One of the many fun traditions of Christmas is to leave out cookies for Santa Clause. As many of you may know, Santa is the jolly old man who comes down the chimney to leave presents under the Christmas tree for all of the children who live in that house. In return the children often leave Santa a plate of delicious home made (or store bought depending on how much time “mommy or daddy” may have) cookies along with a glass of milk. For a fun twist on this long time tradition, why not try leaving Santa some fun Chinese cookies this year. Here are some great cookie recipes that Santa and the children who help make them just may enjoy:

Chocolate Dipped Fortune Cookie Recipe
Santa may already know his destiny, but it might be fun to write him some custom fortunes with these chocolate dipped fortune cookies. Tell him how much he is appreciated and thank him for all the years of giving such great gifts. These cookies can be made with or without the chocolate, and can even be made with white chocolate and red sprinkles to give them a fun holiday twist.

Almond Cookies Recipe
Instead of the usual butter cookies, Santa might like to try something different this year. These Chinese almond cookies, or almond biscuits as they are sometimes called, are crumbly cookies similar to the texture of good flaky butter cookies. However, they have a nice light almond flavor to them. This is the perfect treat for Santa this year.

Five Spice Cut Out Cookies Recipe
Five spice is a Chinese spice that is simply a mix of 5 common spices. These are star anise, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and fennel. Most of these are used to make other cookies, with the exception of the fennel; so Santa may be able to recognize the flavors. These cookies can also be cut into Christmas shapes such as reindeer and Christmas trees.

After choosing the cookies for Santa, here is a great way to make a fun presentation. Take a red napkin, fold it, and make several cuts in it (same as if you were making a snowflake.) Then place it on the plate and put the cookies on top. I hope you all have a creative, and most importantly – fun, and Merry Christmas - enjoy!