Official Holiday Cookie Thread

[MaggieTheCat]

So, I have the chocolate covered cherries and chocolate covered peanut butter balls (sans the chocolate yet) chilling in the fridge, a batch of soft molasses cookies cooling on my cooling rack, and a batch of soft chocolate chip cookies in the oven as we speak. Still planning on mixing up the sugar cookie dough tonight 'cuz it has to chill overnight. Then planning on rolling, cutting, and baking the sugar cookies tomorrow, as well as making the meringues. Then on Sunday we can dip the meringues and the candies in chocolate, decorate the sugar cookies, and I can try to make some fudge or turtles if we have time. Otherwise I'll do both of those on Monday.

Whew!

[BookstoreEscapee]

I want to try this truffle recipe (I found it in the coupons from the Sunday paper last week).

I got the ingredients but haven't done anything yet. I'm going to make the Choc-Top cookies this weekend and make packages to bring to work for my coworkers. Tonight I bought flour and little containers (actually mini aluminum loaf pans) and green napkins to line them with. I'll wrap the whole thing in plastic wrap with a bow or something. Maybe I'll make the truffles and see how they come out.

[MaggieTheCat]

Those look good. I was thinking about making truffles myself. I got a recipe from a good friend of mine for Raspberry Truffles. Basically the same as the Kraft recipe except you mix raspberry jam in with the cream cheese, instead of chocolate. My husband is not a big raspberry fan, though, and I had so many other good things I could make, I decided to wait. Maybe for Valentine's Day...

[AdminAssistant]

I'm going home tomorrow, so I'm sure that there is a lot of fudge in my future!

[BookstoreEscapee]

Those look good. I was thinking about making truffles myself. I got a recipe from a good friend of mine for Raspberry Truffles. Basically the same as the Kraft recipe except you mix raspberry jam in with the cream cheese, instead of chocolate. My husband is not a big raspberry fan, though, and I had so many other good things I could make, I decided to wait. Maybe for Valentine's Day...

I like raspberries, but I'm not big on raspberry flavored stuff (especially if it's artificial). I would probably try that with strawberry or cherry, though.

[MaggieTheCat]

I like raspberries, but I'm not big on raspberry flavored stuff (especially if it's artificial). I would probably try that with strawberry or cherry, though.

I'm thinking I'll make them cherry flavored if I do them for Valentine's Day. I was considering it for Christmas, but I'm already making chocolate covered cherries, so I didn't think I'd need another cherry candy.

[Der Cute]

42_42_42, my eyes went cross when I read your baking list. Sheesh!

So far this year I've baked and sent out:
choc chip cookies double batch
PITA cookies (I'll post this one)
Banana Choc Chip Bread
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
7 layer bars.

Here is the PITA cookie recipie.

They're really called Coconut Cranberry Chews.

NOTE BAKE SLOW AT 325 F

1 1/2 C butter, room temp
2 C Sugar
1 T grated orange peel (2 med oranges)
2 t Vanilla Extract
3 1/4 C Flour
1 t Baking POWDER (Not the soda!)
1/4 t Salt
1 1/2 C dried cranberries (exactly 1 bag of craisins)
1 1/2 C sweetened flaked coconut
Roughly 2 T of water.


In large bowl, mix butter, sugar, orange peel and vanilla until smooth.

In med bowl, mix flour, baking POWDER and salt. Add this dry mix to the butter mixture. Stir to mix, then beat on low speed til dough comes together, about 5 min. Mix in Cranberries and coconut.
Dough can be dry, so if it's not sticking together, add 2 T of water (one palmful).

Shape dough into 1" balls and put on cookie sheet.

These things don't always spread easily, so you can get an outskirt of darkish brown while middle is golden brown.

Bake at 325 for 8 min, see how cookies are doing.....may need to up time to 12 to 15 min til they are spread out and evenly baked.

I call these the PITA cookies, because I make them once a year, and they just don't like to bake for me. But when they DO work, they're chewy and DAMN good.

FYI I use Mexican vanilla extract. It's more...vanilly than US stuff.. If you can, go for the snob vanilla extract in the spice aisle. It's worth it.

Cutenoob

[42_42_42]

Meh, I actually LIKE baking and cooking (I hope to own my own cafe & patisserie one day). Despite how exhausting it is, you'll usually find me singing pretty much the entire time.

I didn't get everything done that I wanted to get done before we headed up to see my folks (we just got back tonight), but everything that was finished was very yummy, including the things recipes that I came up with for the first time this year.

I've got 2 days now to finish up stuff and put together my gift baskets.

I love the holidays, cause it gives me an excuse to bake like the lunatic that I am. At least we're able to give most of it away. If I baked like this year-round, my hubby and I would be twice as chubby as we are now! (Doesn't help that he's an excellent cook, as well--HE'S making beef roast for Christmas dinner).

[Elspeth]

42, I thought my list for Thursday was bad. Holy socks!!

Lets see the list for Thursday
Red Velevt Cupcakes with Cream cheese frosting
Gingerbread cupcakes with the same frosting as above
Oatmeal scotchies
Spiced Pumpkin Fudge
Hot Butter Rum Mini Cheesecakes
and I swear there was one more

Plus mayo/mustrad/cheese caluiflower

[BookstoreEscapee]

(Doesn't help that he's an excellent cook, as well--HE'S making beef roast for Christmas dinner).

Can I come? Loves me some roast beast.

[CoffeeMonkey]

I'm almost done!

Chocolate chip
White chocolate macadamia nut
Oatmeal with almonds, dried cherries and craisens
Iced sugar cookies
Russian Tea Cakes
Pecan Tassies
Envelopes (a tiny pastry filled with cherry or apricot filling and rolled in powdered sugar
Mini cheesecakes
Chocolate Peppermint
Peanut Brittle
Mixed Nut Bark
Puppy Chow
Peanut Butter Butterscotch Rice Krispy treats

The batter for Pizzelle is done and my mother will put it through the iron tomorrow.
She made the zucchini bread.

I also have to make cinnamon gumdrops for my boss. Never made gumdrops before, so we'll find out how good I am at that tomorrow.

[MaggieTheCat]

The batter for Pizzelle is done and my mother will put it through the iron tomorrow.

Someday, I will get a Pizzelle iron. I love Pizzelles! I have very fond memories of going over to a friend of my mom's/grandma's house when I was very little and all of us making Pizzelles together. Unfortunately, she died when I was around 5 or 6 and nobody else in the family has a Pizzelle iron, so I'm going to have to invest in my own when I get a bit more kitchen space.

42: I love to bake too, and I kinda went overboard with the cookie/candy making this year compared to how much we needed, but it was so dang fun and we can give a lot of it away.

[lupo pazzesco]

I've been doing baking with my mom the last couple of days, becuase she always takes a motherload of baked goods into her work on Christmas Eve, for those stuck working all day. so far, she's made:

chocolate mint brownies
triple chunk brownies
chocoalte walnut brownies
blondie brownies
butterscotch bars

This morning, I spent about 6 hours in the kitchen baking some more stuff for her:
double chocolate chewies
mocha chocolate chewies
white chocolate chewies
butterscotch spice cookies
mini dark chocolate fudge bundt cakes (which, once cool, I'll make some whipped cream, and fill the cakes with whipped cream and cherries/strawberreis)

Sister is in the kitchen right now, making about another 6 or 7 kinds of baked goods, which she asked for my help on, and proceeded to throw a shit fit when I said no, tired, need to sit down.

After I go out to dinner with my grandma tonight, mom and I are baking some more, on the agenda is:
pineapple upside down cake
fudge
peanut butter fudge
rolo cookies

[dalesys]

I found the appropriate webcomic for this thread at Wasted Talent:

Until roughly Jan 4th:
Later on: