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Is it too early to contemplate holiday baking?

18 years ago

I know we're still picking the birds clean, but today I have toffee and pralines on the brain. I tried to talk my family into making spritz cookies today and nobody was really interested. I've been through my Christmas candy and cookie books today and am thinking of making and freezing sugar cookies this weekend.

Is anyone else in the mood yet, or should I just chill out for a week until everyone's ready to talk about it? :-)

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Comments (18)

sheshebop
18 years ago
not in the mood for anything Christmas this year at all. This is the first year that I did not have the tree up for the grandkids to decorate after Thaksgiving dinner. Might not bake this year. Bah. Humbug.
eileenlaunonen
18 years ago
Never too early I started 2 weeks ago!
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kathleen_li
18 years ago
I am thinking...
I made these for Thanksgiving with the molds from King Arthur. I filled them with Marigene's choc raspberry jam. I used the recipe that came with the molds, but I am hoping Marigene has a better one, as this one was just ok...
femmelady
Original Author
18 years ago
Sorry you're feeling a little blue Sherry. Maybe just give it a little time, and if you don't feel like baking, what the heck. Some years are just different. Hang in there.

Eileen, whatcha baking? I just know that if I don't get some done this weekend, I'll be under the gun. Next weekend, we have a Christmas Parade and a trip to St. Louis for Rhapsody in Blue. The next weekend is our wedding anniversary, and perhaps some time there, and then we go to my sisters for the family holiday. I've been assigned toffee, even though its a cookie exchange!

Plus, we have a huge project at work that's due December 20th, so work will be a monkey on my back this holiday season!
msafirstein
18 years ago
I've been experimenting with new cookie recipes for over 2 weeks now....NO, it's not too early!

Kathleen, you can use just about any cookie recipe for the Walnuts. I am going to try out my Mom's Molasses cookies with Maple Apple Butter as the glue.

Michelle
kathleen_li
18 years ago
Good to know, Michelle. As it is time consuming pressing the dough into the molds, I don't want it to break, and I want it to taste really, really, good! LOL
msafirstein
18 years ago
I do have to warn you though, you do not want to make a cookie that rises when baked. You want to stick to a shortbread type cookie or one that uses a cookie press or needs to be rolled out and cut with cookie cutter. Or a thumbprint cookie dough would work too.

Michelle
wizardnm
18 years ago
I'm trying out a new recipe tonight. I'll report back...

Nancy
kathleen_li
18 years ago
I'll be waiting, Nancy!
wizardnm
18 years ago
I made a new recipe for Thumbprints last night. They are all packed up to go to work with me today. American Spoon has a new jam called Sugar Plum Jam and I wanted to try that in the middle. The jam has a a little cardamon in it. They turned out really good, we'll see what everyone thinks at work today.

The dough has a lot of butter and cream cheese, nice and moist after baking.

Nancy
femmelady
Original Author
18 years ago
Nancy, are they as good the day after as the day you bake them? Last year I made the cherry poppy seed twinks (thumbprints), which were wonderful, but seemed not as crisp the next day. I know this is from the moisture in the jam (I think). The first day, they were crisp like shortbread, but not so the next day or thereafter.
booberry85
18 years ago
I bake a LOT for Christmas. I started baking cookies a month ago. I store them in the freezer. This weekend I'm hoping to get Hamantaschen, Chocolate Hazelnut Pinwheels and Wienerstube (what an awful sounding name for a cookie) made. I'm also hoping to get a macadamia - cashew candy made. This probably a bit ambitious since I want to start getting out some Christmas stuff to decorate too.

-sigh-

So much to do, so little time....
femmelady
Original Author
18 years ago
Boo, are those German or Scandinavian cookies? Haven't heard of them before.

My husband has a conference next summer in Turku, Finland. We're taking the girls a little early and going to Stockholm, Sweden and then over to Turku (and maybe a day trip to Helsinki). So I've been reading a lot on Scandinavia and might do some baking towards that this Christmas. Any ideas on cookies would be great!
eileenlaunonen
18 years ago
So far ive done white choc macadamias, thumbprint cookies,shortbread cookies,polish tea cookies,french buttercreams....I still have to do choclate chips ruguleagh (sp?) chubby hubbys,oatmeal raisins,butter cookies and probably a couple more. Every time I pull something out of the oven the kids and Big John blow out a dozen on me LOL!!!
booberry85
18 years ago
German or Scandinavian cookies? Maida Heatter's! When it comes to cookies, I'm not loyal to any nationality. The Hamantaschen are Jewish. Haman was an evil man who wanted to destroy the Jewish people, but Queen Esther got to him first. The cookie is shaped like the hat he used to wear.

Wienerstube cookies are Austrian. They are a coal black chocolate spicy cookie.

The link below is for a woman's blog who baked her way one cookie at a time through Maida Heatter's cookies. She gives a great looking picture of the cookie and her review of it. She also asked some friends of hers to judge the cookies. I found it very useful.

Here is a link that might be useful: Maida Heatter Cookies
compumom
18 years ago
Thanks for the link Boo, that was a fun blog!
Tracey_OH
18 years ago
Eileen,
Could you post your french buttercream cookie recipe? They sound wonderful!
Tracey
femmelady
Original Author
18 years ago
Thanks Boo! I'll take a look.

I just finished two batches of English toffee per my other thread to Lars. We're having a cookie swap with my family on the 15th at our Christmas celebration (I have 4 brothers and 4 sisters), but I was asked to bring toffee!

I'm heading in to do some spritz next. We love our little decorated butter spritzes!!

I'm not as adventurous as so many of you though. I'm overwhelmed by those who bake 10-15 varieties! I think I tend towards more candy and I don't know why. I always make a peppermint white chocolate fudge, plus some regular chocolate, I make toffee, pistachio brittle and peppermint bark. Those are the things my girls ask for rather than the cookies although we all dive into the spritzes.

Happy Baking!

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