Holiday Cookies 2013

Though I wasn’t sure if I could fit this in, I’m so glad that I did…. had some friends over for some decorating!

IMG_8203 copy

cookies baked, sprinkles dispersed, frosting tinted…

IMG_8214

all these must be decorated

I had a few friends over to decorate holiday cookies with me… here’s what some of them looked like! As always, I love seeing the creativity, humor and beauty. ๐Ÿ™‚

IMG_8216

IMG_8250

IMG_8248

IMG_8243

IMG_8242

IMG_8240

IMG_8239

IMG_8238

IMG_8229

Somebody’s getting a Tiffany Blue Box for Christmas!

IMG_8227

IMG_8226

IMG_8224

IMG_8220

IMG_8219

IMG_8255

M E R R Y ย  C H R I S T M A S !!

Holiday Cookie Exchange 2013

I was invited and participated in my first holiday cookie exchange!

IMG_8315

Almost all the cookies on the table ready for exchange…

 

How it works:

1. Bake 6-8 dozen holiday cookies, and package them up in 6 or 12 – depending on what the cookie is, how many you bring, what fits best etc.

2. All invited parties gather at one location on the designated cookie exchange night

3. All extras, burnt cookies, broken pieces etc. are set out for sampling

4. All ready-to-exchange-cookie packages are displayed for later exchange

5. After some visiting, drinking, snacking and sampling….

6. Each person introduces the cookies that he or she brought… and the exchange commences!

At the end of the evening, you leave with as many cookies as you arrived with, but so many more, beautiful and tasty varieties to enjoy.ย Happy Holidays!!!

 

I made these two:

Potato chip cookies

I’ve made these before and have been very happy with them. Of course, right!?–they have potato chips in and on top of them!!! ๐Ÿ˜‰

IMG_8273

crushed potato chips for the dough, and crushed potato chip and flaked sea salt topping ready to go for my two batches…

IMG_8277

golden brown and you can see the toasted pecans

 

Chocolate Rugelach

This was a new recipe for me, but I was happy with how they turned out. The dough was nice and flaky, and the Ghiradelli chocolate on the inside was of course quite nice as well. ๐Ÿ™‚

IMG_8280

chilled dough, ready to roll. Each dough quarter makes 12 rolls according to the recipe. I ended up making 8 each so that they were slightly larger…

IMG_8281

dessert pizza?

IMG_8283

cinnamon sugar and bittersweet chocolate chunks

IMG_8287

up close

IMG_8284

A Woodland Baby Shower

Boy, December sure has been a busy month!! Before December ends, I want to try and catch up on a few posts that I haven’t had time to get to because… well, partly because I have been baking! ๐Ÿ˜‰

01

Acorn cookies

02

Toadstool mushroom cupcakes

Aย college friend of mine is having a baby boy soon, so I helped bake a couple of treats for her woodland themed baby shower in early December. Among the rest of the delicious spread complete with baked stuffed mushrooms, orzo pasta salad, green salad, spiced nuts, cheese, crackers and fig spread, and an outstanding (and delicious I must say!) chocolate cake baked and decorated to look like a tree stub by another friend, were these toadstool mushroom cupcakes…ย 

03

trays full of yellow cupcakes and tinted vanilla frosting to look like toadstools… it took a little time to get just the right orangey-red. And placing each spot took some effort too!

04

Home habitat…

Before packing these up for the party, I used a few items that I had to create a quick home habitat to snap a few shots of these little ‘shrooms.

05

06

022

Toadstool mushroom cupcakes in their “true habitat” for the party! The habitat was pretty much set when I arrived and made the perfect backdrop for these little red mushrooms. Thanks to Sheena for this picture!

And for the acorn cookies, I baked up a batch of my Grandma’s sugar cookies and dipped them in semi-sweet chocolate for the little cap. Mmmmm! I contemplated sprinkles on the chocolate part, but decided that I liked the simplicity as they were…

07

Dancing on the cookie sheet

08

acorn swirl… getting packed and ready to go

09

One acorn…

10

Two acorns!

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

Christmas of 2008, I received these plastic Jell-O Jiggler letter cut-outs. I use them primarily for cookie cutters, and have way too much fun. ๐Ÿ™‚

IMG_6319

IMG_6320

I remember making cookie names for all of my neighbors and friends, and I am sure many more than I have thought to capture digitally, but here are some examples…

Team SOU

HBD

IMG_1165

37198_477382528222_2889362_n

IMG_1759

IMG_5976

 

But I also love it when I send or give these customized cookie letter messages to people, and they send me back photos of their new word combinations….. ๐Ÿ™‚

IMG_1164

IMG_1163

IMG_1162

Christines thank you

BadJeffisRad

JeffsBadHair

IMGjeff luvs forks

IMG_20101015_114329