Posting this with a forward that while I do a lot of holiday baking, I also curb what I eat of it! (have to say that to make myself not look like a hypocrite of my “Healthy Eating During Holidays” thread.
So how’s the holiday baking going? What’s baked? What’s left?
We have baked six cookie varieties. 7 layer bars, lemon bars, almond joy cookies, pb kisses, reeses pb cookies, gingerbread cookies. I’ve decided to buy the baklava instead of making it and still have cut outs to do. I don’t do any candy. MAY add in another cookie if time.
We eat some of course, but I also make plates for co-workers, a few neighbors, a couple friends.
And what is your ONE cookie the family or yourself INSISTS to have at the holidays?
I am really late getting started this year–I haven’t baked anything yet, but today’s the day! I’m planning to make ginger-molasses cookies, chocolate crinkle cookies, peanut butter blossoms, sugar cookie cut-outs, saltine cracker toffee (so addictive!), creme de cacao balls (this is one my family has made for years), pecan butterballs, and candied pecans. Yum!
I haven’t baked anything yet but I have made 4 batches of rum balls - 2 with nuts, 2 without.
I plan on making dough today for spritz and gingerbread cookies and freezing it for a few days and rolling/spritzing when my niece and nephew arrive. THat’s all we do! Another big indulgence is full strength egg nog. That will wait until Xmas eve.
Haven’t made rum balls in years. Those sound delicious. So far all I have made are 2 pans of peanut butter fudge to deliver to others. I used to do a ton of holiday baking in my younger days, but decided to let it go because of the additional stress. Plus, H2 is a chips, not baking, sort of guy, so it was me eating most of it.
Still up for sampling though! Have had 2 large family gatherings where there were lots of goodies.
The one cookie everyone insists on is Secret Cookies - so called because for a long time my Great Aunt Edith who sent everyone tins of homemade cookies kept the recipe a secret. It’s your standard ground almond cookie with powdered sugar. She shaped it into tiny little crescents. Basically this recipe except we don’t use blanched almonds. http://www.marthastewart.com/313189/almond-crescent-cookies
I also like my Mother’s sugar cookies The secret to them is a little bit of orange zest in the dough and icing with butter not shortening.
I made some pecan bars that got snarfed up. I have dough rolls for some almond icebox cookies. I only make a dozen or so at a time. And I still have our ginger cookie dough. I made one batch for a party - but have lots left.
I have baked two butter coffee cakes and a batch of Reese’s cup cookies so far and have those things in the freezer. I will make a batch of Forget 'Em cookies (meringue cookies with chocolate chips) one night this week when the weather is good since those are a favorite of my D. D & I are planning to make Pecan Pie truffle balls, a new recipe, on Christmas Eve and I may try another cookie along the way.
Your almond crescent cookies make my mouth water, @mathmom. My mother used to make these and they bring back good memories of her.
I will be making toffee, roly poly cookies (kinda like Mexican wedding cookies but with mini chocolate chips), Hershey kisses peanut butter cookies and of course frosted sugar cookies. Then I will shift to cheesecakes - in my fabulous instant pot (electric pressure cooker) where they cook perfectly and the tops never crack.
Just got back from the very crowded grocery store where I bought my baking supplies to kick off a week of baking. After having a big crowd last Christmas and doing a lot of baking, I was planning to do less this year as we are having a quieter Christmas. I will be doing less but by the time husband and each kid got their favorites requested, which are all different, it will still be more than planned. I thank the store for having Land O Lakes butter on sale for $2.50 this week. That saved me a little $$.
@2VU0609 I made those last night! We call them Forgotten Meringues. I had made some lemon curd early in the week for a cake so had egg whites to use up.
@missbwith2boys I make a similar cookie (Mexican wedding cookies) but put a Hershey kiss in the middle.
I will be making chocolate chip, chocolate w/ butterscotch chips, and meringue cookies. They are the three have-to-make in my family, and by this time, the only ones. I’ll probably get them done on Christmas Eve–too much grading to do still!
1 box vanilla wafers, about 2 1/2 cups
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
2 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup light corn syrup
3 ounces dark rum
Crush the vanilla wafers fine in your Cuisinart or blender (I used my old blade because that plastic one just wouldn’t cut it!). I pour them through a strainer into a large bowl to filter out any large pieces. I use the same strainer to add the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. For the nuts, I use chopped pecans that I first pan toast with a bit of salt and sugar. Add the nuts now and blend it all. Pour the corn syrup and rum all at once and have fun stirring for a while. It should be thick and gooey. If it’s at all dry, add a bit more rum. (I usually use Myers Jamaican). A box of vanilla wafers is slightly more than 2 1/2 cups so you might need a bit more rum!
I usually do 2 batches at once, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and leave it in the refrigerator overnight so it firms up. The next day, take spoonfuls and roll them into a ball, and then roll them in a bowl of powdered sugar until they are well coated. Pile them up in a container and keep in it the refrigerator. They get better with age, just like us!
I’ve made and dropped off fruitcakes to the neighbors closest to us (six houses) and then dropped off cookies to the next group of close homes (twelve houses). Cookies also went the school front offices, it was sweet to see how excited the high school front office was to get homemade cookies; I guess they don’t see nearly the same amount of this stuff as the elementary schools do.
Cookies/bars from this year:
gingerbread men
sugar cookie cut outs
jewel thumbprints (apricot and raspberry)
date balls
chocolate walnut fudge
rice crispy treats
anise shortbread
magic bars
I usually also make caramel/chocolate dipped pretzels but haven’t gotten into gear on that. Not sure its going to happen with the limited time remaining and the number of school/office events still left to get through. That might be a over break activity for the children to do with friends.
