paleo cookies that adds a healthy twist to this classic holiday dessert. These sweet treats will shine among the rest of your Christmastime tablescape, and they are super easy to make. Plus, they'll pair well with just about any Christmas dessert. Just combine your paleo-friendly ingredients to prep the dough, let it sit overnight, then bake for ten minutes! The best part about this recipe is of course, all of the fun holiday-time shapes you can cut. Consider this recipe your go-to for healthy cookies, though, since you can make them year-round in any shape you like. Let's get to decorating!
Ingredients for Paleo Christmas Cookies
Brit + Co
For the cookies:
- 1/2 cup grass-fed salted butter, softened
- 6 tablespoons raw honey
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 3 cups almond flour
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
For the frosting:
- 6 tablespoons coconut butter or coconut manna
- 1/4 cup cacao butter
- 1-2 tablespoons honey
- Plant-based food coloring
- Vegetable-dyed sprinkles, for topping*
* Look for vegetable and fruit-dyed food coloring and sprinkles in natural grocery stores or online, and avoid artificial colors to keep these cookies Paleo friendly!
How to Make Paleo Christmas Cookies
Brit + Co
- Add the softened butter and honey to a large mixing bowl. Cream the mixture together using a handheld mixer until it is smooth. Add in the eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract and whisk until they are well combined. Pour in the almond flour, coconut flour, and baking soda, and continue mixing until the batter has come together smoothly.
- Separate the dough into two, and place each one on top of a piece of plastic wrap. Roll each dough into a ball, then flatten to a thick disk, cover completely with the plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator to firm up for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove one of the dough discs from the refrigerator, unwrap the plastic and place the dough on top of a piece of parchment paper, then top it with another piece of parchment paper. Use a roller to flatten out the dough to about 1/4 to 1/2 of an inch thick. Work quickly with your favorite Christmas cookie cutters, and use a thin spatula to lift the cut cookies onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake the cookies in the oven for 10 minutes. Let them cool for a few minutes, then place on a wire rack for further cooling. Gather the leftover scraps back into a ball in the plastic wrap or parchment paper and place it back in the refrigerator, while working with the other piece of dough. Do this in batches to keep the dough from getting too warm and so you don’t overcrowd the baking sheet.
- While the batches of cookies are baking, use a small saucepan to lightly melt the coconut butter and cacao butter together over low heat on the stovetop. Remove the pan from the heat when the ingredients have just melted together. Stir in the desired amount of honey, then set aside to cool and thicken up slightly. If you are using food coloring, add in the desired amount into the frosting mixture (1-2 teaspoons of green or red should do the trick). If you plan on only using white frosting, only use a small amount of honey, as it can make the frosting an off-white or light brown color.
- After the cookies have completely cooled, decorate them with the frosting and sprinkles as desired. If you don’t have any professional piping tools, an easy fix is to place the frosting in a plastic sandwich bag and remove all the air when sealing the top. Cut a tiny tip off one corner of the plastic bag, then gently squeeze and pipe over the cookies. Use one plastic bag or piping bag for each color of frosting. Top with corresponding sprinkles and enjoy!
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Recipe development and photography by Sarah Anderson.
Why am I just now learning that Costco sells caviar?! After a quick catch on social media, I’m totally hooked on finding the TsarNicoulai Caviar Tasting Flight Gift Set in stores.
This find comes at just the right time, too. Christmas and New Year’s are upon us, and the Costco caviar gift set is the perfect hosting hack for leaving a lasting impression on your guests – especially the ones with a bit more bougie palette.
Costco
The Tsar Nicoulai Caviar Tasting Flight Gift Set is directly inspired by Tsar Nicoulai’s award-winning caviar café in San Francisco – IYKYK. The set features 4 “unique” grades of “top-quality” caviar, with each respective grade sourced from a single sturgeon. The very luxe set is completed with a spread of smoked sturgeon, blini, and crème fraiche.
Costco
The Costco caviar (can’t believe I’m writing that!) can serve 4 to 8 people, so it’s practically perfect for a holiday dinner party or cocktail hour. It arrives with 4 caviar spoons made from Mother of Pearl – can someone say “bougie?!”
Rachel Claire / PEXELS
Costco shoppers have granted the caviar set 4.4 out of 5 stars. Here’s some promising reviews to really help you seal the deal:
- “We bought it as a trial and pretty happy with the purchase. Even with the full price getting smoked sturgeon which we like a like it's a wickedly good deal. If you want to elevate your dining experience this might be one of the ways to do it.”
- “This was amazing for my 79th birthday experience. My father taught us that to appreciate caviar you have to serve it "right". My Russian Vodka days are over so we utilized some of our favorite Hard Seltzer and of course some finely chopped hard boiled egg and onion which this time was a scallion. The secret is to to place the whole doctored up blini with the caviar into your mouth in one bite so that all the flavors merge at once. Highly recommend this fabulous treat!”
- “This set is outstanding value! We used this set for a Vodka and Caviar tasting party we were having. All the caviars were excellent and the addition of sturgeon was a nice touch. Highly recommend.”
Polina Tankilevitch / PEXELS
The Tsar Nicoulai Caviar Tasting Flight Gift Set is currently $50 off through December 31, 2024. This savings opportunity is only available online, so don’t wait to snag it for your holiday plans before it sells out! Originally $250, you’ll only pay $200 for the best fancy holiday snack around.
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If there’s one recipe you 100 percent need to crank out some seriously festive Christmas dessert ideas, it’s the classic, basic sugar cookie. Some of the most intricately ordained, masterpiece cookies (like pink Christmas decorations, jolly reindeer, and llamas) begin with a simple foundation. Let’s start with this recipe we love for a vanilla-bean-speckled version that’s sure to hold its own under all that royal icing.
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter (room temperature + cubed)
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- 1 egg
- 3 cups flour
Directions
Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add vanilla bean and egg. Mix until just incorporated. Stop mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
Gradually add flour (you may not need the full three cups), and mix until dough forms and pulls away from the bowl. Divide dough into two even discs and wrap in cling wrap, then refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight.
When ready to roll dough, pre-heat oven to 350°F and line baking trays with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Using a rolling pin, roll cookie dough between two pieces of parchment paper to 1/4-inch in thickness, and use cookie cutters to cut out cookie shapes.
Transfer cookies to a baking tray using a lightly floured spatula. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes before baking.
Bake for approximately 15 minutes, or when edges begin to brown. The time will be dependent on size and thickness of cookies.
Decorate your easy Christmas cookies to you and your family's liking!
Check out our baking and cooking classes for more recipes to make at home!
Brit + Co may at times use affiliate links to promote products sold by others, but always offers genuine editorial recommendations.
See our ‘Grammable Holiday Cookie Guide.
Recipe via Vickie Liu; photos via Brittany Griffin/Brit + Co