Day 4 of the 12 Days of Christmas Cookie Series

For today's featured holiday cookie, I've fallen back to an old favorite. I think I've eaten these little nuggets every year since I was a kid. They were a staple in my Mom's Christmas repertoire and my own kids have been adamant about keeping them in the line up of treats.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Logs are actually a shortbread cookie, jammed with chocolate chips. You'll notice both ends of the logs are also dipped in chocolate, because apparently some people can NOT get enough of the stuff.

Chocolate. As addictive as heroin? You decide.

Up until a few years ago I used my Mom's recipe, which relied on half butter and half shortening. Recently, I switched to this version because I found that everyone preferred this cookie fully buttered up, like high fat octane. I've seen many, many takes on this shortbread, including dipping the chocolate ends in sprinkles or nuts to add a more festive look. I like to keep this one simple- a traditional favorite that feels like home.

You'll notice some of the usual suspects, like eggs, are absent from our cookie ingredient line-up. That's because this is a shortbread cookie, which relies on fat, sugar, and flour. Because really, what more do you need?

Once you've got a dough worthy of a few licks, it's time to get these logs into shape.

I like to shape mine into long sections, then cut them precisely the same lengths.

Because sometimes, uniformity is sexy.

I gave these a quick turn in the freezer before I baked them because I didn't want their shapes to spread. Wish my shape worked that way. Just a few minutes in the freezer before the holidays and those hips will be fine.

They'll emerge just slightly brown from the oven. Let them cool and then it's time for a dip.

I rolled some of mine in nuts. And others I left well enough alone.

Because some people are pretty firmly in the no nuts camp.

And there you have it, folks. A festive little cookie you'll want to settle down by the fire with this holiday, packed with chocolate flavor and the perfect shape for coffee dipping. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Stay tuned for the fifth day of Christmas cookies, coming tomorrow to A Sweet Little Life. Until then, keep it sweet.

And stock up on butter. We're gonna need lots more butter.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Logs

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sifted confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups miniature semisweet chocolate chips

1 tablespoon coconut oil

3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.

Cream together butter and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Mix in the flour, and then one cup of the chocolate chips. Shape dough into 2x1/2 inch logs. Place logs 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Chill briefly.

Bake for 10 to 13 minutes in preheated oven, or until firm. Let cookies cool completely before removing from pan (shortbread is brittle).

Melt the remaining 1 cup chocolate chips and coconut oil over a double boiler, stirring frequently until smooth. Dip one end of each cookie into the chocolate, then into the nuts. Place onto waxed paper until set.