What's 4 Dinner, by Marie: Peanut Santa Cookies

14th cookie in my Christmas Cookie Series.

Just silly and cute. I use them more for decoration than as an actual Christmas Cookie.

12 oz. white chocolate for dipping

1 16oz. package of Nutter Butter cookies

Red sugar

white chocolate chips

miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips

red hot candies

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Directions:

Dip cookies into white chocolate and then into red sugar to create the hat. Allow to harden. Slipping the tray into the fridge really speeds things up. Then dip the other side into white chocolate to create the beard. Allow to harden. Then decorate as the picture shows.

The original recipe calls for dipping each little candy piece into the melted white chocolate and then attaching. I find it MUCH easier and faster to put a dot of royal icing and then putting candies on. I've shown both here, you choose whichever works better for you.

White chocolate chip is Santa's hat puff.

Two miniature chocolate chips as eyes.

One red hot as his mouth.

I even played this time at making snowmen. That was fun. I just dipped far enough on both sides that it covered the cookie completely. Let the kids help. You never know what they'll come up with!

Have fun! :D

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Step By Step:

Gather supplies...

Dip one end into the melted white chocolate. Feel free to scrape some off the bottom. What's on top and sides will ooze down anyways. If you leave too much on, it puddles on the paper and doesn't look as nicely shaped. I just scrape the bottom across the plastic chopstick I'm using as a stir, as I pull it up out of the chocolate.

After the first dip into the chocolate, it goes into the red sugar. Now, I won't say dip. If you shove the wet chocolate into the sugar, the sugar pushes the chocolate up. I lay the wet cookie tip into the sugar and then pull sugar up over the cookie with the edge of a spoon. Then shake it off a tad and back onto the paper.

After a short stint in the fridge to chill the melted chocolate, I dip the other side. This is the beard side of Santa.

Once the tray is done, back into the fridge for 5 minutes.

Here is where I try dripping little amounts of melted chocolate off the coffee stir onto Santa's face for eyes and mouth. Messy and uncontrollable, for the most part. And time consuming.

Now put on face...

White chip for Santa's hat puff....

Here's MY preferred method. Royal icing in a pastry bag. Boink, boink, boink. Fast, easy, much more direct. Right where I want them, a precise amount.