# Holiday cookies - discuss!



## Ann Herrick (Sep 24, 2010)

Cookies are probably my favorite dessert and holiday cookies are one of my favorite parts of the season. My grandmother used to make several kinds of cookies (and candies) and though I'm not the baker she was, I do bake her candy-cane cookies every year. They are so good and they look so pretty. This year I'm thinking of also making some of her dream bars--even though they are one of more caloristic disasters ever!  

What about you? What are your cookie traditions/favorites?


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## Amanda Leigh Cowley (Apr 28, 2011)

We don't really do 'holiday' cookies in the UK, but I see them on US movies all the time (and I lived in California for awhile as a child). I'll be watching this post with interest because I'd like to bake/decorate some of my own this year with the kids 

Is it possible to post your grandmother's candy-cane cookie recipe? Or is that a closely-guarded family secret


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## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

Yes, recipes!  No fair posting about yummy holiday cookies and not giving us a recipe!


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## Ann Herrick (Sep 24, 2010)

Doh, of course!  

I have to run off to a meeting, but will post the candy-cane cookie and dream bar recipes later.


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

My daughter and SIL are coming for Christmas this year.  She texted her sugar cookie request a couple weeks ago.  The recipe uses powdered sugar.  They are delicious!!
I will post recipe later. 
deb


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## cork_dork_mom (Mar 24, 2011)

Christmas cookies are a MUST in my family. We bake plain ol' sugar cookies (recipe from the Better Homes & Gardens cookbook with the red & white checked cover) then the next day we decorate. That's where the fun begins! I usually buy 2 cans of white whipped frosting, divie it up into small bowls and add food coloring (I've had the same little bottles of food coloring since 1987  ). Then of course there must be the colored sprinkles, those shiny silver balls (teeth breakers) and lots of toothpicks for the details. Even with all the glopping and schmeering they come out as works of art. My son (now 17) always picks out a couple of his favorites to put out the night before Christmas for Santa. And to wrap up such a wonderful tradition my husband will end up with a stomach ache from eating too much frosting.  

I love all the holiday traditions and I love that they're important to my son.


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## LaRita (Oct 28, 2008)

One of our family favorites is the traditional Norwegian Krumkake.  They're made on an iron and then rolled around a form to a cone shape.  We eat them plain, but you can put a filling inside.  They're a real pain to make, but ooooh so good!


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## KindleGirl (Nov 11, 2008)

drenee said:


> My daughter and SIL are coming for Christmas this year. She texted her sugar cookie request a couple weeks ago. The recipe uses powdered sugar. They are delicious!!
> I will post recipe later.
> deb


I make a recipe like this too! They are quite yummy! For the holidays I always make fudge, Oreo Balls, snickerdoodles, sugar cut-outs....I'm gaining weight just thinking about them.


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

My mom used to make peanut butter balls dipped in butterscotch.  Yum.  A few years ago someone made a version of these using Butterfinger candy bars.  I wish I could find that recipe.  
deb


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## Ann Herrick (Sep 24, 2010)

Here are the recipes for Candy-cane cookies and Dream Bars.

Candy-cane Cookies

Preheat oven to 350
Mix together thoroughly: 
1 cup butter 
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 egg
2 tsps. vanilla
Sift together 2 1/2 cups flour and 1 tsp. salt
Mix
Divide dough into halves, Blend into on half 1/2 tsp. red food coloring, roll each color dough into a strip about 4" long. Place strips side by side, press lightly together and twist like a rope. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Curve top down to form handle of candy cane. Sprinkle with crushed peppermint candy (a candy cane works fine!).
Bake until lightly browned, about 9 minutes.

DREAM BARS
1 cup flour, 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup butter. Blend flour and sugar. Cut in butter as for pastry. Pat out on bottom of pan about 10" square. Bake in slow oven (300-325) for about 20 minutes. Remove from over and spred part 2 on top.
Part 2
2 tablespoons flour, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup coconut, 1/2 cup chopped nuts, 2 eggs, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder.
Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, coconuts and nuts. Add well beaten eggs and mix well. Spread on top of baked crust. Return to moderate oven (350-375) about 20 minutes.
When cool, cut in strips.


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## Lisa Scott (Apr 4, 2011)

Amanda Leigh Cowley said:


> We don't really do 'holiday' cookies in the UK,


I didn't know this! You need to import this tradition pronto.


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

Butterscotch brownies are what I am requested to bake for Thanksgiving and Christmas by my family and my in-laws. In fact, my sister-in-law has said it is OK if I can't attend as long as DH brings the brownies. My mother-in-law makes fabulous fudge.

I now use only whole wheat flour when making this recipe. My goal this year is to try to come up with a GF version for my mom and a vegan version for my nephew.


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## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

Ann Herrick said:


> What about you? What are your cookie traditions/favorites?


My only cookie tradition is to eat whatever sweets my mom and grandma send home with me. I'm not much of a cook myself but am happy to be fed by others.  I'm especially partial to chocolate oatmeal cookies, while they're still hot and gooey and have to be scraped up with a spoon.

Check out the Christmas cookie pictures on this blog I was looking at the other day. This lady isn't just a cook, she's an artist. I so wish I could make stuff like this: http://artymcgoo.blogspot.com/


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## Ruby296 (Nov 1, 2008)

I love to bake cookies during the holidays. I make a variety of shortbread cookies (Martha Stewart recipe), Swedish spice, Hoernchen (almonds), Anise Sticks & I make 20-25 lbs of fudge for various family members & my daughters' bus driver.


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## loonlover (Jul 4, 2009)

I usually make cookies for Intinst to take to work.  Snickerdoodles are always included with other possibilities being chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, peanut butter and maybe some butter pecan.  I'm usually cookied out for a while after spending time making a variety like this.  Always worth it, tho.  Our eldest son was the sugar cookie baker at our house; I was never very successful at rolled out cookies.


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## Tripp (May 28, 2009)

I don't bake much, but my fav is Russian Teacakes.  Some call them Mexican Wedding Balls, but that just isn't right in my book... 

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients
1	cup unsalted butter, softened
½	cup powdered sugar
2	teaspoon vanilla
2	cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1	cup finely chopped nuts
¼	teaspoon salt
Powdered sugar

Directions
Heat oven to 325ºF.

Cream butter in a large mixing bowl. Add the vanilla then gradually add the 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Sift the flour, measure, then sift again with the salt. Add gradually to the butter mixture. Add the pecans and mix well.

Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten very slightly using the bottom of a glass, then bake for 20 minutes, or until edges are very lightly browned. Remove the cookies from the baking sheets and roll in powdered sugar while still hot. Cool on wire racks and roll cookies again in powdered sugar before serving.

Once they are completely cooled, cookies may be stored in airtight containers for up to 1 week.


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## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

I found these yummy mint chocolate chips two years ago and now these are my favorite holiday cookie:

http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/143925/mint-chocolate-delights/detail.aspx










TL, I love cookies like your recipe that mixes salty and sweet (and chocolate!). I like chocolate dipped pretzel sticks, too, and they're fun to decorate.


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## MalloryMoutinho (Aug 24, 2012)

Argh, I don't have the recipes on hand, but the two we always make are Vanilla Icebox cookies and Lacy Oatmeal cookies.

Vanilla Icebox are basically just a type of sugar cookie, but at Christmas, we cut them into holiday shapes, decorate with homemade icing, wrap in plastic wrap, tie with a pretty bow, and hang them on the tree as ornaments. The butter in the cookies only make them more delicious as the sit on the tree for a few days. Also, you can alter this recipe to add nutmeg and cinnamon for spice cookies!

Lacy Oatmeal cookies are soooo delicious. Basically, you just cook oatmeal in milk butter and sugar. Then you put about 2 teaspoons worth on a pan and bake for 8-10 minutes. They spread into doily-looking wafers. If you catch them soon enough, you can also roll them. They crackle and break, but they are some seriously delicious buttery sugary goodness!

I'll post the recipes later!


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

I need to start baking now if I am going to get all of these new cookie recipes done.  
I had forgot about Russian tea cakes.  And the lacy oatmeal cookies sound wonderful.  
deb


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## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

Did somebody say snickerdoodles?   Okay, I'm officially hungry.


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## CoraBuhlert (Aug 7, 2011)

I've got a big stack of cookie recipes and I'll definitely be making oatflake cookies with chocolate chips and dried cranberries. Probably some other cookies, too.


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## CoraBuhlert (Aug 7, 2011)

In the past two days, I made butter cookies, oatflake cookies with dried fruit and spicy nut balls.


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## Ann Herrick (Sep 24, 2010)

CoraBuhlert said:


> In the past two days, I made butter cookies, oatflake cookies with dried fruit and spicy nut balls.


Mmm, butter cookies!

I think this is the second time I've seen oatflake cookies mentioned. There used to be a cereal called Oatflakes )but I don't think it's made any more). Are oatflake cookies related to Oatflakes in any way?


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

CoraBuhlert said:


> I've got a big stack of cookie recipes and I'll definitely be making oatflake cookies with chocolate chips and dried cranberries. Probably some other cookies, too.


Cora, as fellow cookie baker  and fellow translator maybe you can help me -- One of my favorite recipes in years past involved large amounts of _Nougatmasse_, which I can't find in the US. (In my old job I would regularly exchange goodie packages with our German office, but the job is no more, so now I have to fend for myself.) The local German deli doesn't carry it. I tried the recipe with Nutella but it's too soft. Some online importer might have it but not under that name. There doesn't seem to be an English word for the stuff that I could Google. I don't remember the brand name but I used to buy it at Karstadt. Got any ideas on online sources? Or do you know a brand name, perhaps?


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

Susan? have you tried using a recipe for nougat?


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

BT, it's not the same stuff as you're thinking of. I had to Google why nougat here is something other than what I knew it as, and found that there are three basic (and quite different) types.

From Wikipedia: _ There are three basic kinds of nougat: The first, and most common, is white nougat (which appeared in Cremona, Italy in the early 15th century and later in Montélimar, France, in the 18th century) which is made with beaten egg whites and honey. The second is brown nougat (referred to as "mandorlato" in Italy and nougatine in French) which is made without egg whites and has a firmer, often crunchy texture. The third is the Viennese or German nougat which is essentially a chocolate and nut (usually hazelnut) praline._
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nougat for lots more on the topic...)

The third one, the chocolate-hazelnut stuff, is what I'm thinking of. But your suggestion led me to search the German cooking forums. The consensus seems to be that it's not possible to make your own (or at least seriously impractical, like making your own marzipan would be). But there was one post that said that in a pinch, one could use a mix of shortening and Nutella to adjust for the too-softness of the latter, although the taste would be affected. And perhaps even better, one of the posters there mentioned a brand name, so now I can do a search for that with the importers.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

German Christmas Nougatkugeln (Nougat Balls)

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/german-christmas-nougatkugeln-nougat-balls/
"Hazelnuts and semisweet chocolate get an added punch of flavor from coffee in these wonderful truffles. Add rum too, if you like!"
Ingredients:
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chunks

1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
powder

2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons strong brewed coffee, or
as needed
1 cup ground hazelnuts
Directions:
1. Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over just-barely simmering water, stirring frequently and scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching. Remove the bowl from the heat.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the confectioner's sugar and cocoa powder. Use a wire whisk to break up lumps. Mix in the vanilla and coffee. Stir in the nuts, and, if necessary, add additional coffee to make the mixture smooth. The mixture should be fairly thick.
3. Allow the mixture to cool enough to handle. Shape the mixture into 1/2- to 3/4-inch diameter balls. Dip the balls into the melted chocolate. Chill until firm.


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Mmmm, those sound good.  I'll be trying that out...  It's possible that the result may substitute for the commercial raw nougat substance too, though it sounds like a very tasty result all by itself.


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Found listings for the product I wanted, though it seems nobody imports it to the US.  But the ingredients, according to the manufacturer Schwartau, are
sugar, hazelnuts, cocoa paste, cocoa butter, powdered skim milk, and emulsifier.  There are also more expensive brands that have a higher hazelnut and lower sugar content, probably better if you're making truffles, but Schwartau is perfectly okay for baking.  The cookies I made with it included chopped walnuts and tasted sort of as if you'd added cocoa and hazelnut flavoring to molasses cookies.

After all this, I'm inspired to try BT's recipe this weekend...


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## CoraBuhlert (Aug 7, 2011)

Susan, what you want is indeed Nuss Nougatmasse. Schwartau is the best known manufacturer, though there are other manufacturers. I recently bought some from Aldi, though maybe Trader Joe's has it?

Turns out that Amazon DE does sell Nuss Nougatmasse, though the shipping charges will like kill you. Here's the listing for Schwartau's, here's one from another manufacturer.

As for substituting Nougatmasse, Nutella does not work, because it's too soft and gooey. Neither does chocolate with nougat filling. Schichtnougat should work, if you can get it. Here is a Schichtnougat listing from an online store specializing in German foodstuffs, which I checked for Nuss Nougatmasse. Niederegger and Lindt also make Schichtnougat, though the import prices are likely to be horribly high. Another possibility would be Gianduja, which is basically Italian Nougat.

I actually did see a recipe for making your own Nougat in a vintage cookbook from the 1960s. It calls for 250g ground almonds or hazelnuts, 300 g fine sugar and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. You're supposed to roast the sugar in a pan until it turns golden, add the nuts and the lemon juice and continue roasting the mix until it begins to make crackling sounds (that's the actual description in the cookbook). Alas, I'd be careful with this cookbook. I tried their marzipan recipe, when I found myself without access to the real thing and it resulted in something very hard and crumbly, that only began to bear a resemblance to marzipan after I added a lot of honey to it.

Ann, oatflakes aren't a specific cereal brand, as far as I know, but a whole oatmeal type cereal that is a fairly common ingredient in Germany, e.g. in müsli mixes. The stuff I always buy for baking (also good for mixing your own müsli) is this brand.


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

CoraBuhlert said:


> maybe Trader Joe's has it?


I seriously doubt it, since it seems the German version of nougat is pretty much unknown here. And TJ's has very limited baking supplies anyway.



CoraBuhlert said:


> Turns out that Amazon DE does sell Nuss Nougatmasse, though the shipping charges will like kill you.


They won't ship to the US... and you're right, I don't think those cookies would be worth single-order shipping charges!



CoraBuhlert said:


> As for substituting Nougatmasse, Nutella does not work, because it's too soft and gooey.


Yep. Tried that a few years ago. Added some extra flour to get the right batter consistency, and the result was barely edible.



CoraBuhlert said:


> I actually did see a recipe for making your own Nougat in a vintage cookbook from the 1960s. It calls for 250g ground almonds or hazelnuts, 300 g fine sugar and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. You're supposed to roast the sugar in a pan until it turns golden, add the nuts and the lemon juice and continue roasting the mix until it begins to make crackling sounds (that's the actual description in the cookbook). Alas, I'd be careful with this cookbook. I tried their marzipan recipe, when I found myself without access to the real thing and it resulted in something very hard and crumbly, that only began to bear a resemblance to marzipan after I added a lot of honey to it.


You're brave to try marzipan...  They do sell that here now, though 20 years ago all you could get was almond paste (just sugar and regular almonds) which, without the touch of bitter almonds, doesn't have the depth of flavor of marzipan. But at the time the Food Regulation Powers That Be considered bitter almonds a hazard and banned them from import, along with anything containing them. As if anyone would actually consume them straight. 

That Nougat recipe doesn't sound as though it would yield a smooth substance, at least not unless you had very finely ground hazelnut flour.

I wonder.... next time I go to the local German deli, _after_ I spend far too much money there, maybe I can talk the owner into special-ordering a case of the stuff for a good customer.... Only thing is, he'd be able to tell me how many packages are in a case, but not what the sell-by date is. In other words, I wouldn't know whether I could use that much before it dried out. Cora, next time you're grocery shopping, could I ask you to look at a package of nougat and check how long the shelf life is? Weeks, months, or years?


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## Vegas_Asian (Nov 2, 2008)

Can we count holiday cake pops too? I was going to make some for Christmas but I find that the ones I make at home are too sweet.....though have been practicing with brownies not.cake. need to make the switch. Here is tonight's creation. Mini ice cream cone brownies cake pops.









Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk 2


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## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

Love the cake pops! I saw some cute reindeer ones the other day. My kids have been asking for some lately, too . . .


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## hamerfan (Apr 24, 2011)

Do rum balls count as holiday cookies?
My SIL makes some killer rum balls. I will try to get the recipe.
(Now I'm hungry).


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## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

I would love a good recipe for rum balls!


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## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

TL that sounds like just the kind of recipe I'm looking for! Lol


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## CoraBuhlert (Aug 7, 2011)

Susan, I used up my last packet of Nougatmasse some time ago, but I'll check how long it keeps next time I'm at the grocery store.


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## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

T.L. Haddix said:


> I looked in the family cookbook to see if he'd put it there, but apparently not. This one sounds about right, though. Just quadruple the amount of liquor you use in order to get the same effect - I swear I think he used a cup or half cup. Obviously, only use what the candy will hold up to without turning into goop. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/kentucky-bourbon-balls/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=bourbon%20balls&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page
> 
> Now, I'm off to look for the recipe for peanut butter rolls. Not the kind you cook, though I'd love to have that one. I actually do have it somewhere....But I don't think I have time or the energy to make it.


Thanks! I'll give it a shot.

I remember making those peanut butter balls, my recipe used confectioners sugar and we rolled them in coconut flakes. Brings back memories!


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

CoraBuhlert said:


> Susan, I used up my last packet of Nougatmasse some time ago, but I'll check how long it keeps next time I'm at the grocery store.


Thank you!  No hurry, I doubt that any special orders would get here in time this year, but I'll explore my options for getting some for next time.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

I love to cook and bake, but haven't started my Christmas goodies yet.  

As a kid, I used to make gumdrops and marshmallows with my mom to start off the season. We also made lots of window pane cookies, which were flavored hard candy that looked like colored glass, and divinity was saved for sunny days. I also made lots of chocolate covered cherries, but haven't done those for awhile.

I always make homemade caramels (delicious!), fudge, peanut brittle, Oreo balls, Russian tea cakes (Mexican wedding cakes), Snow on the Mountain (chocolate crinkle) cookies, and peanut clusters. Last year, I made some really good chocolate mint candy, kind of like Andes mints. (I need to dig up that recipe again.) We are having lots of sunny days here, so I think divinity will be on my agenda.

My daughters and my students love Haystacks, which are a bag each of chocolate and butterscotch chips melted and then a bag of Chinese noodles stirred in. You drop them by spoonsful onto waxed paper or parchment, let them set up, and then watch them disappear.  Am going to make marshmallows to give with jars of hot chocolate mix. (There's a cute idea that features a jar of cocoa mix with a tiny bottle of Bailey's Irish Cream tied into the bow around the neck of the jar. I think I may have pinned it on Pinterest.will check.)

I always bake Swedish hardtack crackers for us to eat with our favorite Party CheeseBall (blue cheese/cheddar/cream cheese, minced onions, and Worchestershire) rolled in pecans or parsley. It wouldn't be Christmas without this.  

This thread makes me realize that I am going to have to get busy!


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Cindy's list sounds yummy.  And it makes me wonder about something:  When I grew up, there were cookies one baked throughout the year, and then there were cookies that were only baked at Christmastime, like decorated cut-outs or ones with specific spices.  Now I keep hearing people say (both here and out in the real world)  that they're going to bake all sorts of things that (to me) sound like regular all-year-round cookies.  Has this changed, then?  Do most people bake the same recipes for the holidays as the rest of the year?  Just curious.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

we bake what we like. DH has already done a couple batches of sugar cookies, we might have those one other time in the year. Valentines. I like to change things up and bake other cookies, and some are absolute hits while others are total misses. 'I still go back to this thread from three years ago  Virtual Holiday Cookie Swap


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## loonlover (Jul 4, 2009)

I think it has changed some.  When I worked full time most people brought the same kind at Christmas that they might have brought other times of the year.  I rarely make Snickerdoodles at any time but Christmas.  But chocolate chip and/or oatmeal raisin are done almost every time I make cookies.  II would like it if I baked peanut butter cookies more often.  I'll admit, I don't try new cookie recipes much anymore.  Might have something to do with cooking for two and I do enough damage to the diet without the temptation of cookies on a regular basis.


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

loonlover said:


> Might have something to do with cooking for two and I do enough damage to the diet without the temptation of cookies on a regular basis.


Yep, that's a problem.... I keep meaning to try some recipes that would let me make a full batch, then freeze most of it and just bake them half a dozen at a time. The few I've tried didn't taste as good once the dough had been frozen.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

Gluten free Christmas cookies. *sigh* That is a conundrum I haven't yet figured out.


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## prairiesky (Aug 11, 2009)

I am giving you my daughter's gluten free bakery address...feel free to ask her questions...she always brings yummy cookies and dessert that are gluten free..she is a pastry chef.
www.thelastcrumbbakery        Her email [email protected]


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

prairiesky said:


> I am giving you my daughter's gluten free bakery address...feel free to ask her questions...she always brings yummy cookies and dessert that are gluten free..she is a pastry chef.
> www.thelastcrumbbakery Her email [email protected]


Being a pastry chef is HARD work. The link isn't working though.


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

JRTomlin said:


> Being a pastry chef is HARD work. The link isn't working though.


There was just a .com missing.
http://www.lastcrumbbakery.com/

ETA: I noticed a magazine at the supermarket checkout today called "Living Without" (for gluten free cooking) which I think had something seasonal on the cover.... maybe you already know it, but I had never noticed it before.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

I also forgot that we usually make chocolate mint sandwich cookies and Florentines in addition to the things I mentioned earlier.

I make the cookies and candies that I mentioned in my previous post only at Christmas (except for the Swedish hardtack crackers, which I sometimes make throughout the year). The rest of the year, I make chocolate chip, oatmeal, butterscotch chip, oatmeal chocolate chip, snickerdoodles, and other cookies that I run across,that look like they could become family favorites. I cook and bake a lot, so my family is seldom without something homemade to eat.  I don't get to eat much of the carb heavy things because I have to watch what I eat, but I still have fun making them.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

I recently pinned some chocolate mint cookies that I ran across online on my Pinterest page. I am wondering if any of you have done the same. If so, I'd love to follow you on Pinterest. My boards aren't spectacular, but I do have some good things there. I'm cindy416 on Pinterest. Feel free to follow my pins. I'd love to follow yours if you have some.


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## Christopher Bunn (Oct 26, 2010)

My family does an Italian Christmas cookie that involves a pastry with a great deal of chopped almonds, spread with honey, baked, sliced into triangles and then dipped in chocolate. The recipe has been in the family for a long time and only the women have access to it. My mom is quite adamant about it. Shrug. I'm happy to eat them in vast quantities.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

Christopher Bunn said:


> My family does an Italian Christmas cookie that involves a pastry with a great deal of chopped almonds, spread with honey, baked, sliced into triangles and then dipped in chocolate. The recipe has been in the family for a long time and only the women have access to it. My mom is quite adamant about it. Shrug. I'm happy to eat them in vast quantities.


Those sound a bit like Florentines.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

Susan in VA said:


> There was just a .com missing.
> http://www.lastcrumbbakery.com/
> 
> ETA: I noticed a magazine at the supermarket checkout today called "Living Without" (for gluten free cooking) which I think had something seasonal on the cover.... maybe you already know it, but I had never noticed it before.


I should have noticed the missing .com. 

I baked fairly successful gluten-free oatmeal cookies (with gluten-free oatmeal, of course) today. I'm not sure those count as Christmas Cookies though. 

No, I've never noticed that magazine. I'll have to keep an eye out for it. Thanks for mentioning it.


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## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

You have inspired me. I got out an old cookbook my Grandmother's church had printed in 1984. Inside I rediscovered a recipe for my Grandmother's "Holiday Cookies". Grandmother passed away in 1988, and judging from my family's reaction when I told them I was going to make them, they had all forgotten about them as well.

I posted pics on Facebook. Hope this link works, even for non FB friends: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4586152706208.166255.1663756702&type=1&l=ae15df4511

(If you decide that you would like to be a FB friend, please also send a message on FB so I know you're from KB. But be warned, I post a lot of random stuff.)

Holiday Cookies
1 lb butter
1 c sugar
1 1/2 c brown sugar (firmly packed)
3 eggs
4 c flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
2 c chopped nuts
1/2 lb dates (chopped fine)
1/2 lb golden raisins
8 oz candied mix fruits
8 oz candied cherries
1 tsp cinnamon
Cream butter, sugars with mixer and add eggs, flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and vanilla. Add nuts, dates, raisins, fruit mix, and cherries. Make into rolls and place in refrigerator for at least 24 hours. (She put hers in the freezer.) Cut thin and bake in oven for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees. She made 4 rolls. Put it on wax paper and work it into rolls. She kept her rolls in the freezer for a year.


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## Lee44 (Sep 9, 2012)

I used to make butter cookies for Christmas, and loved them, but it has been a while.  I make cakes, not cookies, but I may change that.  I think I just forgot about them.


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## Christopher Bunn (Oct 26, 2010)

Cindy416 said:


> Those sound a bit like Florentines.


Yeah, they're somewhat similar.


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