Holiday Baking

[LucyKKG]

Originally Posted by ThetaDancer

Anyone have any new recipes?

Nah, same ol' same ol'! Haha sorry. My family is super traditional on certain things for Christmas. If we do anything "new," it's usually just a revival of a super old recipe.

We always watch "A Christmas Story," "Christmas Vacation," and "It's a Wonderful Life." We always make eggnog and almost always make Julekake and paintbrush cookies.

[AGDee]

I can't wait to do my holiday baking this year! It will have to wait until I finish my class.. December 7th is the last day, but I'm hoping to finish everything up early!

[xxstardust]

I don't come home from school until December 16th this year, so I'm going to have to cram a TON of baking into just a week! :[ My Christmas cookie list so far:

Chocolate Chip cookies

Sesame cookies

Biscotti

Oatmeal cookies

Krumkake

Brownies

Rainbow cookies

Butter cookies

Snickerdoodles

Gingerbread

Chocolate mint cookies

Amaretto Bars

Raspberry Shortbread Window cookies

Meringue cookies

I'm figuring that's somewhere in the ballpark of 22-24 dozen cookies .. and I'm really afraid it's not going to be enough! I also make matzoh candy, chocolate truffles, and smores on a stick, as well as a cake or cheesecake. I'm the family baker, and now that I've got the boyfriend's side of the family for holidays too I am up to my ears in flour and icing! I love it, though, so no worries.

[AGDee]

Bumping because it is that time of year

I am looking for a thumbprint cookie recipe that does not have nuts. Someone gave me oodles of homemade jam and I would love to use it for cookies but I'm trying to find another cookie that my daughter can have. Anyone?


Nevermind, I found one

http://www.peanutallergy.com/content...-cookie-recipe

[WCsweet<3]

I've never made any with coconut on top, but I have made this recipe:

http://www.joyofbaking.com/LemonBars.html

It's delicious if you are willing to try it without the coconut. The website is really informative too.

[JDCookMS]

Here's a couple of my favorite recipes that the guys in my fraternity love:

These are simply milk chocolate bite-sized brownies, covered with white chocolate and drizzled with dark chocolate...

Gagic Brownies

Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar.
1/3 cup butter. (5 and 1/3 tablespoons)
2 teaspoon water.
4 Cups (one regular package) milk chocolate chips.
4 Cups (one regular package) white chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla.
2 eggs.
3/4 cup flour.
1/2 tablespoon salt.
1/4 teaspoon baking soda.
3 teaspoon shortening

Cooking:
1. Bring the sugar, butter, and water to a boil. Then remove from heat.
2. Add 1 cup (half the package) of chocolate chips and the vanilla. Stir until smooth and let sit for 5 minutes.
3. Add eggs to mixture (one at a time).
4. Add flour, salt, baking soda and the rest of the bag of chocolate chips.
5. Bake at 355 for 35 minutes
6. Take straight from oven and put into the freezer for 40 minutes.
7. Use a butter knife and cut into bite sized chunks

Coating:
1. Melt the white chocolate chips (in the microwave in a bow, 10-20 second intervalsl) and add shortening halfway through the melting process
2. Take a plastic fork and break the middle two tongs off. Use the fork to dip the brownies into the coating mixture. (or you could sit it into the coating and use a plastic spatula to ensure even covering)
3. Put the brownies onto a baking sheet covered in wax paper.
4. Decorate immediately. (the dark chocolate was some extra dark chocolate chips I had that I melted and put into a piping bag)

Some other decorating things you could do is use a gumdrop on top, a fresh strawberry would go well with it, even maybe some hard candy like a cinnamon disk might go well to balance out the chocolate.

This is an extremely easy Peppermint Bark recipe.

Peppermint Bark:

Ingredients:

1 package of white almond bark
1 package of regular candy canes
1 Tablespoon of peppermint Extract

Preparation:

1. Unwrap candy canes and put into a ziploc bag
2. Pulverize the candy canes into little pieces
3. Melt the almond bark in the microwave (10-20 second intervals)
4. Add 1/2 - 2/3 of the candy cane pieces and peppermint extract
5. Spread the mixture onto a foil lined pan (it's important that it is a foil, like aluminum foil)
6. Sprinkle the rest of the candy cane pieces on top
7. Put into freezer and let sit (approx. 1 hour for a truly solid piece)
8. Break the solid slab of peppermint bark into pieces.

This is just one of those things that is extremely easy to do, yet people who don't know how to do it think you're amazing.

[PandaPrincess]

Last year I made buckeyes as a surprise treat for my inlaws to be and they went over so well, I might make them again this year.

For our holiday staff meeting, I'm making candied bacon chocolate chunk cookies... NO idea how they will turn out. I did a little asking around and everyone I talked too is excited to try them. They aren't exactly my style, but I work with a bunch of super nerdy guys.

[SWTXBelle]

A colleague came up with a great term: procrastibaking. It means to bake instead of doing what you should (in our case, grading). It also works for finals, work-related projects, etc.

[IrishLake]

I plan on making (no baking involved) Oreo truffles, chewy layer mint brownies, and maybe something else.

[carnation]

Originally Posted by IrishLake

I plan on making chewy layer mint brownies

Eek! I first read this as "chewy lawyer mint brownies."

Originally Posted by IrishLake

I plan on making (no baking involved) Oreo truffles, chewy layer mint brownies, and maybe something else.

Recipe for the brownies?

I'm baking for my Secret Santa at work. I'm doing some sort of vegan baked good and then either my signature white chocolate and cranberry oatmeal cookies or brownies.

[Tulip86]

I'm making spiced cupcakes with a cinnamon-apple filling and marzipan frosting, Peppermint macarons and Santa cookies.

[Smile_Awhile]

We had a (sorority) family Christmas party yesterday- I brought homemade gingerbread (so yum!), pretzel bites (like Auntie Anne's, but 10x better), and homemade cornbread to go with the chili someone else made.

And I'm totally a procrastibaker.

[OtterXO]

2 Granny Smith apples
2 cans crescent rolls
2 sticks butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoons vanilla
cinnamon
1 small can Mountain Dew

Peel and core apples. Cut apples into 8 slices each. Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll. Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan. Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir. Add vanilla, stir, and pour over apples. Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve with ice cream, and spoon some of the sweet sauces from the pan over the top.

These are SO good. You can decrease the butter a bit and they'll still be yummy.

[honeychile]

Has anyone tried the recipe for Cheesecake Bombes that was in last month's Southern Living? They looked pretty foolproof, and sound wonderful.