Puff Pastry Christmas Cookies With A Gingerbread Pudding Filling
Are you looking for a quick & easy way to make stunning Christmas cookies this year? Then this recipe is for you! Rather than spending hours on homemade cookie dough, instead opt for ready-made puff pastry and focus your time and attention on making our simple, festive gingerbread pudding filling and decorating the cookies! Making a beautiful Christmas dessert doesn't have to be complicated or time-consuming, and it all starts with this easy recipe. Bring some delicious joy to the world and to your taste buds!
Yield: 12
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Difficulty Level: Easy
Ingredients:
- 4¼ cups milk
- 1½ cups sugar
- 1-2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 4 egg yolks
- ⅔ cup corn starch
- 4 oz gingerbread cookies, crumbled
- 4 sheets of puff pastry
- 4 whisked egg whites for the egg wash
- Christmas cookie cutters
- colored icing, M&M's & chopped almonds to decorate
Instructions:
1. For the gingerbread pudding, pour 4 cups of milk into a saucepan over medium heat, stir in the sugar and vanilla extract, and cook until the sugar has completely dissolved. Pour the remaining ¼ cup of milk into a bowl with the egg yolks and corn starch and whisk until combined. Gradually stir the hot milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture in the bowl until both mixtures have reached the same temperature, then pour the entire mixture back into the saucepan, heat everything once more, and stir to combine. Let the vanilla pudding cool for 1 hour and then fold the gingerbread cookie crumbs into the pudding.
2. Place 1 sheet of puff pastry on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Spoon 6 equal portions of the gingerbread pudding onto the puff pastry, brush the whisked egg whites around the pudding, and top with a second sheet of puff pastry. Repeat the process on a second baking tray with the other 2 sheets of puff pastry and remaining gingerbread pudding.
3. Use Christmas cookie cutters to cut out 6 cookies with a gingerbread filling on each baking tray.
4. Remove the scraps of puff pastry surrounding the cookies. Use a pair of scissors to cut open the center of 2 of the round cookies, pull the slits back to make a sun design, and top the center with chopped almonds. Transfer the baking trays to a preheated oven and cook at 375°F for 15 minutes.
5. Let the stuffed Christmas cookies cool and then decorate them with colored icing and M&M's.
If you're short on time and want to make these Christmas cookies even simpler to make, feel free to fill them with instant pudding instead. What an adorable, fun way to put some holiday cheer on your table this year!