Christmas Cookies

[WindyCityMom]

Am I the only one here making Christmas cookies?  I decided that I'm going to bake them as gifts for family... I'm making about 5 different types.

Chocolate chip, peanut butter, sugar cookies, kolackys, and jam-filled sliced log cookies, if that makes sense!

I'm going to freeze them until xmas eve...so they'll be ready for the next day.  

Anyone?

[Storm Bride]

If I get them all done, I'm making candy cane cookies (flavoured with mint, including crushed candy canes), classic sugar cookies with icing (and I'm melting Lifesavers into the middle of a few of them, for a stained glass effect), pfefferneusse (my MIL's recipe), Nanaimo bars, shortbread, and maybe some mincemeat tarts (I have mincemeat - just need to get organized). I've also done some sugarplums, but I brought those to a homelearning meetup, and I don't have many left. I give baking to a bunch of the neighbours, so I don't know if I'm going to have enough sugarplums to hand out.

hmm...I have a weird feeling that I'm forgetting something, but I don't know what.

[WindyCityMom]

The lifesavers idea is seriously genius.  Now I know what to do with that leftover halloween candy!

[Viola]

I need to make cookies for church, but I'm still trying to decide what to make.

[jess in hawaii]

Storm Bride- Do you have a good recipe for Nanaimo Bars? I loved them when I spent a year in Vancouver a looong time ago, but I never got the recipe and they are non-existent in US cookbooks. Thanks :)

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by jess in hawaii 

Storm Bride- Do you have a good recipe for Nanaimo Bars? I loved them when I spent a year in Vancouver a looong time ago, but I never got the recipe and they are non-existent in US cookbooks. Thanks :)

I'm on my way out to meet dh in a few minutes (winding up some Christmas shopping and misc. errands). I'll try to remember to post it when I get back. It's my mom's old recipe and they're really, really yummy.

I actually just bought a new Christmas cookie cookbook this year, and it had "Nanaimo bars" in it, but they're totally wrong. They're only one layer, and the layer is nothing like any of the three layers in real Nanaimo bars. I'm not sure where the author got it.

[Storm Bride]

Okay - here it is.

Nanaimo Bars

Crust

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup sugar

5 Tbsp cocoa

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

2 cups graham wafer crumbs

1 cup coconut

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Combing graham wafer crumbs, coconut and walnuts in a large bowl.

Combine butter, sugar, cocoa, vanilla and egg in bowl over boiling water. Stire utnil butter is melted, and the mixture resembles a thin custard. Add to crumb mixture in bowl. Mix well, then press firmly into a 9" X 9" pan. (You can make them in an 8" X 8" pan, but they're very thick.)

Middle layer

1/4 cup milk

3 Tbsp milk

2 Tbsp custard powder

2 cups sifted icing sugar

Blend custard powder into milk. Then, cream all ingredients together. Blend thoroughly, and spread over base layer. Let stand at least 15 minutes to harden.

Top layer

3 squares semi-sweet chocolate

1 square unsweetened chocolate

1 Tbsp butter

Melt all ingredients together in a double boiler, and spread over custard layer. Let set. Cut into squares.

You can mix up your proportions of semi-sweet to unsweetened on the top layer. I prefer it with two of each, but that's a little bitter for most of my family. The middle layer is so sweet that a slightly tart/bitter top appeals to me.

[jess in hawaii]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU Storm Bride 22 years I've been wanting to make these!

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by jess in hawaii 

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU Storm Bride 22 years I've been wanting to make these!

You're more than welcome. I hope they turn out well. (Make sure you press the bottom layer down really firmly. The first couple of times I made them - probably close to 22 years ago, actually - they crust crumbled badly when I took them out of the pan.)

[Viola]

I made 5 kinds of cookies:  rolled sugar cookies, peppermint crescents, Chocolate caramel-filled, snickerdoodles, and chocolate-glazed toffee bars.  I made them Thursday, Friday and Saturday night.  I was making cookies right up until I walked out the door for church, and had to finish them up when I got home.  I agreed to take cookies for church today, and I only brought 8 dozen which was almost just enough.  I could have gotten rid of more chocolate-glazed toffee bars if I had had them. :-)

[angelabarnes38]

I also made some for this Christmas, and at times I make them for birthdays as gifts.