Hardly! not in my world anyway.

It is too early for the Christmas shopping commercials which started on TV this week. It is never too early to look for recipes, so long as you won't spoil the joy of the season for yourself later.

Now is a good time to look.... magazines for the holidays will be out soon! It will also give you time to plan and search out any special ingredients you might need.

sigh. Some people around here already have their xmas lights on at night. Not their full yard and house displays, but enough to be discouraging. lol!

I think anytime is a good time for new recipes! Especially desserts!

Sue

Don't bake as much as I used too.......but I do like new recipes, might inspire me ....and easy works well !

This is one of my Christmas favourites . Nice to take as part of a hostess gift when we visit with others over the holiday.

Sharons Peppermint Bark

Servings

1 Lb bittersweet chocolate

8 Drop peppermint oil

1 Lb chopped white chocolate

3/4 Cup chopped candy canes

Line a 11 X 17 inch baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside

Melt bittersweet chocolate in a heavy pan over low heat, stirring constantly. Stir in 4 drops of peppermint oil. Spread evenly over pan and chill for about 1 hour.

Melt white chocolate in a heavy pot over low heat, stirring constantly. Stir in remaining 4 drops of peppermint oil and then add in candy cane.

Spread white chocolate over chilled dark chocolate, spreading to the edge of the pan. Chill 4 hours.

Refrigerate just until just before serving then break into pieces. Will keep in the fridge for 3 weeks ( yeah right!!! LOL)

NOTE You must use peppermint oil NOT peppermint extract or it will seize

I don't bake like I used to either. Always make a couple batches of Honey Chipotle Pecans and usually a batch of lemon curd to share with neighbors since my Meyer lemon harvest is in full swing by then.

Would be nice to try at least one thing new, so I'll keep my eye on this thread.

Honey Chipotle Pecans

An addictive combination of sweet and spicy. Recipe makes 2 cups of nuts and can be prepared up to a week ahead. Store in a sealed container.

2 Tablespoons honey
1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups pecan halves

2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat the oven to 325°. In a medium microwave safe mixing bowl, combine the honey, chipotle powder, and ground cinnamon. Warm through. (You can also do this on the stove over low heat.)

Stir nuts into warmed honey mixture. Still well to coat. On a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, spread honey-coated nuts in a single layer. Bake until toasted and fragrant, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile combine the sugar and salt in a small bowl.

Remove from oven and allow to cool only slightly (no more than a minute or two-- you want them to still be sticky.)

In a medium sized mixing bowl dump the hot nuts and add the sugar/salt mix tossing to combine. Spread nuts on cold waxed paper or parchment paper and let dry. It's best if they don't touch each other.

Serve or store covered until ready to eat.

I also don't bake as many cookies and stuff as I used to. But my family and I don't want anything new....we want all the old favorites....cut outs, toffee cookies, fingerklatzen or jam buttons, Mexican wedding cookies, gingerbread men, chocolate crinkles, peanut brittle, caramel corn and Chex mix!

Never too early. I'm planning my next September Tomato Harvest Menu...i have some new varieties of seeds to start.

Something new is fun to test...along with expected favorites. I always try something new and un-expected. I will make the favorites. And try some new ones. Like just this week i found a thin crisp coco wafer recipe for a mini green tea 'ice cream sandwich'. (my family will go nuts for it). Testing it now. Weeks ahead of the holidays.

Many cookie tests do freeze well. Nothing wrong in these stormy rainy days of fall to try some new recipes.

We lost power last weekend for 12 hours and it was a reminder to start the winter planning...and cold season cooking. For me that is fun in the kitchen. Thinking about the holidays...

I also think it's never too early to start. My family also wants the old favorites, but I try to add a new recipe each year and sometimes they become an old favorite. That's what happened with this maraschino shortbread, now it's a "must have" because everyone loves it. It comes straight from Better Homes and Gardens and the unbaked dough freezes well in "logs", ready to slice and bake. The dough is a pretty pink color and I sprinkle the white chocolate coating with red coarse sugar or edible glitter. Instead of dipping half the cookie, sometimes I drizzle some white chocolate and then some dark chocolate on the tops.

White-Chocolate Cherry Shortbread

Ingredients

1/2 cup maraschino cherries, drained and finely chopped

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup cold butter

12 ounces white chocolate baking squares with cocoa butter, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 drops red food coloring (optional)

2 teaspoons shortening

White nonpareils and/or red edible glitter (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spread cherries on paper towels to drain well.

In a large bowl, combine flour and sugar. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in drained cherries and 4 ounces (2/3 cup) of the chopped chocolate. Stir in almond extract and, if desired, food coloring. Knead until smooth and form into a ball (dough will be crumbly at first, but will come together as you work the dough with your hands).

Shape dough into 3/4-inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Using the bottom of a drinking glass dipped in sugar, flatten balls to 1-1/2-inch rounds.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until centers are set. Cool for 1 minute on cookie sheet. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool.

In a small saucepan, combine remaining 8 ounces white chocolate and the shortening. Cook and stir over low heat until melted. Dip half of each cookie into chocolate, allowing excess to drip off. If desired, roll dipped edge in nonpareils and/or edible glitter. Place cookies on parchment or waxed paper until chocolate is set.

Annie

Agree old favorite recipes are grand, but also like to try new recipes. So thank you for new-to-me recipes.

I send a large box of cookies (and some candy) to my older sister, and try to send just the ones she likes. My cookie/candy box to great great grandchildren is entirely different. Then I keep my own cookie jar filled! Yum.

Linda, tell us about fingerklatzen please.