Featured in Taste of Home's "Ultimate Cookie Swap" , this soft gingerbread cookie is a delicious combination of gingerbread, Nutella and lime (and no molasses) all rolled up in a festive Yule Log cookie! They are perfect as an edible Christmas gift and ideal for a Christmas cookie exchange!
Heat oven to 350 degrees F/175 degrees C. Line a standard baking sheet with parchment paper.
Stir the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
Combine light corn syrup, light brown sugar and margarine in a large saucepan. Stir constantly over low heat until margarine is melted.
Stir the liquid into the flour mixture, then add the cream cheese. Mix well with a spoon, then using hands as dough becomes stiff.
Chill the dough until it is easy to handle (10 – 15 minutes approximately). Roll the dough out to ⅛ inch thickness on parchment paper. Trim to large rectangle (about 10”X 5 or 6”)- you should get 3 of these rectangles. Trim the edges so it’s a neat rectangle.
Squeeze the juice from the lime and set aside. Finely grate the lime and add the zest of the lime to the Nutella.
Spread lime zest/Nutella mixture onto each rectangle of the dough, dividing between the 3 rectangles (but thin out as you come to the edges).
Start at the long end and roll up, as you would a jelly roll.
Continue to roll it all the way up. It will crack as you roll, but don't worry, as this adds to the 'log' look.
Roll until you have a long log. Keep the 'seam side' down.
Cut each large log into about 4 smaller logs.
Etch lines in cookies with the front and back of a butter knife to look like bark on log.
Bake for approximately 15-18 minutes or until lightly brown on the bottom.
Move to a wire rack to cool for 5- 10 minutes.
Make the glaze:
Mix together the powdered sugar and reserved lime juice. Put the glaze into a ziplock bag and cut a small opening in one corner. Drizzle the glaze over the cookie logs in strips going from each short end to the other, along the length of the cookie.
Garnish:
Place 2-3 pieces of the holly candy leaves and 3 berries on top of log. Let harden before serving.
Serve on a Christmas themed serving plate!
Notes
Expert Recipe Tips
Chill the dough just long enough. If it’s too cold, it will crack excessively, and if it’s too warm it will be sticky—10–15 minutes is usually perfect.
Roll the dough on parchment paper only. Wax paper will melt and stick to the dough when you add the warm Nutella mixture.
Trim the rectangles for clean, tight logs. Straight edges help the cookies roll evenly and prevent gaps in the spiral.
Spread the Nutella thinner at the edges. This keeps the filling from squeezing out when rolling.
Roll slowly from the long side. Gentle, even pressure helps minimize cracking and keeps the logs tight.
Keep the seam side down. This prevents the logs from unraveling while cutting and baking.
Use a sharp, non-serrated knife to cut the logs. A clean blade prevents the cookies from squishing out of shape.
Etch the bark lines before baking. The knife marks hold shape better when added to the unbaked cookie.
Don’t overbake. The bottoms should be just lightly golden to keep the gingerbread soft.
Add holly sprinkles after the glaze sets. This keeps them from sliding off or bleeding color.
Freeze undecorated cookies for best results. Add the glaze and sprinkles after thawing so they look fresh and neat.