Quick And Easy Santa Gnome Cookies Just In Time For The Holidays
Our Santa Gnome Cookies are so fun and whimsical that they will prove once and for all that there’s truly Gnome Place
Like Home for the Holidays. I defy anyone not to smile whenever they see these magical makers of merriment and mischief and our Santa Gnome Cookies are the perfect way to kick off the holiday break at home with the kids. They are easy enough to make even with the younger members of the family and perfect for some surprise last-minute fun. Did you know that Gnomes are actually known as symbols of good luck? Originally, gnomes were thought to provide protection, especially of buried treasure and minerals in the ground. They are still used today to watch over crops and livestock, often tucked into the rafters of a barn or placed in the garden. These small magical creatures are half-human, half fantasy and are most often discovered as garden ornaments that stand between one and two feet high, with pointy hats.
Gnomes may seem like a recent garden ornament trend, but they were actually first mass-produced in 1872 in Germany. Back then they were called Gartenzwerge or garden dwarfs.
Should you ever find yourself on a road trip, make sure to visit West Putford in North Devon, UK, where you can find the whimsical Gnome Reserve and Wild Flower Trail, which at last count is home to 2,042 gnomes which actually broke a Guinness world record, but it’s not the only gnome related record breaker in the UK. In November 2011 BBC Hereford and Worcester hit the record books for the largest gathering of people dressed as gnomes. Now that you know the backstory of these fun and magical beings, it’s time to taste the magic for yourself and create a batch or two of your very own Santa Gnome Cookies.
Santa Gnome Cake Mix Cookies
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10-12 minutes
Time: 25-27 minutes
Level: Medium
Servings: 24
Ingredients:
● 1 15.25oz box red velvet cake mix
● 2 eggs
● ¼ all-purpose flour
● ½ c vegetable oil
● 1-2 c (or more if needed) red candy wafer melts
● 1 16oz container of cream cheese frosting
● 24 sugar cones
● 1 c red sugar sprinkles
● 24 mini marshmallows
● 1 family size package Peanut Butter M&M’s (Plain M&M’s or gumdrops can also be used)
● Medium cookie scoop (2 tbsp)
*Not pictured in the ingredients photo, but helpful tools: parchment paper, aluminum foil, and pastry bag or quart size freezer bag
Directions:
1. preheat oven to 350℉. In a large mixing bowl add the cake mix, flour, eggs, and oil. Blend until well incorporated, but be careful not to over mix.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a medium (2 tbsp) cookie scoop, scoop the dough onto the baking sheet, approximately 2-3” apart.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until cookies are set. Let cool on the pan for a few minutes, then move to a cooling rack.
3. Line another baking sheet with parchment paper (or to save paper and dishes, re-use the baking sheet from your cookies once completely cooled).
Pour red sugar sprinkles on a small flat plate. Place ⅓ c of the red candy wafer melts in a glass bowl, and heat according to package instructions. Once fully melted, pour the candy melts at the bottom of the parchment-lined pan.
Roll a piece of aluminum foil up, and place it inside of a sugar cone, leaving some hanging out to use as a handle. Holding the foil “handle”, roll the cone in the red candy melts. In order to fully cover the cone, I used a silicone spatula to help spread the candy melts evenly.
Then immediately roll the cone in the red sugar sprinkles. Dip the tip of the cone back in the candy melts, and then top with one mini marshmallow. Place the finished hat at the top of the parchment-lined pan to set. Repeat the process for the remaining cones. The candy wafer melts harden pretty quickly, which is why I only heated ⅓ c at a time.
4. Open a pastry or quart size freezer bag, and drape it over your hand. Fill the bag with cream cheese frosting. If using a pastry bag, use a wide tip. If using a freezer bag, cut the end of the bag at an angle.
Pipe frosting around the outer rim of the cookie. Place the cone hat onto the frosting to secure it to the cookie. Pipe a frosting beard onto the bottom of the cone hat, connecting to the cookie. Immediately place a Peanut Butter M&M on the beard as the “nose”.
I used the brown and green M&M’s, but I think using all the colors would be really cute. Let the frosting set, and then enjoy your Santa Gnome Cookies!
The best part of this easy recipe for Santa Gnome Cookies is that it’s so easy to change up for other holidays. Use pastel colors for Easter, green, and shamrocks for St. Patrick’s Day, the different ways that you can change these up for every occasion is only limited by your imagination. Now the only decision left is after you’ve made your Santa Gnome Cookies do you eat them from top to bottom or bottom to top? What other gnome creations have your made?
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