Baking Holiday 2020 baking thread

[abby normal]

What are you baking and making? Feel free to post pics and recipes!

The major cookie baking spree won't be in full swing here until closer to Christmas, but the fact remains we need a steady supply of sugar and carbs to help us through the gloomy Ohio winter. It really helps in our household, anyway

Today my 5 year old assistant and I will be making snowball cookies, also known as Russian tea cakes, or Mexican wedding cookies. Haven't made them in about 20 years.

Traditional Mexican Wedding Cookies Recipe - Food.com

My mom and I have been baking these for as long as I can remember. They are delectable butter-type cookies served as favors at traditional Mexican wed

www.food.com

 

[Grouchy Granny]

With a little help from some friends and GK we cranked out 4 batches of Almond Spritz yesterday - will do pizzelles today - I can share the spritz recipe, but not the pizzelles (family recipe, sworn to secrecy) for which I apologize.

I've been making the spritz since 1977, and fortunately had a #10 can of almond paste which I am still using (broke it down into 4 oz packages, put it into snack bags and then vacuum packed and froze it).

Almond Spritz

1 C unsalted butter (you can use salted, but don't add salt if you do).
1/2 C plus 2 TB sugar
4 oz almond paste
1 large egg
2 C flour
1 tsp Vanilla
1 tsp Almond Extract
dash of salt (omit if using salted butter)

Cream butter until light and fluffy. Add almond paste and egg. Mix until well combined. Add flour a little at a time beating until incorporated. Add vanilla and almond extract and dash of salt if using.

Put through a cookie press and decorate as desired. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool and enjoy! We move them to a wire rack to cool.

 

[Betty_Rose]

I thought this said “Holiday Banking Thread,” and I thought, “NOOOO!! Not at Christmas!!”

Never mind!!

 

[abby normal]

With a little help from some friends and GK we cranked out 4 batches of Almond Spritz yesterday - will do pizzelles today - I can share the spritz recipe, but not the pizzelles (family recipe, sworn to secrecy) for which I apologize.

I've been making the spritz since 1977, and fortunately had a #10 can of almond paste which I am still using (broke it down into 4 oz packages, put it into snack bags and then vacuum packed and froze it).

Almond Spritz

1 C unsalted butter (you can use salted, but don't add salt if you do).
1/2 C plus 2 TB sugar
4 oz almond paste
1 large egg
2 C flour
1 tsp Vanilla
1 tsp Almond Extract
dash of salt (omit if using salted butter)

Cream butter until light and fluffy. Add almond paste and egg. Mix until well combined. Add flour a little at a time beating until incorporated. Add vanilla and almond extract and dash of salt if using.

Put through a cookie press and decorate as desired. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool and enjoy! We move them to a wire rack to cool.

Those sound awesome. Need to get myself a pizelle maker, always wanted to try them but don't have the equipment.

No cookie press either, can you use the spritz dough in another way, like maybe drop cookies? Love almond paste

 

[nomifyle]

As usual, I'll be baking nothing, except for a strawberry rhubarb pie for DH. My mother used to do a huge amount of holiday baking, I thought it was a nightmare to do and a good way to pack on the pounds.

I have a cousin that always sends me an orange slice cake, small thank goodness, DH doesn't care for it and I eat the whole thing.

I probably have a bad attitude, holidays were never pleasant.

God is good all the time

Judy

 

[AlaskaSue]

Not baking atm, but while visiting in Florida recently I did teach each of my ggirls to make scratch buttermilk biscuits and scratch muffins of many varieties. They did not have a pastry cutter so learned to cut in the lard with two butterknives. Both were a hit -- and biscuit cutters and pastry cutter are in their gifts under the tree now.

I may make something scrumptious this week, just because I miss all the home baking I did for so many years. Maybe my old standby German Chocolate Cake to bring to a friend. That sound pretty festive

 

[coloradohermit]

When I was little, thru the years I lived at home, Mom and I baked her Lemon Nut cookies for Christmas. All the years since, I've continued baking "Mom's cookies" every Christmas and it always feels like she's still with me. They're so much a part of the holiday that, if I couldn't make them myself, I'd pay someone to make them for me.

I also make white chocolate/cranberry cookies and banana bread.

DH's favorite was a Bolivian recipe for alfajores that I got from a coworker about 40 years ago. With DH gone I wasn't going to bother with them this year since I'm not a fan, but a friend's husband, who was a friend of DH, says they sound like something he'd like. I'll make him a half batch to try and pass along the recipe if he likes them.

 

[Grouchy Granny]

Those sound awesome. Need to get myself a pizelle maker, always wanted to try them but don't have the equipment.

No cookie press either, can you use the spritz dough in another way, like maybe drop cookies? Love almond paste

Don't see why you couldn't do the spritz as a drop cookie, similar to a peanut butter one, cover with sprinkles and bake! I guess I'm in hog heaven - I have 2 cookie presses - look in the baking section at Walmart (the Wilton stuff) after Christmas and you can probably get a real deal! I think I only paid $5 for the Wilton one.

Trying a variation on the cranberry orange slices and if we like them I'll post both the original and the variation.

Also need to post the cream horns - warning, warning, warning - not low cal and kind of a pain unless you have the cream horn molds or cannoli molds.

 

[Chicken Mama]

Just received another 8 oz of vanilla beans so I started more vanilla extract, vanilla sugar and vanilla powder. The extract won't be ready until next Christmas though.

This week I'll make salted caramels, thumbprint cookies, peanut brittle, hershey kiss cookies and not sure what else.

 

[John Deere Girl]

We have made caramel and iced sugar cookies, and we will make more of those, potato candy, chocolate and peanut butter fudge, and divinity.

 

[abby normal]

I knew a sweet Italian lady who made the most delicious almond thumbprint cookies with a marchino cherry in the center. Will have to try and find it.

My snowball cookies turned out ok, not my favorite but a good warm up for the major leagues.

My big deal every year is candied walnuts. Easy to make , easy to store, and can be done ahead of time. I give them as gifts and family will be mad if I don't make them, lol. In the past I've done about 12lbs every December but with less gatherings that will probably decrease . Might have to mail some this year.

 

[coloradohermit]

Christmas cookie elf.

 

[Bones]

Mrs Bones is busy making her Secret Recipe Peanut Brittle.

She's making 3 batches, by hand, every day and is booked up solid.

She had to limit it this year. The demand is much greater than supply. Each batch is right at 2#. Every whip stitch by hand.

2 years ago, she made well over 200# and was about peanut brittled out when finished.

 

[Chicory]

What are you baking and making? Feel free to post pics and recipes!

The major cookie baking spree won't be in full swing here until closer to Christmas, but the fact remains we need a steady supply of sugar and carbs to help us through the gloomy Ohio winter. It really helps in our household, anyway

Today my 5 year old assistant and I will be making snowball cookies, also known as Russian tea cakes, or Mexican wedding cookies. Haven't made them in about 20 years.

Traditional Mexican Wedding Cookies Recipe - Food.com

My mom and I have been baking these for as long as I can remember. They are delectable butter-type cookies served as favors at traditional Mexican wed

www.food.com

I love Mexican wedding cookies, I make these too. I also do cutout cookies and whatever those cookies are that you press out of those aluminum things, can't remember what they're called. You use different discs to get a scottie dog, a flower, heart, etc.

 

[xtreme_right]

I’ll start baking next week with my daughter when she gets home from college. Fudge lasts the longest, so we’ll start with that. ecorated sugar cookies, Mexican wedding cookies (substitute the pecans for toffee pieces), cranberry cream cheese bars.

We like to have some savory with all the sweet so we also make Chex mix, Bisquick sausage balls, bacon cheese ball, mini bacon quiche.

I’m sure I’m missing something.

 

[Persimmon]

Here’s a great idea for a 2020 appropriate gingerbread house.

 

[abby normal]

I’ll start baking next week with my daughter when she gets home from college. Fudge lasts the longest, so we’ll start with that. ecorated sugar cookies, Mexican wedding cookies (substitute the pecans for toffee pieces), cranberry cream cheese bars.

We like to have some savory with all the sweet so we also make Chex mix, Bisquick sausage balls, bacon cheese ball, mini bacon quiche.

I’m sure I’m missing something.

I forgot about fudge, my teen requested it and it's been a few years since I've made it. She likes the stained glass fudge with the mini marshmallows.

I found the recipe for the almond cookies but I checked prices for almond paste and OMG. Probably not gonna happen!

Here is the recipe in case anyone's interested

Amaretti

I've been making and eating these Amaretti cookies for as long as I can remember. They are perhaps one of my favorite cookies of all time.

www.justapinch.com

Next up is DH's favorite no bake cookies. Maybe tomorrow! Other chores needing attention today.

 

[Grouchy Granny]

Last time I priced almond paste (Solo Brand) it was pretty outrageous and that was 3 years ago. Fortunately I had acquired a #10 can of the Solo brand about 5 years ago. Broke it down into 4 oz packages in snack bags, vacuum packed and froze it. I also have another #10 can, unopened, waiting in the wings (got that from my friends house when I cleaned it out last year).

To quote Judy - God is good all the time!

 

[aviax2]

I knew a sweet Italian lady who made the most delicious almond thumbprint cookies with a marchino cherry in the center. Will have to try and find it.

My snowball cookies turned out ok, not my favorite but a good warm up for the major leagues.

My big deal every year is candied walnuts. Easy to make , easy to store, and can be done ahead of time. I give them as gifts and family will be mad if I don't make them, lol. In the past I've done about 12lbs every December but with less gatherings that will probably decrease . Might have to mail some this year.

Are your candied walnuts made like the candied pecans with cinnamon and sugar or something different?

 

[summerthyme]

Almonds, like all nuts, are *expensive* these days. But if you find some whole almonds at a decent price, and you own a decent food processor, making almond paste is super simple!

Here is a recipe... What's the Difference Between Marzipan and Almond Paste?

Summerthyme

 

[ReneeT]

I'll be making four of batches of a type of shortbread - as soon as I dig out the recipe again. I press 3/4 of the dough in the baking dish, spread jam/other topping evenly over it, then crumble the remaining dough on top and bake. I do almonds with apricot jam, macadamia nuts with pineapple ice cream topping, pecans with dark cherry jam, and walnut with Dutch apple jam. Only problem is keeping an eye on it when I take it to work because the boss might sneak off with the whole pan It's very rich, so I will divide each batch into a small pan and a medium size one; the small one for home, the other to share.

Daughter decided to leave early for Montana - this coming Monday in fact; leaving me no time to bake with the kids. Luckily one of my co-worker's Hubby bakes holiday goodies and was able to to fix me up with some sugar cookies for the kids to ice/decorate this weekend, plus three types of fruit breads - I know one is tropical (pineapple, coconut and ??) but I can't recall what the other two were. I'll send one with daughter, keep one, and put the other out for my co-workers to snack on.

 

[abby normal]

Are your candied walnuts made like the candied pecans with cinnamon and sugar or something different?

Per 1 lb nuts: 1 cup sugar, 2 egg whites, 1 tablespoon vanilla , and about half a tablespoon of salt, which to me is a good sweet/salt balance . Stir everything up real good, add nuts and coat well. Dump into baking pan with edges, bake at 250°. most important part - stir every 15 minutes, using a scooping technique, because you want to scrape up the glaze and re- coat the nuts.

Back when I had chickens this was a great way to use the extra eggs. You could save the yolks to make egg nog (5 year old wants to try that so I'll be making some egg nog as we get closer to Christmas)

I usually do candied walnuts, lots of little nooks and crannies to hold the glaze . Pecans are good too but $$$. The candied walnuts are really good in salads and on ice cream.

Summerthyme I would love to make my own almond paste, but alas no food processor. Might have to check the thrift store! Thanks for the tip.

 

[aviax2]

Thank you abby normal. That sounds very much like how I’ve done pecans. And yes, pecans are more expensive but we lucked out a few years ago and bartered some firewood off our farm with DH’s cousin who has pecan trees. Sadly the trees didn’t produce this year. I actually prefer walnuts to pecans myself and the price too.

 

[Kathy in FL]

Don't see why you couldn't do the spritz as a drop cookie, similar to a peanut butter one, cover with sprinkles and bake! I guess I'm in hog heaven - I have 2 cookie presses - look in the baking section at Walmart (the Wilton stuff) after Christmas and you can probably get a real deal! I think I only paid $5 for the Wilton one.

Trying a variation on the cranberry orange slices and if we like them I'll post both the original and the variation.

Also need to post the cream horns - warning, warning, warning - not low cal and kind of a pain unless you have the cream horn molds or cannoli molds.

I have an old barrel copper cookie press that is nearly as old as I am (shaddup) that still works grand with spritz cookies. Last year mom and I baked about 1200 cookies. I am trying to get her to downsize this year. We were eating frozen Christmas cookies into September. LOL

 

[abby normal]

I have an old barrel copper cookie press that is nearly as old as I am (shaddup) that still works grand with spritz cookies. Last year mom and I baked about 1200 cookies. I am trying to get her to downsize this year. We were eating frozen Christmas cookies into September. LOL

My dad has a press like that, he could really crank out the cookies with that thing. 3 adults and 5 kids in the house, they always got eaten up I hope he passes it down to me someday.

 

[Jeff B.]

My middle daughter is my baking partner, it’ll depend on her shifts @ the hospital, but we’ll make;

- julekake - Norwegian Christmas Bread
- French Butter Cookies - really good recipe we got from an authentic French Chef!
- Pepparkake - Norwegian spice cookies, thin and spicy. Hard dough to work with though...
- Krumkake - a cone shape cookie made on an iron and rolled hot. Normally eaten with whipped cream as a filling. Has cardamom in it, to give you an idea of the taste.
- Venetians - “cookies” made from compressed cake with apricot jam filling and chocolate on top cut into about 1” squares. The cake it white, red and green for the Christmasy look.

I also make a standing rib roast, twice baked potatoes and string beans for Christmas Eve dinner. A tradition that got started one year when the kids were small and my wife was deathly ill with the flu. I took the kids to the grocery and bought the things to make all the above and the kids made it their tradition.

Jeff B.

 

[abby normal]

 

[Hermantribe]

I want to learn to make a really good pan of cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning. No reason, Just for fun. Anyone have a great recipe? Ooey gooey of course!

 

[moldy]

We call 'Venetians' rainbow cookies. I plan on making those, sugar cookies, rice krispies made with milky way bars, baby ruth bars, sour cream fudge and....some other stuff.

 

[abby normal]

I want to learn to make a really good pan of cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning. No reason, Just for fun. Anyone have a great recipe? Ooey gooey of course!

I've made cheater cinnamon rolls using my basic homemade pizza dough, they are pretty great... but then again I'll eat almost anything with cinnamon and sugar.

Here's a recipe , though I don't wait for my dough to rise overnight because I'm not that patient. As long as it doubles in size you're good to go.

Easy Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

These homemade cinnamon rolls are perfect for the holidays, your next ladies brunch or a lazy weekend breakfast with the family!

midwestfoodieblog.com

 

[abby normal]

Made 2lbs of candied walnuts yesterday, along with the turtles made with pretzels and rolo candies. I sampled too many of those and my shingles pain flared up something awful. I need to remember, no chocolate!

Probably try to do more nuts today. If I was a smart person I'd make some cookie dough too, it keeps in the fridge for a couple days and makes life much easier when you can prep one day and bake another.

All your goodies sound amazing . Wish we could all get together IRL for a tasting party!

 

[Kathy in FL]

Start the goodies tomorrow. Lot later than I normally start but with Mom and Dad living two doors plus an orange grove down from us it changed our timetable. Not to mention I've just been so stinking busy this year. Anywho, Mom is starting some chex/munchie mix she got the recipe from from some author she loves. Each book/mystery has several goodie recipes and she just loves trying new things to go with the traditional. That's her job today plus making a grocery list of whatever else she needs which I will pick up tonight/tomorrow morning. We work assembly line style. LOL My likely two future son-in-laws will get a skillet cookie kit plus a basket of goodies. My brother is getting some beer (different kinds from all over the US that we picked up at a place called World Market), some beer nuts, and some goodies. I don't know what on earth I am giving my sister in law yet. OMG. LOL.

My nephew and his pregnant wife ('nother story all together) will get a basket of goodies and a gift card for the grocery store.

Hubby and I promised each other to really downsize Christmas (money-wise) even though we are in a better position than ever to afford it. Santa has officially retired. The kids all understand and are cool with it. Not that they have a choice but it is always nice when your kids are on the same page as you are.

So cooking and baking it will be. If I post like I've used (or drank) a little too much homemade liqueur ... I'm sure ya'll understand. LOLOLOLOL

 

[Chicken Mama]

Per 1 lb nuts: 1 cup sugar, 2 egg whites, 1 tablespoon vanilla , and about half a tablespoon of salt, which to me is a good sweet/salt balance . Stir everything up real good, add nuts and coat well. Dump into baking pan with edges, bake at 250°. most important part - stir every 15 minutes, using a scooping technique, because you want to scrape up the glaze and re- coat the nuts.

Abby, what's the total baking time?

 

[abby normal]

Abby, what's the total baking time?

1 hour, stir every 15 minutes.

Got 7lbs done as of yesterday, one for us and the rest for gifts:


It's usually twice as much but a couple family gatherings have been cancelled.

Now we start on the cookies. Sugar cut outs, Reeces pb cup cookies, stained glass cookies, no bakes, and most importantly the Polish kolaky cookies I grew up with. Could not find apricot jam for those at the store but thankfully I had a spare jar in the pantry. Yay prepping!

 

[abby normal]

 

[abby normal]

Did the kolachy cookies and also some Reeces cookies yesterday. Reeces cookies are the bomb, I've never made them but always wanted to. I have a hard core peanut butter addiction, and the only thing better than a Reeces cup is one baked inside of a peanut butter cookie. Nom nom!

Today is for fudge and no bakes. Making the mother of all cookie platters is my way of rebelling against such an awful year. Going to take most of them to the in-laws tomorrow, if there's any left... DH is eating them almost as fast as I make them. I am only eating enough to ensure strict quality control guidelines.

I have actually lost a couple lbs this week doing the yearly frantic Santa-mom routine. Got the kids' gifts 90% wrapped which is a big load off my shoulders. Today I'm mopping and vacuuming (omg the sprinkles are everywhere... kids helped decorate the cut outs... so worth it but there's always massive sprinkle fallout) and catching up on laundry. DH may not have work tomorrow and it's tricky trying to clean house with him around , let alone 2 kids.

What I'm making today:

Grandma's Peanut Butter Crisp Bars - Roses & Whiskers

These peanut butter crisp bars are sweet and crunchy and can be made gluten free or gluten-full! A quick and easy no-bake dessert.

www.rosesandwhiskers.com

Stained Glass Windows

An incredibly easy and delicious recipe for stained glass candy made with chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, flaked coconut, and colored marshmallows!

www.allrecipes.com

(I do these without nuts or coconut to make them.kid friendly)

No Bake Cookies {Perfect Every Time!} - Cooking Classy

The best no bake cookies! A super fast, super easy to make recipe with chewy oatmeal, rich cocoa and creamy peanut butter. Always a favorite!

www.cookingclassy.com