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What to Do With Leftover Christmas Cookies: 8 Tasty Ideas

What to Do With Leftover Christmas Cookies: 8 Tasty Ideas

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Christmas cookies are one of the many holiday delights. However, you might overindulge and make a giant batch of cookies, only to end up with leftovers. This might lead you to wonder what to do with the leftover Christmas cookies.

Well, cookies are a pretty versatile treat. So, if you’ve gotten sick of having plain cookies and milk, there are numerous ways to repurpose them, such as baking them into a different dessert.

Keep reading this article to learn how you can make all sorts of kitchen creations from leftover cookies. Let’s dive in!

What to Do With Leftover Christmas Cookies

You can never get bored with cookies, especially delightful Christmas cookies. Still, leftover cookies will quickly turn stale.

You might give the cookies away, snack on them well into the spring, or freeze them. While all good options, why not get a little more creative?

Christmas cookies are incredibly delicious, so you won’t need a lot of effort to transform them into mouth-watering desserts and snacks.

Here are some of my favorite creations using leftover Christmas cookies:

1 – Pie

The easiest way to make use of your leftover cookies is to make a pie crust out of them.

Gingerbread cookies are particularly great as pie crusts. That’s because they contain spices that go with almost every filling, such as apple, pecan, and pumpkin.

Still, any type of Christmas cookie will work as a pie crust. The best part is that you don’t need to do any kneading or baking.

Instead, you make your pie crust just like you would with graham crackers. Simply pulse the cookies in a food processor with melted butter, and then spread them into your pie pan, pressing them with a spatula or a cup.

The reason this trick works so well is that stale cookies are typically dry. Accordingly, you can add melted butter without the crust turning too mushy.

2 – Milkshake

Are you looking for a cold beverage to replace traditional Christmas hot cocoa? Luckily, you can make the most delicious milkshakes out of your leftover holiday cookies.

Not only does this tasty drink take minutes to make, but it also requires one ingredient: milk.

You can use any type of milk you prefer, as Christmas cookies go with every flavor. Just add a couple of cookies to the blender with the milk and ice, and pulse until you reach the desired consistency.

The resulting drink can either be smooth and creamy or have surprising chunks of cookies. You won’t need to add sugar, as the cookies are sweet enough on their own.

That’s not all. Cookies can be blended into any cold beverage you want. If you want an appetizing frappé unlike any other, just add a shot of espresso to your milkshake.

3 – Cookie Butter

Cookie butter is the kitchen staple you didn’t know you needed. Fortunately, you can make this tasty Christmas flavor in a jar with any type of leftover cookies. In my opinion, gingersnap and Snickerdoodle cookies work perfectly with this recipe.

To make cookie butter, you should blend the cookies until you get a dry powder. Accordingly, the older your leftover cookies are, the better, as they won’t have any moisture. You should also remove any icing or filling in your cookies.

There are plenty of methods to make cookie butter. Some people like to mix the powder with sweetened condensed milk, while others prefer milk and coconut oil for a more buttery texture.

4 – Ice Cream

Who doesn’t love cookies and cream ice cream? Well, if you have leftover cookies at home, you can make this comfort dessert in no time.

Ice cream is surprisingly easy to make. Adding the cookies also means you won’t have to use extra flavorings, further simplifying the recipe.

To make ice cream, you should mix milk, heavy cream, sugar, and crumbled cookies. Then, fold whipping cream into the mixture. Chill for at least four hours before enjoying it.

Here’s the kicker:

While homemade ice cream is a mouthwatering delicacy, you don’t need this extensive recipe. Instead, you can use a soft serve mix, which takes minutes to make.

Unfortunately, you can’t use ice cream tubs to make this delicious ice cream flavor. That’s because you’ll have to melt the ice cream to mix in the cookies, and then refreeze it. This can be extremely unsafe.

5 – Ice Cream Sandwiches

Similarly, you can sandwich ice cream between your leftover cookies. Instead of spending hours waiting for homemade ice cream to freeze, store-bought ice cream tubs will do!

This snack is perfect for late-night cravings. You won’t even need a plate.

Since the main problem with leftover cookies is that they’re dry and too crumbly, the creamy ice cream will balance it out.

You can either make them ice cream sandwiches in a large batch and store them in the freezer. This way, you extend the shelf-life of the cookies.

Alternatively, dipping your leftover cookies in the ice cream might be pretty fun.

6 – Trifle

A trifle is the ultimate leftover dessert. This magnificent layered treat might consist entirely of leftovers.

Yet, you won’t taste any stale cookies here, as the flavors of all the layers will blend, creating a cohesive, delicious dish.

The more layers in a trifle, the merrier. So, if you have other holiday leftovers, such as cranberry jam, cake, or whipping cream, you’ll also get to use them. Still, you might also make the dessert with only cookies, chocolate pudding, and whipping cream.

Making a trifle is as simple as it gets. Start by placing ⅓ of your leftover cookies at the bottom of a trifle bowl, cover with the chocolate pudding, then the whipping cream.

Repeat until you’ve run out of leftovers. Then, garnish with some crumbled cookies and chocolate sauce.

It’s essential to refrigerate your trifle overnight so that the cookies will absorb moisture from the other ingredients.

7 – Chocolate Bark

Though chocolate bark is one of the most impressive desserts you can make—it’s also one of the easiest. This snack is simply chocolate with various toppings.

There are no specific ingredients for chocolate bark. The dessert can be made with white, dark, or milk chocolate. You might also add nuts along with your leftover Christmas cookies. The sky is your limit!

This no-bake recipe is perfect for beginners. All you have to do is melt some of your favorite chocolate and crumble your leftover cookies on top.

Pour the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill the chocolate bark for at least one hour before breaking it into smaller pieces.

8 – Toppings

There’s no denying that cookies are the ideal snack. Even stale or leftover cookies are pretty tasty, whether you enjoy them alone or add them to other desserts.

That’s why you don’t have to think much about ways to make use of your leftover Christmas cookies.

Depending on your preference, you can evenly cut the cookies into large chunks, or crumble them into small sprinkles. Place the cookies into a mason jar to prevent them from clumping together or drying out.

These tiny cookie pieces can then be perfect decorations and toppings for every dessert you make!

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do Christmas cookies remain fresh?

Usually, Christmas cookies will still taste fresh after three to five weeks. However, it’s perfectly fine to store them at room temperature for up to two weeks. Refrigerating the cookies will help them last slightly longer.

Can you store Christmas cookies in the freezer?

Storing your Christmas cookies in the freezer is a great way to keep them fresh for long. In fact, they might last until the following Christmas!

Naturally, frozen cookies won’t taste like freshly baked ones. For this reason, it’s better to freeze cookie dough, rather than baked Christmas cookies.

Final Thoughts

Saying goodbye to the holidays is exceptionally hard, especially if you have plenty of leftovers you’re unsure what to do with. You can keep eating Christmas cookies until March. Yet, repurposing them into various desserts ensures you have a new, tasty snack every day.

This can be as simple as crumbling the cookies and using them as toppings. You might also make an intricate, impressive trifle if you have guests coming over.

Simply put, Christmas cookies are pretty versatile. If you have a snack, beverage, or dessert in mind, your leftover Christmas cookies will surely enhance them.

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