Christmas Cookies

[degrassi]

So what kind of cookies is everyone making this year?

I'm not just of a baker or cookie eater but this weekend I made 6 dozen gingerbread. Mostly to give to friends and a few to send to my brother. I'm also planning on making peppermint shortbread(the one cookie/sweet that I actually like) and some buttertarts.

Here are some pics of my gingerbread all decorated up.

I"m definitely not a professional decorator.

Here are my finished Ninjabreadmen!

And a shot of all my little ninjas waiting to dry before packaging them up

 

[Sweetie]

I will be baking cookies with my niece on the 20th of December 2011. We will be doing other Christmas stuff during the week also.

 

[SOOOSKA]

Valerie do you need my address so you know where to send them.:biggrin:

Susan:big wink::wink:innocent:coolness::rollseyes:
:thumbup:nod:wave::whistling

 

[BunnyLover13]

Ya me too :biggrin2:

 

[Nancy McClelland]

:yeahthat:

 

[SnowyShiloh]

I think you did a great job decorating, I really like the trees and the gingerbread ninjas are so cute!

This morning I did my very first Christmas baking I made candy cane cookies. They were quite fun for me to make, though the dough was a bit crumbly so many of the cookies are kind of homely looking. That's okay though, they taste good- even my peppermint hating husband likes them- and that's what matters to me!

Here are the cookies on a big plate:

And a couple ready to be devoured:

 

[degrassi]

I like how you dyed the dough. I"ll have to try that. Are they just a sugar cookie that you added peppermint to?

 

[SnowyShiloh]

Valerie, the recipe is:

1 C shortening
1 C sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 t peppermint extract
1 t vanilla extract
2 1/2 C flour
50 drops red food coloring

Cream together everything but the flour and food coloring. Add the flour and mix until well combined. Remove half the dough and mix the food coloring into the remaining dough. Take a small piece of each dough (about the size of a grape), roll each piece out a little bit, then squish the two pieces together and continue to roll them out into an approximately 4 inch long snake. Twist the ends in opposite directions then form into a candy cane shape. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. If desired, sprinkle with red colored sugar and gently press down so the sugar adheres. Bake about 10 minutes in a 375 degree oven.

The recipe is an altered version of a recipe in the Betty Crocker Cooky Book which is from 1963. The original called for powdered sugar but I didn't think it would be sweet enough, almond extract instead of peppermint (maybe they didn't have peppermint extract back then?) and had you sprinkle sugar and crushed peppermints on them after they came out of the oven, but that sounded messy and I didn't think the sugar would adhere. Next time I'm going to try using all butter or half butter/half shortening in the hopes that the dough will be a tad easier to work with. Adding a little bit of water may have helped too. All in all, they were fun to make but I think kids would get frustrated with the dough.

 

[gmas rabbit]

They all look very,very yummy. I think instead of a xmas card list you should all send us working bunny slaves cookies next year.lol

 

[SunnyCait]

LMAO Ninja-bread men!! That's awesome.

I usually do a whole slew of Christmas baking/cooking... This year so far all I've done are rice krispie/fruity pebble treats. Kind of lame in comparison to what I normally whip up. Christmas is so weird this year though I don't think much will be really done until our "second" Christmas in January, when the roommate and the GF are both here in Pasadena instead of them in Chicago and me in Vegas with my sister. But I plan on gingerbread men and dinos (a big hit with the boy and one he asks for every year now) and sugar cookies the night before Christmas. No idea if we'll get around to the buckeyes, bacon and eggs, pretzel rods, peppermint bark, truffles, etc. like I normally do. *hmm*

 

[MiniLopHop]

Love the gingerbread ninja!

This Christmas is weird because my husband and I are both preparing for gastric bypass. It's like we are breaking up with food. The emotions are very complex this year. So no baking at our house.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

I keep going to the mail box, but, nothing yet!

 

[LaylaLop]

Very cute! Love the ninjabread men! And Valerie, your kitchen tile looks identical to that of my mom's... eerie! Haha