Christmas Baking

Just to show that everything old is new again ... or something like that ... I was going to write about Christmas baking. Found this in last year's archives and the order is almost the same, except that as the last week before Christmas comes into view I am rather behind in the baking. But we always pull it off one way or another.

Anyway, I'm reposting this holiday goodness for anyone who cares to try the recipes.


I kicked off the baking season, as I always do, with a batch of Amaretti. Those little almond meringue cookies that are so easy to make and even easier to eat.

Next were Date Crumb Bars ... think homemade "Fig Newton" for these.

Then I stalled out ... luckily Rose came home and with everyone at work has time enough to take up the slack.

She began with some Chocolate Chunk Biscotti, which are so much easier to make than most people would ever credit.

Next up were Chocolate Mint Filled Cookies. This recipe basically is a chocolate sandwich cookie with a chocolate mint patty as filling. I had some Andes' chocolate mint chip-ish bits and she used those for the filling instead of the thin mint patty. They are good enough but not minty enough and next year we will go back to the standard way.

Of course, we can't forget Mexican Wedding Cakes, which are amazingly, buttery, nutty bits of goodness with just the slight sweetness that comes from a powdered sugar coating.

Peanut Butter Bears (which I can't believe I never shared here ... must fix that soon). They are a delicious, crisp peanut butter cookie that has a texture reminiscent of shortbread somehow. This year we figured the girls are finally old enough not to care about making bears of the dough and Rose added chocolate chips and rolled them into balls which she flattened with her hand. Delicious!

Last up will be sugar cookies, cut into various Christmas shapes, of course, and then frosted in a Christmas Eve family decorating marathon. I am still searching for that holy grail of sugar cookie recipes so tend to try a different one every year in my quest for perfection.

That isn't all the baking though.

Last weekend I made Mashed Potato Dinner Rolls and put them in the freezer awaiting thawing for their Christmas dinner debut.

On Christmas Eve I will make Pecan Rolls, which was our family's traditional Christmas morning breakfast all through my youth. There is nothing like eating those rolls and ripping open gifts while the paper sticks to your hands because of the cinnamony syrup. Mmmm, mmmm.  I never realized until now that I have neglected to share it with y'all. Enjoy!

Comments

Tante Léonie said…
I've been off grains and sugar for the past three months, and haven't missed them at all, but I have to say that these cookies sound delish!
Julie D. said…
No grains? Gee, rice, pasta, bread, oatmeal ... they are all so very good!
Tante Léonie said…
Yes, they are, but I was feeling really lousy for no apparent reason, so I decided to try the Paleo or Primal diet for 30 days to see if it made any difference.

Did it ever! Since eating low carb, moderate protein and high fat, I've seen incredible improvement in all my problem areas: migraines, arthritis, sleep, auto-immune issues, hot flashes,digestion. It's been a mini-miracle for me; I feel like a new person.

I thought I would never be able to give up bread and other the things, and I did have bad carb cravings for the first two weeks, but now they leave me cold -- actually, more than that -- I don't feel well the couple of times I have "cheated".
Julie D. said…
I have a young friend who recently discovered that she is ... not gluten intolerant but I can't remember what it is ... anyway she can't handle gluten basically. She had constant ear infections, was always getting sick, etc. But not since dropping the gluten. Bummer. But worth it to feel better!

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