I always have a little trouble accessing my Christmas Spirit. It was easier when I lived in New York City, I think, because I was always out in the world, wandering through subway stations filled with shoppers and down streets past Santa after Santa. I actually left the house at night, and saw Christmas lights everywhere I turned.
Leaving the house after dark isn’t a thing I do very often these days; once we get back from our afternoon activity and start dinner, that’s usually it for me. And it’s for a good reason: there is literally nowhere in the world I’d rather be than in my own living room (which is usually the case, but especially at this time of year). We’ve been decorating, and cooking, and lighting a fire every single night, and watching Christmas movies and making forts and baking cookies. And with each night that passes, I get just a little bit more into that lovely-but-elusive holiday state of mind.
Did I mention that my efforts to make our home feel all Christmassy are also resulting in considerable cookie consumption? Oh my goodness so many cookies. The problem, of course, is that one type of cookie just won’t do: we have to make sugar cookies so that they can be decorated, and we have to make chocolate chip cookies because obviously, and we have to make Santa’s Favorite Cookies because even though Santa may not technically be on his way yet, practice makes perfect, right?
The cookies you see here (recipe below) were consumed last night (and yes, all of them) alongside glasses of fairlife ultra-filtered milk…because given the amount of cookie-eating going on here, my feeling is that nutritional boosts should be incorporated wherever possible. More protein, less sugar, and no lactose seem like excellent additions to a daily cookie habit, no?
Before I get to the recipe: this is my last post of the year featuring fairlife, and I want to take a second to circle back on the collaboration. You know, sometimes I try out a new product and enjoy it, but then it doesn’t end up becoming an ongoing part of my daily life for one reason or another. That hasn’t proven to be the case here; fairlife milk has evolved from being a product I was simply “interested in trying out” to an actual family staple…mostly because I don’t see why we wouldn’t choose it. So this may be my last post with the company, but it won’t be the last time you see me using this stuff. 100% recommended.
P.S. I’m not “recommending” that you try fairlife chocolate milk; I’m telling you that you have to go do this as soon as you possibly can. Protips: pour some in your coffee to make a nutritionally-boosted mocha, or heat some on the stovetop (making sure to stir constantly, because the higher protein makes it slightly easier to burn than ordinary milk) for insta-hot chocolate.
Santa’s Favorite Cookies
What You Need:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
- 1/2 tsp large-flake sea salt
What You Do:
- In a stand mixer (or beating by hand), cream the butter and sugar, then beat in the egg and vanilla until well-blended.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and regular salt (not the large-flake). Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the butter-sugar mixture.
- Mix in the oats, chocolate chips, and walnuts.
- Let sit in the refrigerator overnight (or until chilled), and then scoop onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Keep them small; you’ll get bunches more out of the recipe (and small cookies somehow taste better, anyway). Sprinkle each cookie with a tiny bit of large-flake sea salt just before placing in the oven.
- Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until golden-brown at the edges (they’ll look a little undercooked on top; that’s okay).
- Serve with a glass of fairlife milk (and a big kiss for Santa).
This post was created in collaboration with fairlife milk.
