Santa’s whiskers cookies are popular Christmas cookies among children. Santa’s whiskers cookies are probably named after the shredded coconut in the cookies which make the impression of white whiskers. You can make your own Santa's whiskers cookies in this how to make Santa's whiskers cookies

You will need:

• a mixing bowl
• an electric mixer
• baking sheets
• baking parchment
• plastic film.

• 1 cup butter or margarine at room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped red and green candied cherries
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 2 tbsp milk

1. Cream the butter with electric mixer until pale and light. Add sugar and mix until the mixture is smooth and not grainy.
2. Add the milk and vanilla extract and continue beating.
3. Reduce the speed to low. Add the flour and continue to beat. Stir in the pecans and cherries. Mix well.
4. Divide the dough to 3 parts. Roll each dough to form a log.
5. Roll each dough in shredded coconut to coat the cookies.
6. Wrap each dough in plastic film and refrigerate until firm, for about an hour.
7. Preheat the oven to 375 F/ 190 C. Line the baking sheets with baking parchment.
8. Take out the dough and slice into 1/4 inch/ 1 cm thick slices.
9. Put the cookie slices onto the lined baking sheets and bake for 8 to 10 minutes until the cookies are firm and the edges are light brown.
10. Transfer onto a wire rack and cool completely before you store them in an airtight cookie jar.

There are no clear cut rule of the type of ingredients for Santa’s whiskers cookies. The recipe above only uses the most common ingredients for the cookies. You can add various nuts to your taste, such as hazelnuts and walnuts. Mix chopped hazelnuts, walnuts, and pecans to add to your recipe.

You can also add 3 tbsp of cocoa powder to make chocolate Santa’s whisker cookies if you like. Reduce the flour by 3 tbsp.

Replace butter with canola oil margarine for vegan option. Canola margarine is often less creamy than butter so you might have to reduce the amount of flour you use.