Anyone making Christmas/holiday cookies this year?

Cafe Society
1

If so, what are you making?

My MIL used to send us a whole coffee can full of them, but she’s 89 now and has opted out of doing any major baking the last few years. I could tell my husband really missed one cookie in particular, which turned out to be these age-old Magic Cookie Bars (MIL was a bit vague on what exactly the recipe was, but The Internet Reveals All). So those are on the list.

While not a traditional holiday cookie, I really like these Ispahan Sables, so they’re the other thing I will make too.

I’ve already made what I call Pie Cookies, which I make out of the sweet potato puree that’s left over from the souffle I make for Thanksgiving - I buy a pack of the Keebler graham cracker tart shells (there are 6), make a pie filling using the puree, fill the shells, and top it with a single pecan. Bake and freeze until ready to eat. Top with whipped cream. They’re only a couple bites each, and they are delicious.

2

My Beloved made whiskey cookies, pecan sandies and Sarah Bernhardts this year.

3

I usually make Oatmeal Scotchies to pass out to department heads at our December council meeting but not this year. But I did buy ingredients for them…the mayor is the only person who ever raves about my cookies so I might deliver him a batch.

My mom made these cranberry white chocolate cookies and they knock my socks off! I bought her some more cranberries to make more. I expect to kill a dozen of them on Christmas Day.

4

^^ Those sound a bit like a cookie I had at my friends’ cookie party, that they have every year (well, until this year). They live on the Left Coast, so my first and only opportunity to attend was a couple years ago. It was a cookie that actually didn’t sound all that appealing until I tried one. It’s made with Strawberry Qwik instead of cranberries though: Strawberry Milk Chipsters.

5

Oh HELLO!! I definitely will be trying those out!

6

I am not normally a fan of either white chocolate or Qwik, but those things were like crack. I had to make myself stop eating them, and my friends gave me a bag of a half dozen to take back with me. I put them in my luggage so I wouldn’t eat them on the plane.

7

I made a variation of this popcorn and sent it to my nephew’s family.

8

What’s a Sarah Bernhardt? I’ve never heard of those.

Me, I’m doing my beloved rum balls. I might also do some peanut blossoms, aka Hershey Kiss cookies, and 7 layer bars.

9

Here you go:
Sarah Bernhardt Cakescookies | Just A Pinch Recipes

10

I already made a ton of sufganiyot, which are a traditional Chanukah pastry. They are a little like jelly doughnuts, to the point that a lot of Jews just buy jelly doughnuts, and call them sufganiyot, but actually, traditional ones are a little more like beignets. They’re a little crustier, and can be square. The ones I make are square, because you end up throwing away dough when you make them round.

The recipe I have has been in my family forever, but I made lots of tweaks, for one, to make it vegetarian (I have a milk version, and a parve version, which can be made vegan since I found a really good egg replacer that works in pastries). I also make it now with quick-rise yeast, so you don’t have to let the dough rise overnight.

I have to use three different flours to get a good texture, and I guess it’s to to do with what flour was like 150 years ago. But I have to use a small amount of whole wheat pastry flour, then regular pastry flour, and also bleached all-purpose flour. Unbleached doesn’t work.

Last year, I figured out a flour mix to make a gluten-free version that turned out so well, they were good enough to serve to people who don’t require gluten-free.

I’ve baked three batches so far. I sent some to my brother, and some to my step-father, and one was just for us.

Usually, I get invited a lot of places over Chanukah, and I bring them, so I bake more than twice as many, but no invitations this year, except to a couple of virtual gatherings.

Some years, I make my hamantash dough, and instead of making the triangle pastries, I make crescents out of them, and serve them on other holidays. If I need something for the secular New Year, I do that; I’m thinking of making them just to send to my brother and stepfather. My brother, because I don’t get to see him, so we don’t get to do any cooking together, and my stepfather, because I’m worried he’s going to be alone. Since my mother died, he’s been living alone; at first he wasn’t isolated, though, because his friends were really rallying, but since March, he’s been pretty isolated. He’s not much on technology, and doesn’t have a computer, so he can’t Skype, Zoom, or email. He doesn’t even have a smartphone for Facetime or texting photos.

My brother and I already decided that as soon as we can travel again, we’re going to visit him.

11

Thank you, I’ll add those to my recipe book.

12

I made my grandma’s rugalach recipe for the first time. They’re not necessarily associated with Hanukkah, but we always had them at this time of year. We’ll see if my wife wants to make Christmas cookies next week, but since it’s only the two of us who can eat them we’re trying not to go overboard.

13

I make two types of cookies every Christmas. Italian cookies from my grandmother’s recipes. The first she called Da Dolls, but I think other folks call them Anginettes, at least anginettes look just like them, they’re a cake like vanilla flavored dome shaped cookie with icing on top.

The other is pizzelles, her recipe uses anise seed instead of other flavorings, and I make them on her old pizzelle iron. I think it was originally my great grandmother’s.

This year, I’m making half batches of each cookie, since we’re not exactly traveling to visit this year.

14

I’m rolling and cutting on a pastry board that’s at least 75 years old.

15

Does anyone have a good recipe for eggnog cookies?

16

Made springerle cookies. Normally I bake cookies for work, including triple chocolate cookies, oatmeal raisin cookies, nanaimo bars and old-fashioned fudge.

I’m not making that for the two of us.

17

My mom kindly made spritz cookies - one of my favorite.
I have been requested to make millionaire bars, monster cookies and peanut butter blossoms (with Brach’s stars not Hershey’s Kisses).
I may also make bird nest cookies, mostly for myself.

18

Is that anything like million dollar pie?

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Any good rugalach recipes to share? That might be a nice winter pandemic project.

20

I made a half-batch of boring old sugar cookies cut into dreidel, menorah, and “Happy Hanukkah” placard shapes for Hanukkah. Given that I work retail and this year is crazy than ever before I’m a little surprised I managed that.

Sorry not to be able to offer anything flashier, but in December I run a pretty simple kitchen because I’m too exhausted/busy to do anything more.