Kris Kringle Cookies

'Tis the season.  And if you haven't started your holiday baking yet, there's no time like the present.  This simple cookie recipe screams Christmas to me - cranberries and white chocolate - what's not to love?  I've been making this one for years and it's always a crowd pleaser!

Kris Kringle Cookies

            3/4 cup unsalted butter, brought to room temperature

            3/4 cup packed brown sugar

            1/4 cup granulated sugar

            1 large egg, at room temperature

            2 tsp pure vanilla extract

            2 cups all purpose flour

            2 tsp cornstarch

            1 tsp baking soda

            1/2 tsp salt

            3/4 cup white chocolate chips

            1 cup dried cranberries

             

1. In a large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar on medium speed until combined and creamy. (about 3 minutes) 
2. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.  Beat again, as needed, to combine. 
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt together. On low speed, slowly mix into the wet ingredients until combined. 
4. Cover tightly and chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour. Chilling helps to ensure that your cookies don't overspread in the oven. Dough can be chilled for up to 4 days. 
5. Remove chilled cookie dough from the refrigerator.  If the dough chilled for longer than 3-4 hours, let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes to make the dough easier to scoop and roll. 
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. 
7. As the oven preheats, scoop and roll dough into balls (about 1.5 Tbsp of dough each)  Dough may be slightly crumbly but will come together as you work it with your hands.  Arrange dough balls 3 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. 
8. Bake for 11- 12 minutes.  Cookies should be slightly browned around the edges.  The centers will still look soft. 
9. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. 
10. Cookies will stay fresh covered for up to one week (but they probably won't last that long!)

These cookies make a perfect compliment to all of the chocolate treats you typically bake around the holidays, so make sure to give this one a try!

Whether you’re baking for a holiday cookie swap, filling treat tins for friends and neighbors, or just enjoying an afternoon of goodie baking, these Cranberry and White Chocolate Chip (Kris Kringle) Cookies are sure to become a Christmas favorite you’ll reach for year after year. And here are a few other Harris Sisters favorites you’ll want to try next when you need to impress with a new recipe:

• No Bake Cookies (PLUS the secret to getting them to turn out perfectly every time!)
• Betty Crockers Old-Fashioned Thumbprint Cookies
• Molasses Ginger Cookies with Lemon Icing
• Old-Fashioned Butter Cookies with Sprinkles
• Russian Tea Cakes
• Chewy Triple Chocolate Cookies

How to Plan a Country Christmas Party

The Harris Family is kicking off this year's holiday season with a simple Christmas party idea that's easy to put together in no time flat. Over the year's we've brought you favorite Christmas party themes like Retro 1950s, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, and a Christmas Ball.

But this year, we decided to bring you a down-home Country Christmas, which couldn't be easier to do! Here are all the details you need to get started:

Country Christmas Party

Start with an invitation that matches your Country Christmas theme. Because people's calendars tend to fill up around the holidays, make sure to send your invitations well in advance of your party date. If you'd like for guests to come dressed a certain way, add that to the invitations. (That will add to the fun of the party!) We chose to all dress in plaid (boots optional). Where can you find country-themed invitations? Check out Etsy or Amazon for your best options.

Country Christmas Party Menu

You'll have lots of fun planning a menu for this party. We opted to serve foods and drinks that are associated with being from the country. Can these foods be found in other places too? I'm sure they can, but when you're from the South, you tend to associate them with "country" food. If you have guests coming from different areas, ask them to sign up for a food item to build your menu.

Here's the menu we used for our Country Christmas Party:

• Mini Chicken and Waffle Appetizers
• Fried Pickles
• Mac & Cheese Bites
• Ham Biscuits
• Veggie Tray served with Pimento Cheese
• Deviled Eggs
• Cowboy Caviar and Tortilla Chips
• Punch
• Sweet Tea
• Lemonade

How to Decorate for a Country Christmas Party

We used two red buffalo plaid scarves to make a runner for the table. And we chose paper plates, napkins, and serving pieces that were red plaid.

Daddy was the proud recipient of our centerpiece, which was an old, white truck that we customized with front and back license plates so that it looked more like his beloved Pretty Boy.

What Music to Play at My Country Christmas Themed Party

Before your Country themed Christmas party, make sure to have Deanna's Country Christmas Playlist queued up in time for the party. And don't forget the classic stylings of Kenny & Dolly Once Upon a Christmas to round out your playlist.

What Gifts Can I Give at My Country Christmas Party?

This year, we changed it up quite a bit. In addition to giving Daddy our special Pretty Boy centerpiece at the end of the party, we also played a few games for the opportunity to win prizes. If you have a bunch of kids and teenagers in your group, you might want to consider this route too. These games are great ideas instead of buying everyone on your list a present. 

First up, we played a version of the Bow Spinner Game. You can watch directions for how to play here:

The only thing that we did differently, as you can see in our setup below is that we used buckets instead of Solo cups, which allowed us to put larger prizes underneath. Because each had a larger prize, we omitted the Golden Box that was attached to the golden bow.

Emma was the proud winner of an inflatable chicken costume and she loved it!

The next game we played was the Dollar Bill Game. Perfect for large groups, the Dollar Bill Game is a fast-paced holiday party game where guests pass dollar bills around a circle until one lucky player wins the whole kitty at the end. And guess who was our big winner from that game? Emma again!

I hope we've inspired you to plan your own party with a new and fun theme this year.

The Harris Sisters (and our BIG family) send you warmest holiday wishes and hopes for a very Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

This post contains affiliate links.

How to Play the Dollar Bill Party Game

Last Christmas, we discovered a new favorite way to bring a little extra laughter and excitement to our holiday party: a simple, fun game using just three dollar bills per person! Perfect for large groups, this game had everyone laughing and getting into the festive spirit, no matter their age. It was easy to set up, quick to play, and soon became the highlight of the party. If you’re looking for a playful activity to create memories with your guests, keep reading, We’re sharing step-by-step instructions so you can try this Dollar Bill Game at your own Christmas gathering!

Dollar Bill Game (Left, Right, Center Game)

3 dice

3 dollar bills per person playing

1. Each player starts with three $1 bills. 

2. Roll one die to see who starts the game. Highest roll begins the game.

3. Starting with Player 1 and taking turns clockwise, each player rolls the same number of dice as they have dollars in front of them. For example, if you have two dollars in front of you and one in the kitty, you roll two dice. If you do not have any dollars in front of you, you forfeit your turn that round. 

Perform the action corresponding to the number on each die rolled:

1 - keep one dollar.

2 - keep one dollar.

3 - keep one dollar.

4 - pass one dollar to the player on your left.

5 - place one dollar in the center of the table (in the kitty).

6 - pass one dollar to the player on your right.

For example, if you have two dollars in front of you and you roll a 3 and a 4, you keep one dollar and pass one to the player on your left, leaving you with one dollar.

Once a dollar is passed to the center of the table (the kitty), it stays in the kitty. But once a dollar is passed to another player, you have a chance to win it back the next round, based on how other players roll their dice! 

4. Continue taking turns until only one person is left with any dollar bills. They win the whole kitty from the center of the table!

 

Notes:

Make sure to specify that each player needs three $1 bills. Our family misunderstood this, and we brought $12 in the form of a $10 bill and two $1s and then had to quickly make change!

You might want to have some extra $1 bills on hand to make change for folks just in case.

If playing with children, make sure they are old enough to understand that because it is a game of chance, only one person can win. This is a good opportunity to talk ahead of time about good sportsmanship, how to be excited for the winner, and to congratulate them when they win.

You can also play this game with quarters or candy if you want to lower the stakes.

This is a fun game for a group of people. One minute you might be out of dollar bills, but suddenly you find yourself winning again because of how everybody else rolled. We had all kinds of "special rolls," cheering, "Are you kidding me's?", "Big money, No whammies!", whooping and hollering, that's for sure!

We hope this Dollar Bill Game adds just as much fun and laughter to your holiday celebrations as it did to ours! It’s one of those simple, easy-to-set-up activities that can bring a big group of people together and create memories that last long after the party ends. So grab three bucks, gather your friends and family, and let the festivities and the giggles begin!