Then again, making cookies is about more than the final product for me. I'm able to turn on Christmas music or movies while I bake and get into the holiday spirit. Spending time in the kitchen always makes me happy, and rolling dough, cutting shapes, icing, and decorating is even more fun. This first year away from my family is pretty weird. It's Christmas in the stores and on the streets, yet I'm without the things that usually signal Christmas for me. Baking cookies gets me closer. I may not get to share these treats with some of the people I love and care about, but they're all on my mind.
The list:
Lebkuchen- This traditional German cookie has all the warm spice I love in gingerbread, but it's soft. A winner for me because there are very few crisp cookies I enjoy, and therefore don't like the standard gingerbread man.
Pistachio Linzers- Gotta love the jam experience in a linzer cookie, and the ground pistachio in this dough just takes it up a notch.
Rosemary and Nut Shortbread- I made this shortbread dough with brown sugar, walnuts, pine nuts, rosemary and lemon zest. I love rosemary and these are a perfect not-too-sweet cookie. They have just the right amount of chew and crunch.
Sparkling Ginger Chip Cookies- A recipe from 101 Cookbooks that were too pretty to pass up. Still on my to-do list, and I'm looking forward to this one.
Triple Chocolate Cherry Cookies- Well really, how could I not have a least one cookie that was a chocolate overload. It was a must. Both cocoa powder and melted chocolate for the dough, and dark chocolate and white chocolate chips stirred in with the dried cherries. Yum.
Carrot Cookies- A nod to Grammy. I love it when she makes these, and had to try it myself. One of my favorite little recipes from the Junior Social Workers' cookbook.
Cream Cheese Brownies- A request from a special someone for tradition's sake. Hope this version is everything he remembers.
Coconut Joy Candies- Coconut had to be on this list somewhere. Bite size candies...that can be dangerous.
White Chocolate Popcorn- This is a stupidly easy thing to do, but the salty sweet is addictive. Great for munching on while cooking a Christmas meal.
That's the rundown. I'll let my friends choose they're favorites once they're all ready. For now I'm enjoying the baking.
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Hey Caroline, do you have any tips on melting chocolate chips? My favorite Christmas cookie was one my mom called gypsies- it was just chocolate and butterscotch chips melted together then poured over chow mein noodles and spanish peanuts. I tried three times this Christmas to make them, But my microwave wouldn't melt the chocolate- it would just kind of bunch up. Any help?
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