So I finally got off my duff today and did my meagre contribution to the Christmas Family Baking™
My sister made her always wonderful shortbread cookies. A mainstay for the last couple years, but a good one.
Me? I did something a wee bit different. I made White Chocolate Coffee Bark and Mini Cheesecake Tarts. Damned if it wasn’t fun.
The Chocolate Coffee stuff is like chocolate covered coffee beans, but kicked up a few notches. I took some white chocolate, mixed in some minty coffee beans, added some mint extract (I love mint… can you tell?) and then some red and green chocolate. Melted and mixed it all together and poured it out onto wax paper to make a barkish/clodhopperish treat. Normally I’m not one to toot my own horn, but this stuff kicks major buttocks! I wish I had made twice as much. My family and the people at work will all be floored by it.
And the cheesecakes? Hmmmm… I don’t know how they will be. I just took them out of the oven as they started cracking. I had no idea how long to bake them, so I have my fingers crossed that turned out. I made all different kinds. Spiced Apple, Raspberry, White Chocolate, Mint Chocolate, and Kahlua. It should be quite interesting. If they turned out, my diet may well be ruined…
Its a good thing baking is one my hobbies ( as well as weight lifting and giving massages. I’m single too… ;)) so it was a blast and already I can’t wait till the next holiday to outdo myself.
Now that I’ve gotten the ball rolling, Anyone else doing/done some baking? Any good recipes or stories?
Nothing exciting, just the traditional stuff I can’t NOT make or someone will be disappointed: snowballs[AKA Russian teacakes] gingerbread cookies, snickerdoodles, vanilla/chocolate pinwheels, pizzelles,shortbread,and various cutout cookies. Fortunately, most of them are done. It’s a real luxury to be able to throw together a cookie tray at a moment’s notice. The big dessert of the season, though, will be a magnificent bread pudding[Maida Heatter’s recipe] I used to make trifle for our neighborhood Christmas dinner, and it was always well received. One year I switched to bread pudding, and it has become mandatory. Please don’t be put off by horribly gloppy or rubbery bread puddings you’ve suffered through since childhood. This stuff is ethereal. I’m always reminded of the statement supposedly made by Dom Perignon, the monk who is credited with inventing sparkling wine or champagne-“Come brothers, I am drinking stars.” If you can stand the tedious prep, you will be in store for a rare treat. Don’t skimp on the whipped cream, make it a real heart stopper!
I made these cookies last year with oranges and lemons and believe it or not- the two different types of cookes used up the entire citrus fruit- peel and all ( ok maybe not the pith)
Now I feel like my baking is boring! The family expects the following, though, so they’re what I produce:
Spiced sugar cookies (in Christmas shapes, with red/green sprinkles)
Chocolate chip cookies with walnuts
M&Ms cookies without walnuts (it’s the same basic cookie recipe)
Fruit breads (this year it’s pumpkin and zucchini)
Raisin bread (for Christmas breakfast)
Cherry pie (for Christmas dinner)
The entirety of my Christmas baking this year is Swedish butter cookies from a cookie press with sprinkles on them and yay. I’m making batches and batches of them because they are not very large. When I was at home with my mom we made those, in addition to chocolate chip cookies, apple pie, pumpkin bread, chocolate chip muffins for Christmas morning, and German chocolate cake.
Damned if it wasn’t fun.
