One of my favorite things to do this time of year is to bake Christmas Cookies! Every year, Mr. H. and I host a cookie exchange, and boy have we acquired some great recipes! So for today’s Foodie Friday post, I thought it’d be fun to share the 2012 winning cookie with you: Chocolate Hazelnut Drop Cookies. These were prepared by our friends Dana and James and everyone absolutely LOVED them:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup plus 1 cup powdered sugar
•  1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup of nuts
• 1/2 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread, at room temperature (recommended: Nutella)

Directions:

1.Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners. Set aside.

2.In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla. With the machine running, gradually add the flour until incorporated. Beat in the chocolate-hazelnut spread

3.Using a small cookie scoop or a tablespoon, drop 12 balls of dough onto each baking sheet. Bake until the bottoms of the cookies flatten out slightly, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes.

4.Place 1 cup of powdered sugar in a medium bowl. In batches, roll the cookies in the sugar until coated. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Give these a try! Your guests will love and them Santa may even enjoy finding these treats by the fireplace with a cup of milk on Christmas Eve!

Happy Cooking!