Last year we all got some horrible stomach bug thing right before Christmas so I did no baking and that sucked, so I over compensated this year.
So far I’ve made:
Pecan and Chocolate Chip Shortbread cookies
White Chocolate Chip cookies
Almond spritz Christmas trees
These amazing Flourless Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate cookies
Chocolate Orange Fudge
the husband made Peppermint Bark
Tonight he’ll make Lemon Squares and I’ll make more fudge and some chocolate dipped pretzels.
We’ve already handed out some of the goodies to co-workers and the rest will go to friends and be delivered on Saturday.
So many good things here! You dopers are so gourmet. I think I will come to the home of each and every one of you to try some of everything. I’m pretty busy, so it won’t be for another 5 days or so, and it’ll probably be really late at night, so you go on to bed, and I will let myself in, say through a chimney or something. Just leave a plate of your goodies out for me… I will reward you by leaving some sort of gift- a few presents, if you will.
I’m still a little bummed about the lack of baking this year. It’s just not Christmas time without my Great-grandmother’s Heirloom cookies (decorated Just right - Or else the ghost of Wilhelmina Karl will haunt your ass!)
So far:
Chocolate Crinkles
Chocolate-espresso shortbread
Vanilla Spritz
Christmas peppermints (like peppermint patties without the chocolate. I think next year I will try dipping them in chocolate)
Sugared Almonds
most of these have gone/are going out as gifts.
Still to make:
Cutout sugar cookies
Pecan Balls
Christmas Crack
From-scratch gingerbread houses (I save these for between Christmas and New Years)
For Christmas morning I make homemade cinnamon rolls. Will probably bake some kind of pie for Christmas dinner. Or maybe a Yule Log this year? Hmmm.
Yule logs are always so fun. I make one almost every year. Family emergencies are taking precedence this year, however, so no fun meringue mushrooms for me… Wednesday Evening, if you end up making one, take pictures, please – so I may live vicariously…?
Not Christmas baking precisely, but on Tuesday I helped my niece bake four batches of chocolate chip cookies for a science project. Preliminary tests were surprising in multiple ways, but I’ll hold off on commenting further until we get the full blind data (not double-blind, unfortunately: She agreed that it was a good idea, but too much work).
I made divinity for the first time this week! I was a bit apprehensive, because I’d heard it can be tricky to get right, but it turned out well. I actually made two batches on different days. My grandfather always made divinity for Christmas, but he’s been gone a long time and no one else in the family seems to have taken it up so I thought I’d give it a try.
Another of his specialties was a sweet pastry we call Christmas rolls. I think he got the recipe from a Czech family that was on his postal route. I’ve never seen anything quite like them anywhere else. We (my sisters and I) made a bunch of those over Thanksgiving.
I made a buttermilk pie yesterday and took it to work for the Christmas luncheon today. It didn’t last long! I’ll probably make another for the family get-together next week.
I haven’t done much baking yet this year, but I’ve started the candy making. I do more of that than baking. Probably because baking is sort of an all year long thing in my head. there’s nothing special about sugar cookies if you make them in April too.
For candy I’ve done caramels, toffee, and four flavors of fudge. I may have to try chocolate orange. That sounds delicious. I’ve made maple nut, orange cream, root beer float, and chocolate so far this year. I still need a batch of peanut butter fudge because it’s my husband’s favorite. I may or may not add in peanut brittle. I bought the peanuts, but I’m not sure I’m up for it. It’s not on my list of favorite candies and my husband is worried about his sugar intake right now, so I’ll probably just skip it this year.
My 16 year old confessed that he’s forgotten how to make fudge, so he’ll be helping me next week. I can’t have a child who can’t make fudge. It’s a family tradition.
Last weekend we made dyed dough cut-out sugar cookies, peanut butter fudge and coconut chocolate truffles to give out to my daughter’s teachers and bus driver. Tomorrow I’ll start making butterscotch pecan shortbread and a pan of peanut butter fudge for my roommate. We’re making iced sugar cut-outs, snowballs (mexican wedding cookie?) peppermint fudge and homemade pretzels for a basket for my brother and his wife and another for my neighbor. The next day I’ll be making a fudge cake with fudge icing and silly pink sprinkles with 10 candles for my baby girl.
Of course the imperfect cookies will stay with me.
I’m usually one not much for baking at home because I do it at work However, since I’ve been out since Halloween with a screwed-up wrist, you’d think I’d be chomping at the bit since the cast was removed. Um, no.
I do make chocolate chip meringues and some kind of bar-that-'s-not-a-brownie for Christmas dinner, however.
We completely forgot we were invited to a cookie exchange this afternoon. Luckily I played with these cookies yesterday (I’ve got a TON of confectioners sugar left over from the last time I made buttercream from scratch), so we’ll be taking those plus scrounging up whatever else we can :headdesk:
Throw the chocolate chips, condensed milk and butter in a microwave safe bowl and melt. I usually do 45 seconds on high, then stir, then increments of 15 seconds stirring in between each until everything is melted and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the extract before you pour the whole mess into a wax paper lined 8 X 8 in square pan. Chill (covered) for at least 2 hours.
I topped mine with bits of those sugary candy orange slices. It’s delicious.
About five or six years ago, I mentioned obliquely to the fam that I’d found a recipe for pecan pies online, made one at home, and been pleased with the results. This somehow became “Homie is bringing the pecan pies!” every year since then.
Used to be that I would hand-make the crust, but this year I’m saying “fuck it” and buying pre-made crusts.
Looks like I’ll be doing a little baking after all. My husband needs to take a contribution to a work luncheon on Monday, so he’ll be getting a batch of oatmeal cookies.
Oh yeah, mostly for the office, but some mailed to friends/family. In the last two weeks I’ve made pumpkin cheesecake, snickerdoodles, sablés, shortbread, Moravian molasses thins, Swedish ginger cookies, coconut macaroons, and springerle.
These are my staples, but later this week I will also be attempting biscotti and Mexican wedding cookies.
I’m on track to more than beat last year’s tally of 700 cookies.
However, since I’ve been out since Halloween with a screwed-up wrist, you’d think I’d be chomping at the bit since the cast was removed. Um, no.