Holiday Baking
November 1998 – Christmas….amidst all the hustle and bustle that we are faced with through this season, it is still so important for the opportunity it provides us to spend time with our family and our friends.
At our house, when I was growing up, we had a time honored tradition of holiday baking. Several different varieties of cookies and “dainties” were required, and when people stopped by, an assortment was arranged on a fancy tray to serve.
One or more varieties also make a nice gift, wrapped up in a pretty box or packed in a reusable container.
A cookie swap is a good idea for those who want to have a variety of holiday baking but don’t have a lot of time. Arrange it with several of your friends or family. Each person will bake a large batch of one type of cookie, which is much more efficient than making several smaller batches of different types. Then pack up your cookies and bring them to the “swap” – an evening or afternoon to sample all the cookies, and then everyone takes a variety home with them.
Happy baking….and happy holiday!
Grain-Free Rum Balls
Chocolate Caramel Thumbprint Cookies
Mincemeat Muffins
White Chocolate Cranberry Fudge
Salted Caramel Balls
Impossibly delicious mixture of cashews, dates and butter that tastes like caramel is coated in chocolate.
Maple Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin pie made with fresh pumpkin puree, sweetened with maple syrup, contains no refined sugar.
Peanut Butter Balls
Yummy peanut butter confections covered in chocolate.
Better Butter Balls
Recipe for unbaked cookie balls made with rolled oats, chocolate and sweetened with maple syrup – a healthier version of an old favorite
Coconut Cherry Balls
Pumpkin Fudge
Tasty fudge recipe made with pumpkin puree, white chocolate chips and marshmallow fluff.
Gluten Free Cookie Dough Truffles
For those who love unbaked chocolate chip cookie dough, this cookie dough truffle recipe will hit the spot.
Coconut Balls
These chocolate covered coconut balls make a very tasty treat.
Cranberry Streusel Coffee Cake
Tasty sour cream coffee cake topped with cranberries and streusel topping.
Mincemeat Bran Muffins
Tasty bran muffins with mincemeat – make them for a holiday breakfast or brunch, or just to use up leftover mincemeat.
Carrot Pudding
Steamed puddings are a traditional British Christmas dessert, and in our family it always had to be carrot pudding.
Yule Log
A lovely festive holiday dessert, features chocolate cake roll with whipped cream filling and chocolate frosting.
Grandma’s Shortbread Cookies
My Grandma’s secret recipe for shortbread, a Christmas must-have
Thimble Cookies
These are called thimble cookies because the indents in the cookies were traditionally made with a thimble. If you don’t have a thimble, you can use the end of a wooden spoon.
Chocolate Shortbread
What could be better than a shortbread cookie? A chocolate shortbread cookie!
Cherry Flips
Tasty cookies with a hidden maraschino cherry inside.
Pecan Puffs
Tasty shortbread puffs with pecans, rolled in sugar.
Rum and Raisin Shortbread
Shortbread cookies with the tasty addition of rum soaked raisins.
Apricot Pinwheels
Chocolate Chunk Shortbread
If you are in a hurry, you can use chocolate chips instead of chocolate chunks and they will be just as tasty.
Mocha Disks
Tasty cookies flavored with chocolate and coffee, and rolled in chopped walnuts – great for Christmas, or any time.
Butter Balls
I don’t know where this recipe came from, but it has been made and enjoyed by my family for as long as I can remember.
Velvet Fudge
Rich creamy chocolate fudge – mmmmmm.
Brown Sugar Fudge
Tasty fudge made with brown sugar.
Irish Cream Balls
A very tasty holiday treat for Irish Cream lovers.
Date Balls
A tasty dainty – date balls with Rice Krispies rolled in coconut.
Heavenly Dainties
So easy to make this candy-like dainty – great for Christmas time, or any time!
New Hampshire Seed Cookies
Recipe from my “aunt” in Washington for cookies with toasted sesame seeds.
Hershey Kiss Cookies
Chocolate and peanut butter – always a favorite, and this recipe is no exception. Peanut butter cookies with a Hershey’s Chocolate Kiss on top.