What cookies and/or pastries are you making for the holidays?

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Bama-Rick

Senior Cook
Joined
Dec 8, 2019
Messages
131
Location
LA, Lower Alabama aka Mobile
Baklava, Bascotti, Cannoli, Ginger Bread Men/Women, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Shortbread, Cinnamon Rolls, and Oatmeal Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies. While it isn't a cookie or pastry for Christmas Eve Dinner, I make Christmas Bread..
 
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SO is the Christmas cookie baker. She has made anise cookies and pizzelles. Eggnog cookies and pecan balls are next on the list. I may suggest some lemon sugar cookies if she's in the mood.
 
A small batch of these using powdered Swerve instead of sugar.


We always called them Russian Teacakes. I’ve also seen similar recipes called Mexican Wedding Cookies. The Archway cookie company markets a similar holiday cookie called Ruth’s Cashew Dreams or Cashew Nougats that will do in a pinch.
 
I don't bake as many cookies as I used to, but there are still some that I bake every year, most of which are logs of dough, that go into the freezer, all to be baked the same day - wienerstube, oatmeal icebox, almond chocolate spicebox, sesame icebox, browned butter icebox, chocolate sables, and, the most popular, habanero gingersnap icebox. Two that I have to roll into balls, and toss in cinnamon sugar, are snickerdoodles, and oatmeal snickerdoodles, some of which I add chocolate chips to. And the other I bake in my regular oven (doesn't bake as well in convection) is another favorite of mine, which I only keep a few of, for good reason - chocolate chip coconut macaroons, with a layer of chocolate spread on the bottom of each of them.

I got started on these late this year - I normally would have made a bunch for the freezer this last week, but I was sick, and didn't want to work on anything like that, for fear of infecting anyone. I got everything cleaned out there, and soon I'll get started.
 
A small batch of these using powdered Swerve instead of sugar.


We always called them Russian Teacakes. I’ve also seen similar recipes called Mexican Wedding Cookies. The Archway cookie company markets a similar holiday cookie called Ruth’s Cashew Dreams or Cashew Nougats that will do in a pinch.

We call them Pecan Puffs.
 
A great variety of those Russian Teacakes (those powdered sugar puffs) that we used to make was made with a cup of ground black walnuts. My sister used to make mostly those with pecans, but to distinguish between them (some people had an allergy to black walnuts), we made the ones with black walnuts sort of elongated. She would come over and make them at my place, after I was done with all of my cookies - much faster in my oven, but she kept them at her place, since I didn't want that powered sugar getting on my cookies!
 
I haven't made Christmas cookies since Himself found my hidden tub of Russian Tea Biscuits...in 1975! I had made a double batch, we each had a couple that night, then I hid them the next day before he got home from work. When I took them out a week or so later to serve to his sis and BIL, there was about a dozen left. :cautious:Guess I didn't hide them good enough.

Maybe I'll make cookies again once we're back in OH seeing how I now have grandkids. I'll just store anything I bake in a locked box! :mrgreen:
 
- horn-shaped cookies with turkish delight and walnuts.
- biscuit salami.
- romanian? sweet bread (idk a proper translation for this one).
- chocolate and vanilla cake.
- brownies.
- tossed? spongecake (idk a proper translation for this one either).
- maybe a puff pastry with apples, im not sure yet if I ll have the time to make the pastry from scratch yes, if not, then prolly this one is out.
 
These look good and sound very easy to make.

Half-and Halfs

3 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups milk chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.
2. Beat butter, brown sugar and 1/2 cup white sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, and at a time and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture.
3. Divide dough equally among two bowls. To one dough add cocoa powder and remaining 1/4 cup sugar; stir to combine. To each dough, fold in 1 cup chocolate chips.
4. Scoop 1 1/2 TB. portions of each dough. Cut each portion in half, then press one plain half together with one chocolate half. Arrange on ungreased baking sheets, spacing about 2" apart.
5. Bake until lightly brown around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheets 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 3 days at room temperature or freeze up to 3 months. Makes 20 cookies

Source: Allrecipes mag. Dec/Jan. 2023 - submitted by - Lindsay
 
I'm in a Danish food and recipes group on FB. Someone shared a recipe for real Danish marcipan, using almond flour. I bought the almond flour. Now, I just have to make the marcipan. Using almond flour will be so much easier than starting with almonds.
 
Only making a few this year:
  • Kipferl - those Austrian crescent-shaped cookies made with vanilla sugar & almond flour
  • Linzer cookies - Another Austrian cookie, sandwich cookies with jam, the top cookie has a star cutout
  • Shortbread wtih pistachio, dark chocolate & orange peel.
My daughter's gluten free (celiac), and these cookies are easy to convert to GF.

For the orange peel in the shortbread, I actually made my own orange peel. I figured since I spent so much $ on the pistachios, it was worth making a batch of homemade peel, which is sooo much better than buying that dried out chemical-tasting peel I find in the stores around here.
 
Chocolate chip
peanut butter
sugar (holiday design, Pillsbury)
mini plain cheesecake
mini chocolate swirl cheesecake
mini strawberry swirl cheesecake
baklava
 
First made these 9 years ago.

Dark-Chocolate-Ginger Crinkle

1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 large eggs, beaten
3/4 cup candied ginger, finely chopped
1/2 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips
1 cup confectioners' sugar

1. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and unsweetened chocolate over medium heat, stirring until smooth, let cool for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350F; line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk the eggs into the butter mixture, then stir into the dry ingredients until incorporated, stir in the ginger and chocolate chips.
3. Place the confectioners' sugar in a wide bowl. Shape half of the dough into 1" balls, then coat with the confectioners' sugar. Place the cookies abut 2" apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Bake, switching and rotating the pans after about 10 minutes until the cookies puff and crack, 14 to 17 minutes total. Let cool for a minute before transferring to racks to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining half of the dough. Makes 3 dozen

Source: Rachael Ray mag.
 
The closest thing I am baking is glazed pecans. I mix equal parts butter, maple syrup and brown sugar. I heat it until fully homogenized, and toss my pecans in it. Then, into the oven at 300F until the glaze bakes on, then onto a cooling rack for the glaze to harden.

I make them mostly for my dad, who loves them. He is 90 years old, and has dementia, but still loves sweets.

CD
 
I haven't baked any more again, but after making 4 more logs of cookies yesterday, for the freezer, today I made some dough for cream cheese snickerdoodles and CC oatmeal snickerdoodles, that are on my back porch (refrigerator temperature, for now). And tonight I'll make some more logs, and the next two disgusting weather days I'll bake them all!

I gave my neighbor some of those CC coconut macaroons today, since they are leaving for her daughter's house tomorrow. I told them I would have more of the others when they get back, and her daughter told me I could just give her more of those, she loves them so much. I offered her the recipe, and she gave me one of those funny looks, like Yeah, right!!. That gave her Mom and me a laugh.
 
I baked a batch of butterscotch pecan cookies, four loaves of pumpkin pecan bread, six loaves of apple nut bread, and eight loaves of cranberry/orange/nut bread. Our friends have gained a few pounds, but are happy!
 
I for some insane reason decided to start going wheat free this holiday season. So I am making gluten free nutmeg logs. Other than that, I am making about 15 pounds of beef jerky, 10 pounds of poppers and smoking some chuck roasts, so no time for much baking.
 
I have forgotten the kind soul who told me why my apple nut bread was crumbling. I followed the suggestion to mix it differently, and it worked!
I made six loaves yesterday, and every one turned out of the pan perfectly, and could be sliced without turning into a pile of crumbs.
So, whoever it was, a big thank you. You saved one of my favorite Christmas treats.
 

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