Holiday Baking - what are you making?

[mamadelbosque]

So, its nearly that time of year and I'm starting to try and plan out what I'm making this year. Every year I bake a bunch of cookies and buy holiday-tins from goodwill and fill them up with goodies for family for xmas. And so I'm trying to decide what I'm going to do this year :p I always do buckeyes (peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate), but everything else kinda varies by what I'm feeling like :p

This year, I'm tentatively planning on doing buckeyes, chocolate covered pretzels & sugar cookies w/ frosting... but will probably do at least 1 or 2 other cookies/candies as well. In the past I've done gingerbread, pumpkin-chocolate chip cookies, fudge of various sorts, turtles, etc.

[elanorh]

We have standards:

White chocolate peanut fudge

Peppermint bark

Two sugar cookie varieties - a crispy one and a soft/cakey one (both frosted)

Cookie Press spritz cookies

Rolo Pretzels (oven 250, balance rolos on mini pretzels on parchment paper/cookie sheet - heat to melt slightly, top with a nut if desired)

....I always end up with too much but it's so fun to do Holiday baking!  All our recipes are egg-free since dd1 is allergic to egg. 

I usually end up trying another recipe or two but those are the standards we must make!

[mamatoablessing]

I have my annual cookie exchange next week, so tomorrow I'm trying out two new recipes to make sure they work.

Caramel Cashew Thumbprints

Chocolate Nutella Cookies

I'd love to hear what others are making!

[Storm Bride]

Pfefferneusse

Nanaimo bars

Shortbread (should do that soon, actually)

Gingerbread (maybe)

Frosted sugar cookies, mostly because they're fun for the kids

Some sausage balls that dh likes

I may throw together some mincemeat tarts, as I do have mincemeat...but may use storebought tart shells

I found a new recipe, for almond balls, with a glace cherry in the middle of each one. They look like fun to make with kids (the kids would put the cherry in the middle), so I might try them.

I'm forgetting something, but I'm not sure what...although I am thinking of doing fudge this year.

[ollyoxenfree]

Spiced Almonds and Cashews

Candied citrus peel

Gingerbread

Fruitcake

Shortbread

Thumbprint cookies (maybe) 

I'll probably try a few new cookie recipes too, but I haven't decided yet.

[SpuglyRoo]

I have been baking a cookie a week for the past 10 weeks (some of them actually make it to the freezer for Christmas ) with a bunch of other bloggers in a 12 weeks til Christmas countdown.  So far I have made:

Oatmeal Cookies

Lemon Sugar Cookies

Hungarian Walnut Cookies (Kifli)

Chocolate Toffee Butter Cookies (oh, Lord they were so good! These didn't last, I ate them all)

Seven Layer Rainbow Cookies (my favorite Christmas cookie ever! The only reason these have lasted as long as they have is that I am savoring them.  But I'll still need to make more for Christmas, otherwise I won't be able to share!)

Double Chocolate Cashew Cookies

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Italian Fig Cookies (also didn't last)

and Molasses Spice Cookies (aka Labor Induction Cookies)

Actually, most of them got eaten at Thanksgiving, so I'll be making more of several of them along with the last two varieties that I haven't made yet which will probably end up being Cranberry Rugelach and your standard Chocolate Chip (how can it be Christmas without Chocolate Chip cookies?)

[redvlagrl]

I know that fruitcake is a joke in north America, but EVERYONE who has tasted mine loves it. In fact a lot of the haters out there have never actually tried it! I urge you to have a go at making one if you've only ever had a bought one. They are very moist and delicious.

So I am making:

Fruitcake (it is soaked in booze)

Shortbread

Mince pies (DH does the pastry)

Various other cookies

Cinnamon rolls to give as gifts

Christmas pudding for the day itself.

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by redvlagrl 

I know that fruitcake is a joke in north America, but EVERYONE who has tasted mine loves it. In fact a lot of the haters out there have never actually tried it! I urge you to have a go at making one if you've only ever had a bought one. They are very moist and delicious.

I haven't tackled making it yet, but I happen to love fruitcake. I intend to make one in the next couple of years, but I don't want to try it with a toddler in the house. We have very limited kitchen space, and I just can't work around her very well right now.

[la mamita]

here's my list:
-key lime pie
-apple pie
-chocolate chip cookies
-brown sugar cookies from my Amish & Mennonite Cooking cookbook

we're living in the southern hemisphere and don't have access to a lot of the ingredients i would usually use for xmas cookies. like cream cheese for kolacky! or molasses for gingerbread! we might have to do a special Fat Tuesday cookie celebration once we are back in the states...hmmm.....

[jeanine123]

Christmas sugar cookies, cake pops and pie pops so far.  Not sure yet what I'm making for Christmas Eve/Christmas Day dessert.  Might stick with the apple pie tradition but I'm tempted to make a Gingerbread Trifle that I saw in Family Fun magazine. 

[HollyBearsMom]

Belly buttons (minipretzel, topped with a peppermint kiss, baked until slighlty soft and topped with a holiday M&M)

traditional cut out cookies

peanut butter kiss cookies

focaccia-assorted flavors

[SpuglyRoo]

Originally Posted by la mamita 

we're living in the southern hemisphere and don't have access to a lot of the ingredients i would usually use for xmas cookies. like cream cheese for kolacky! or molasses for gingerbread! we might have to do a special Fat Tuesday cookie celebration once we are back in the states...hmmm.....

Do you have access to yogurt?  It looks like you could make your own cream cheese according to this article.  Don't know what to do about the molasses, could you sub in golden syrup (I think that's what it is called)?

[puffingirl]

I used to bake a lot but haven't done much for the last few years, since I already get so crunched for time around the holidays.  DD is gluten-free so we'll make teff-peanut butter-chocolate chip cookies and a gluten-free linzer cookie.  I made 3 kinds of jam and apple butter earlier this year for gift giving, so the cookies will mostly be for us and our family celebrations.  

[Arduinna]

It's just us for Christmas this year so I'm going to stick to the must have favorites, mocha logs, pecan balls, pecan tassies, peanut butter nanaimo bars and chocolate truffles. I might make a bûche de nöel also.

[redvlagrl]

Originally Posted by SpuglyRoo 

Originally Posted by la mamita 

we're living in the southern hemisphere and don't have access to a lot of the ingredients i would usually use for xmas cookies. like cream cheese for kolacky! or molasses for gingerbread! we might have to do a special Fat Tuesday cookie celebration once we are back in the states...hmmm.....

Do you have access to yogurt?  It looks like you could make your own cream cheese according to this article.  Don't know what to do about the molasses, could you sub in golden syrup (I think that's what it is called)?

Treacle is a closer sub for molasses than golden syrup, though golden syrup will make it extra delicious!

[la mamita]

Originally Posted by redvlagrl 

Originally Posted by SpuglyRoo 

Originally Posted by la mamita 

we're living in the southern hemisphere and don't have access to a lot of the ingredients i would usually use for xmas cookies. like cream cheese for kolacky! or molasses for gingerbread! we might have to do a special Fat Tuesday cookie celebration once we are back in the states...hmmm.....

Do you have access to yogurt?  It looks like you could make your own cream cheese according to this article.  Don't know what to do about the molasses, could you sub in golden syrup (I think that's what it is called)?

Treacle is a closer sub for molasses than golden syrup, though golden syrup will make it extra delicious!

No idea what treacle is but it's definitely not at the market here, nor is golden syrup or corn syrup...we have chancaca which is a raw sugar and honey syrup but it doesn't have the strong flavor of molasses so it doesn't work as a sub. I'm cool with waiting until we get back in the US to do gingerbread just another thing to look forward to

ah, and yogurt cheese doesn't have the same taste as cream cheese. different processes to make the two according to my cheesemaking book.

[Storm Bride]

I forgot about Christmas dessert. I'll be making a "Pineapple-Whipped Cream Fluff"...vanilla wafer crumb crust, a layer of butter, eggs and icing sugar, and a top layer of stiffly whipped cream with drained crushed pineapple. It's a family favourite, and this is the only time we eat it.

[ollyoxenfree]

Christmas dessert! I always make a chocolate Buche de Noel.  It's a nice "centrepiece" kind of dessert. It looks like a pretty decoration until you are ready to serve it. 

[velochic]

Originally Posted by la mamita 
we're living in the southern hemisphere and don't have access to a lot of the ingredients i would usually use for xmas cookies. like cream cheese for kolacky! or molasses for gingerbread! we might have to do a special Fat Tuesday cookie celebration once we are back in the states...hmmm.....

German gingerbread is called Lebkuchen and does not use molasses, it uses honey.  If you still want to make great gingerbread, look up recipes for Lebkuchen and I'm sure you'll find one that works.

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For me, one thing that I have to make several batches of over the holidays is BAKLAVA.  My dh is from the middle east and his mom taught me how to make authentic Baklava.  I'm now asked by friends, family and co-workers to make it a few times.  Not hard, but labor intensive and I don't have an exact recipe for it, but do it by feel.

So, to give as gifts:

Baklava

Dd and I make various cookies and mini pies.

I make my grandmother's cinnamon candy (not baking, it's made stovetop).

Granola

Then I make from scratch Cream cheese and fruit Danishes for Xmas morning

Usually try something new that I discover during the season that is brought to an open house or other celebration

[thriftyqueen]

Now that I am drooling from reading about the treats you are all making...YUM!

We usually stick to a few items:

Peanut Blossoms

Fudge

Krumkake

Lefse

Sandbakkels

Chow Mein Noodle Cookies

Pretzels with a Rolo or a Hershey Kiss softened on top

I am going to try my hand at a batch of gluten free krumkake today.  DS has been GF since last February so I have never attempted any of these treats GF.  Should be intersting!!