I’m sticking to my two standbys - sugar cookie cutouts and black and whites.
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Did you see these? They looked fun!
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I’ve already made my annual gift biscottis (chocolate-almond and cherry-almond) as well as chocolate-dipped sourdough shortbread (easy) for one of DH’s good friends and a large pan of Russian Tea Cakes, spritz cookies, and red- and green-sugarcoated ginger crinkles (all easy) for our friend who is in a care home to share with the other residents there.
No more baking for me. (Do you know how hard it is not to nibble when the house smells like a bakery?)
ETA: I forgot. I spent all of Tuesday helping my 88-year-old mom make her annual deliciously moist brandy-soaked fruit cakes:
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As a sourdough buddy, I’d love the sourdough biscotti recipe
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For those of you who make Spritz, what kind of cookie press do you have? I gave up several years ago because mine never came out right. Or maybe my dough was too sticky?
I have two cookie presses, and frankly, it just depends from year to year which one does the easier and best job.
My personal favorite is my old one with the screw thingy.
I also have a Wilton gun one.
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For spritz cookies, I use the old tried-n-true Pillsbury recipe and my equally old, but trusty, plastic spritz gun. Cookies come out perfectly formed every time.
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Thank you! I might try your recipe with the cookie press that I have and see if they turn out better. My recipe does not have powdered sugar.
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Thank you!
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I make a variety of cookies each year that I send or give to family and friends. I’d kind of like to stop the tradition, but I’m stuck now.
The ones I always make are:
peppermint bark
chewy pecan squares
Christmas tree shortbread
chocolate covered peanut butter balls (with rice krispies inside)
wrapped caramels
Recently I added lemon coconut shortbread cookies with a glaze and red/green sprinkles and those have been a big hit. While everyone has their favorite, it does seem like the overall winner would be the Christmas tree shortbread with raspberry jam. Very labor intensive but always loved, I’ve been making them for probably 25 years. I also made this star bread last year and the family liked it a lot.
I might have to give those pistachio shortbread cookies a try. They sound great!
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I just love an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie! I’m planning on making some of those from my mom’s recipe (which I’m sure she got from Southern Living or Better Home & Gardens or somewhere).
I also might make my grandmother’s sugar cookies which I think is her recipe. It’s very old, probably over 100 year old. My mom was almost 40 when she had me. We have long generations in my family. It calls for a big bowl about half full of sifted flour and shortening about size of two eggs. I’m not really a sugar cookie fan, but I do remember those cookies.
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That star looks AMAZING!! 
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My baking skills are lacking, but I do make Russian tea cakes—my H’s favorite. I also make fritule, which was the only sweet my mother made. She was a health food fanatic and was anti-sugar, but would make these at Christmas.They aren’t cookies, they are more like fried donuts. This is the recipe I use.
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Italians make those too! Fritole! My mom made them every year. Fritole alla veneziana (Venetian Carnival Fritters) - Memorie di Angelina
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Thank you! I use a lot of Sally’s Baking Addiction recipes and she does a great job with directions and photos/videos.
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While I know this is not the real thing (but I do know the real thing is $$$$!) what do my sourdough buddies here on CC think about this recipe? I was thinking of ordering the paper holders and giving it a try.
Why not? Give it a whirl and share pics.
I’ve never eaten panettone that I know of, so this recipe sounds great as I have nothing to compare it to.
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Good answer. 
Is panettone a regional thing?
I’ll see if I can order the paper bread holders!
It’s an Italian thing! I’ve had it for Christmas every year since I can remember.
All the markets have them in the Chicagoland area.
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