Favorite Christmas Cookies
 

I guess in some respects it is true, I'm after 40 and I seem to be turning into my mother except without the grey hair and children that gave it to her, cats instead, a much better deal :)

It is the "holiday season" and here I am, baking cookies and making fudge! Who would have thunk it? I'm making my favorites from childhood and a couple of new ones to try out.

Snowball cookies (aka Russian tea cookies, Mexican wedding cookies)
Spiced version of Snowball cookies (courtesy this months issue of Bon Appetit)
Pumpkin Pinwheel (courtesy foodtv)
Fudge with toasted walnuts (Mom's old recipe)
Almond Roca cookies (Mom's old recipe)

Anyone else have any favorite traditional cookies, sweets they make during this festive season?

The funny food/xmas memory I associate with pleasure growing up may seem to be a strange one. I guess, in retrospect, it is. My dad was a mailman when it was a good job and before people "went postal." Christmas time was always incredible because my dad would come home every night with the most amazing presents from people on his route. My eye doctor and dentist were on his route and it was always a thrill to see him when I had an appointment. My dad was a great guy. I digress. Every year, one of the ladies on my dad's residential route would give him a couple of jars of her bread and butter pickles. I LOVED those! It was something we all looked forward to every year. They remain in my memory as the best I've ever eaten. They were crispy with lots of onion pickled in there too. Just fabulous and I remember them every Xmas. Strange, I know.

At least it is my sister, and not me, who continues the horrible green bean cassarole complete with Campbell's soup! That's one Xmas tradition I prefer to forget. Other than the cookies, my holiday dinners are non-traditional anyway. And I have NO clue what I am making this year! :rolleyes:

Donna

I love frosted sugar cookies. I know it's an all year round kind of food... but the Christmas shapes somehow make the cookies taste better!

I know it's not a cookie, but my best friend makes buckeye candies every Christmas and they are fantastic. I get to come over and help her dip the peanut butter rounds (because using the word "peanut butter balls" would sound awkward.. lol) into the melted chocolate.

Buckeyes are fabulous! Any combination of peanut butter and chocolate is a winner for me!

Traditionally my daughter and I bake for about week to give christmas cookies and candies to family and friends.

We make:

chocolate chip cookies
brownies
sugar cookies
peanut butter cookies
buckeye balls(my favorite too)
fudge (sometimes)
snickerdoodles

We haven't started yet this year, but this thread will probably get me movin'!

Snowflake, would you mind sharing the recipe for the Almond Roca cookies? I'd love to try something new and those sound delicious!

Sure, when I get home and I can type out the recipe, I'd be happy to share!

Dona

Rumballs - a few of the people on these boards have tasted my chocolate-y rummy good balls (They make for especially good snacks aboard PotC - Yo HO!)

Rosettes- I have an iron I bought in a Swedish shop in Leavenworth, and they are the best cookies ever. Take forever to make, but they are soooo good!

I make fudge every year, it is expected of me. I also make different varieties of cookies. So far this year it has been molasses crackle cookies (think ginger snap but chewy and less ginger more molasses) and chocolate chip butter cookies (shortbread cookies with chocolate chips and not as dry).

Once Nickolas is out of school we will make sugar cookies. It is from a recipe my mom cut off of a box of sugar in the late 60's. They are very good and not the type that you have to frost for flavor. He will sprinkle different sugary things on them for decoration.

The fudge that I make came out of a Baker's Secret cookbook from 1962. It is uber easy and very tastey. I recently gave the recipe to a friend who has gone overboard by using many different kinds of chips in it. I prefer it my way, semi-sweet chips only. Also hers came out way to chewy, where mine is the type that holds its shape but melts in your mouth. I always make it 2 batched at a time, 1 batch of girl fudge and 1 batch of boy fudge.

I have also been known to make gingerbread cookies. They are great to decorate and hold their shape well. The recipe is perfect to use for gingerbread houses. They tend to be hard as a rock no matter how long I cook them, also perfect for teething biscuits (yep, I used them for that with Nickolas).

I do Gingerbread houses (this year: Animal Crossing houses). When we lived in Florida, I was President of the Orlando, Florida chapter of the NFFC, and that Christmas, I did the WDW HM in Gingerbread.
Swiss meringue rolls - old family recipe
Rudolph's Rockets - a creation from the old days on a.d.d. when we were all Altoids-mad. I use chili and peppermint oil in them now.

Chocolate Crinkles
Nestle Toll House

:)