This Holiday Nuggets cookie recipe has been a holiday baking favorite in the RecipeGirl family for over 40 years.
I remember growing up with these guys. Yep, that means my Mom has been baking Holiday Nuggets for over 40 years for our family. They’re kind-of, sort-of like snowball cookies… except they’re a bit flatter… still covered with powdered sugar and added-sprinkles for holiday effect.
My Mom was a very good baker, and she often involved me in the process. That’s probably why I developed my love for being in the kitchen. She didn’t create recipes, but she was good at collecting the best ones. I’m not sure where this one originated, but it’s one of those classic holiday cookie recipes that we’ve had around for a long time.
They’re definitely the sort of cookie that you always want to make sure you have on your holiday cookie platters. Everyone reaches for cookies covered in powdered sugar, and sprinkles are (of course) pretty much irresistible.
Lightly sweetened and flaky with chunks of slivered almonds, these are the kind of cookies that melt in your mouth. The powdered sugar coating gives them an extra boost of sweetness.
Do Holiday Nuggets Freeze Well?
Yes! These cookies freeze well, so you can certainly bake them now and store them in the freezer in a well-sealed container until you’re ready to take them out for holiday munching.
I’m a big fan of baking Christmas cookies weeks ahead of time, and then taking them out little by little as we have guests or when I put together gift bags for friends. They’re safe in the freezer, right?? I’m less likely to eat cookies when they’re stored in the freezer. But they’re not completely safe since frozen cookies taste pretty good too.
Add these to your holiday baking list! The recipe makes a small amount- about 3 dozen Holiday Nuggets. If you want them a little larger, you’ll get two dozen out of the recipe. Double it if you want more!
Here are a few more holiday cookie recipes you might enjoy:
- Chocolate Mint Kiss Crinkles by RecipeGirl
- Swedish Christmas Cookies by Chocolate, Chocolate and More
- Jelly Twinkles by RecipeGirl
- White Chocolate and Peppermint Christmas Wreath Cookies by FoodieCrush
Holiday Nuggets
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup shortening
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 cup finely chopped slivered almonds
- additional powdered sugar
- red and green sprinkles, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Sift the flour and salt.
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the shortening, butter and powdered sugar. Blend in the extracts and nuts. Add the dry ingredients gradually and mix until dough is smooth.
- Shape the dough into small balls, using 1 tablespoon of dough for each cookie. Place on ungreased cookie sheets and flatten slightly. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until edges are slightly golden and they are baked through.
- Roll the warm cookies in powdered sugar. Mix some sprinkles in if you want a holiday look to them.
Notes
- You may need to refrigerate the dough for a little while to get it firm enough to roll into balls.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Is there a substitute to shortening? I would prefer using something else.
I haven’t tried anything else in this recipe, but here’s what I found on the Internet. You can experiment! >> To successfully replace shortening in a cookie recipe, you can swap in 100% butter, but you might want to accordingly lower the liquid in another part of the recipe (due to the butter’s water content). You could also do a mix of butter and coconut oil.
I just made these for the first time and they are delicious… will become a favourite
How do you defrost the cookies if you freeze them??
Let them sit at room temperature 🙂
Will butter flavored crisco work?
Do you think chopped glazed cherries could be substituted for the almonds? My dad can’t chew nuts!
Sure!
Do you freeze them “naked “ or can you sugar and freeze without powdered sugar getting gooey ?
I freeze them with the sugar on. I’m not sure about the gooey part- don’t think I’ve seen that happen.
I made a batch of these and they are delicious ! I was wondering if there was soemthing I could add to the recipe to make them not soo crumbly as you bite into them.
A little milk added in to the dough may hold it together more, but they are definitely a crumbly texture.
Are these soft or more of a crunchy cookie?
They are not soft, but I’d say they’re more crumbly as you bite into them– like a shortbread cookie.
Hi Lori! I love your recipes! Wondering what kind of shortening you prefer? I don’t make many recipes that call for shortening and it confuses me a little. Thanks so much!
Crisco solid shortening 🙂