Nonsense Cookies

2020 has been a less than pleasant year, to say the least. Times have been hard, we’ve all been through so much, everything we knew before has been turned on its head, and it feels like nothing makes sense anymore.

So in an attempt to end this very difficult year on a good note, I wanted to somehow translate all this complete nonsense we’ve been dealing with into something good.

How? With one of the best little perks of the holiday season: holiday cookies!

I wanted to come up with something that speaks to the level of nonsense we’ve witnessed this year, but brings some much-needed joy and makes this unusual holiday season a little bit brighter.

I also wanted it to be a balance of timeless tradition and positive change.

This year threw normalcy out the window and upended a lot of our most cherished, long-held traditions. But one Christmas tradition my family and I have is eating chocolate from our stockings while we open our gifts on Christmas morning.

It’s a nonsensical tradition, but in the best possible way. And in a time where traditions have been turned upside down, I wanted to at least keep that going, and even go a little further with it.

So I decided to get a little creative and make some simple chocolate chip cookies and just dump a whole smorgasbord of sprinkles and candy in and on them.

Weird? Yes.

Nonsensical? Definitely.

Awesome? Absolutely.

Oh, and they’re gluten free!

To make these cookies, I used this gluten free chocolate chip cookie recipe I found online and went wild with it. So here’s my version of the recipe!

Recipe

- 1 stick (½ cup) butter

- 1 tbsp milk or almond milk

- ¾ cup brown sugar

- ¼ cup white sugar

- ½ tsp salt

- 1 egg

- 2 tsp vanilla

- 1 ½ cups gluten free flour

- 1 tsp baking soda

- 1 cup chocolate chips

- Your choice of sprinkles and candy!

*One good thing about this recipe is that you can use any combination of candy and sprinkles you want! I used chocolate chips, M&M’s, Reese’s cups, Milky Way bars, candy canes, white chocolate shavings, and red & green crystal sprinkles! (Yeah, I really went all out on these.)

Directions

- Mix the gluten-free flour, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined. Set aside.

*I used Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose flour. It’s a blend of multiple types of gluten free flours, including White Rice, Brown Rice, and Tapioca flours. It also has xanthan gum in it so you don’t have to buy it separately.

- Melt the butter in a saucepan over low/medium heat.

- Add the milk, brown sugar, and white sugar. Whisk to combine.

- Add the egg and vanilla and whisk until smooth and creamy.

*I also added a spoonful of cream cheese to help keep the cookies moist.

- Using a rubber spatula, mix in the dry ingredients until well combined.

- Stir in the chocolate chips and other candy of your choice.

- Cover the bowl and let sit for 30 minutes.

- Preheat the oven to 350F.

- Scoop the cookie dough and place a few inches apart on the baking sheets.

- Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden and the center is set.

- Let cool for 5 minutes.

*Feel free to add more sprinkles and candy!

And voila! You’ve got yourself a beautiful plate of sweet nonsense!

Going nuts with these weirdly amazing cookies has been pleasantly therapeutic, and a great outlet for some good nonsense and holiday cheer after this crazy and uncertain year.

I hope you try this recipe and love it! And I encourage you to go all out and be as zany and over the top with it as possible!

Here’s to some good nonsense!

Wishing you all a happy, healthy, and safe holiday!

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And if you’re interested in more delicious recipes, check out some of my previously published ones below!