mom started mandy and i baking at a very young age, and for that reason it's always been very near and dear to my heart. there are special cookies that i made every year growing up with my mom and sister, but i just can't seem to make those by myself! it just wouldn't be the same without all three of us. but that doesn't stop me from trying new cookie recipes every year and baking up a holiday storm!
today i made four different kinds of cookies. three of them were new recipes, but one is tried and true. here is the rundown of the recipes, including professional cookie taster billy murphy's tasting notes.
cookie numero uno- thumbrint cookies!
ever since billy and i have been together i have made thumbprint cookies for christmas. they are his favorite, and his dad likes them so much that he's been known to hide them so well from everyone else that he actually forgets where he's put them himself!
i have used a number of different recipes over the past few years for thumbrint cookies- there are a million different varieties and ways to make them. for instance, you can use almond extract instead of vanilla extract, or drizzle them with icing instead of sifting powdered sugar over top of them... make peanut butter cookies instead of plain, seriously a million different ways. all varieties are good! but i think the most crucial element is using the right jam for the middle. and bonne maman raspberry preserves is the best!
that's my advice anyhow!
here's the recipe that i used this year. it's my favorite way to make them (traditional). billy says he likes them better with the almond extract instead of vanilla. shut up billy.
this brings me to cookie numero dos- polvorones, or ground walnut cookies.
these are traditional mexican wedding cookies, but we americans know them better as snowball cookies! you can make them with pecans or walnuts. i'm sure there are a lot of different variations of this cookie as well.
this was my first year making them, and i was frankly a little concerned halfway in. the dough is really stiff and crumbly and i was worried they were going to fall all apart, but nope! they held up great. this is the recipe i used for them this year, and i would definitely make them again! they are tasty. billy says they are "right on point".
now for cookie numero tres- chocolate gooey butter cookies!
yes, it's true. i found a paula deen cookie recipe with the words "gooey" and "butter" in the title. umm... OF COURSE i made them!
so neither billy nor i are big on chocolate cookies (ick), but i had to give this a shot. they were super easy, and they turned out really really good. they stay chewy and gooey. billy said it was like taking a bite of chocolate cake! and even though he doesn't normally like chocolate cookies, he said he could totally do one of these for dessert with a glass of milk. i highly recommend.
and lastly, cookie numero quatro, which isn't actually a cookie at all, it's- peppermint bark!
seriously, i almost didn't make this because the recipe looked too easy and the simplicity made me nervous. i didn't think there was any way they would turn out right with so little effort. they did. they're pretty, and they're unfathomably easy.
i will say, that instead of using candy canes for this recipe, i used these old fashioned peppermint sticks from cracker barrel. don't do that. these peppermint sticks are delicious, kind of like those after dinner mints that disintegrate in your mouth when you bite them. but i wouldn't use them again for the peppermint bark. they are not as crunchy and minty as you want for the bark. even though i added the optional peppermint extract, the bark still ended up a little more sweet than minty. they are still delicious, don't get me wrong, but billy and i have both concluded that in the future plain old candy canes are the way to go for these.
so this concludes my little christmas cookie blog.
next year hopefully i will have a waistline again and i'll be able to wear my little june cleaver aprons while baking. this year i just wore a sweatshirt that ended up covered in dough. hot.
merry christmas ya'll! :)
4 comments:
Meg I love your blogs. You need to write a book. Can't wait to add your cookies to my waistline and your waistline (baby) to my arms. Love you.
Wow! That bark is easy! Might have to try that...btw, we need more belly pictures!:)
Hey Meg!
How are things going? What have you and Billy been up to?
The Chocolate ones are so yummy...we call them chocolate crinckle cookies! my mom has made them since i was a kid...we didnt have time too this year though :(
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