Christmas/Holiday Baking - What Are You Making This Year?

Um. Hmm hmm. You know the rule. *insert recipe here*

I consider myself a good cook, but only a fair baker, at best.

Nevertheless, I will make sugar cookies as usual. I use Martha Stewart's recipe. My daughter and I cut them in shapes and then decorate them after they bake and cool. Neither one of us is very good at the decorating, but we always have a good time.

My husband and daughter have a tradition of always making huge batches of chex mix. My son and I have a tradition of eating it!

My husband also makes an absolutely beautiful white chocolate bark with dried fruit and candies. It tastes delicious as well.

I'm still in debate mode since I don't know how many family members I'm having for the holidays.  I did make my sugar cookie dough this morning and stuck it in the freezer.  Chocolate chip cookies are a must, my DH considers it grounds for divorce if he doesn't have them at Christmas.  

I don’t know, but since I bought not one but two bags of crushed candy canes at Michaels yesterday  (buy one, get one 50% off ... I’m an idiot), it will be something topped with crushed candy canes!

I’m trying to eat low carb and no sugar, so that really cuts into my baking! I’m probably just going to do some different types of chocolate covered pretzels. The kids and hubby love them and it’s something I don’t care about! I cannot make my normal fudge and caramels because that would not be good to have around for me.

I'm not baking anything this year. I'm buying it all.

I’ll make Bon Appetit’s Simple Christmas Cookies with my niece and nephews. They whip up in the food processor with cold butter, so you don’t have to wait for the butter to soften. Easy to cut out and really tender and flavorful. 

Peanut butter blossoms

Cranberry Bliss Bars for Rob

I’ll also make some white chocolate covered pretzel crisps —I love Ghirardelli white chocolate chips with a little coconut oil to thin it out. I also melt a little white chocolate and did pretzels in it while it’s still warm for a snack.

Do you use the larger size cereal boxes or the smaller sized boxes?

Dh suggested I make a chocolate cake for my Mother for Christmas as she has recently become addicted to somewhat fancy cakes she finds in the deli section of the grocery store. I have a good chocolate cake recipe. I've been watching videos, Great British Baking Show and Craftsy classes to figure out what layers and toppings I want to add to my basic chocolate cake. I'll put in some chocolate mousse and probably top with ganache. Deciding whether I want to add a flavor like raspberry to the cake.

We have two parties to go to that require bringing something and they are both the same weekend. I think I'm going to do breads and salad this year since both gatherings have been light on those. I have an honey oatmeal roll recipe that everyone loves and it makes a bunch.

I've decided not to do my annual cheeseball recipe this year because I'm the one who eats most of it. I love it but don't need it.

My DD made me buy a bag to put on top of some of the Mini Chocolate Thumbprint cookies I posted on the other thread. She and DH both said they were good like that, I haven’t tried one myself yet though.

To answer the OP’s question, I made powdered sugar cookies, molasses chewies and the chocolate thumbprints yesterday. My brother made pecan tassies. Today we made funfetti cutout cookies, starlight sugar crisps, old fashioned iced oatmeal cookies, and almond triangles. We may or may not be done yet, I still have a couple I might try to knock out next weekend.

Cutout cookies, chocolate crinkles and peanut blossoms

I haven't made fruitcake in several years, so I'm thinking about making that and trying a new recipe for it (from the King Arthur flour site.)

My mom's extended family is doing a Pennsylvania Dutch theme for their Christmas potluck. I'm not quite sure what that will look like, but it made me think of the pfeffernusse (peppernuts) my grandma used to bake sometimes. These aren't the puffy soft pfeffernusse you sometimes see, but small crunchy bites with lots of spices. The recipes tend to come from German and Russian Mennonites. They need to be baked several weeks before you want to eat them so the spices can ripen, so I think I might try bother the fruitcake and the pfeffernusse this week sometime. I probably should have done them in November! I just haven't been in a holiday mood, enjoying fall too much!

Here's the fruitcake recipe: Everyone's Favorite Fruitcake

I found a few different pfeffernusse recipes and none of them sound quite like what Grandma made, but I think I might try this one and make two different batches, one flavored with anise and the other flavored with cardamom. Pfeffernusse are a thing where everyone has their own preferred spice blend. I'm looking forward to playing with it.

Pfeffernusse

I am going to a cookie exchange and need to make 6 dozen cookies.

I am making peanut butter bliss drop cookies. Our local coffee shop sells the bars for $5 a bar (size of a Hershey bar) and my school team shares one during planning every now and then.

I found the recipe and did a test run tonight-and I think I nailed it!
Peanut butter
White chocolate
Rice Krispies
Marshmallows
Mini chocolate morsels.

That’s it! No bake and the batch I made today made 49 decent sized cookies so this may be the easiest year yet 👍🏼

We add extra pepper and dried apricots to peffernusse.