It's always fun to see movies turn into Christmas classics so that you can add them to your yearly holiday repetoire of films. There are the serious movies that I love: It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, A Christmas Carol (the George C. Scott version, naturally). The classic cartoons: How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Charlie Brown Christmas. The creepy puppet ones from the 70s like Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer that I used to like as a kid, but now freak me out as an adult because Santa is so mean to Rudolph, I don't get why an elf wants to be a dentist, and that Jack Frost character is very disturbing. And then there are the funny holiday classics that may not be that old in comparison to the other movies on this list, but are my favorites. Scrooged (brilliant), Home Alone (1 and 2 of course... let's not mention the 3rd one), and most importantly and the newest on the list of Christmas Classics, Elf.
I can't get enough of this movie. No matter how many times I watch it, I still laugh hysterically at so many parts. I sometimes want to answer my office phone with the greeting "Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?" and can say "and then I walked through the Lincoln Tunnel" in dramatic fashion over and over.
The things I love about this movie are almost too numerous to list, but I'm going to try any way.
The guy who plays the store manager is brilliant. I always repeat the lines, "Code word is 'Santa's got a brand new bag", or his demand of long ribbons on christmas wrapping.
Store Manager: "Six inch ribbons, honey!"
Zoey Deschanel: "But that's impossible"
Store Manager: "SIX!....... inches."
And let's not forget about the best part with Peter Dinklage where Buddy keeps calling him an elf, the comments getting hysterically worse and worse as Buddy goes on, much to Lord Tyrion's (sorry, had to throw a Game of Thrones reference in there) consternation:
"I didn't know you had elves working here!"
"Does Santa know that you left the North Pole?"
"Did you have to borrow a reindeer to get here?"
"He’s an angry elf."
I mean, come on!!! Can it get any better than that?
As I was trying to figure out cookies to do for my 12 days of cookie, for some reason, Buddy the Elf popped in my head. I wanted to stick to the four major food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corn, and syrup. But I didn't want a cookie with candy corn in it, because candy corn, although crazily popular, is just gross. I'll have candy canes in another cookie coming up, so I nixed that ingredient. But then I though of the scene where Buddy is on the phone with his dad as he is pouring a ridiculous amount of candy on top of spaghetti.
There was my cookie.
I decided to make these an oatmeal cookie so that it would hold up to all of the stuff I was going to throw in these cookies. I laughed as I went shopping and my basket consisted of Sno-Caps, M&Ms, marshmallows, pop tarts, oats, and of course, syrup. The woman at the register gave me an odd look as I smiled meekly at her and lowered my head as I walked out of the super market, giggling to myself.
As these cookies came together, I couldn't believe it. With each add-in I threw in the batter, my heart jumped a little... slightly out of the fact that I couldn't believe I was actually making a cookie with chopped pop tarts in it, slightly because I think Buddy the Elf is on to something.
An oatmeal cookie filled with sno-caps, marshmallows, M&Ms, S'mores Pop Tarts, and frosted with a maple syrup glaze.
YES. I'm in love, I'm in love and I don't care who knows it!
Heat oven to 350°F.
In large bowl of a stand mixer using a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugars on medium speed until creamy (you can use an electric hand mixer as well). Add eggs one by one and beat until fully incorporated. Add vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; mix well. Add oats. Add in sno-caps, Pop Tarts, M&Ms and marshmallows.
Using a 1/4 cup ice cream scooper, place rounded circles on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Bake 14 to 16 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool for 5 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Drizzle glaze on top and Cool completely. Store tightly covered.
For the Glaze
In a medium bowl, combine maple syrup, vanilla and powdered sugar, whisk until smooth.