topic Christmas Cookies in Recipes

Christmas Cookies

FastDogWalker2 — Sun, 21 Oct 2018 00:09:10 GMT

I was wondering how early people start them, how to you freeze them and what varieties do you make? Thank you!

Re: Christmas Cookies

Mom2Dogs — Sun, 21 Oct 2018 00:11:58 GMT

One thing that helps me out is I mix up dough, freeze it and when I have time I bake.

When I freeze cookies - I wrap them really well with wax paper and saran wrap, put in baggies and store either in coffee cans or lock and locks.

Re: Christmas Cookies

StylishLady — Sun, 21 Oct 2018 00:13:12 GMT

I love love love making the cut out sugar cookies and frosting them. Was a huge bunch of fun when my kids were little and we'd share the experience. I hope to be back north next Christmas to share that with my young granddaughters. I need to find my cookie cutters and I'll probably do some a couple weeks before Christmas.

Re: Christmas Cookies

Pamita — Sun, 21 Oct 2018 00:20:32 GMT

I make about 35 varieties of cookies for Christmas giving. Starting December 1st I'll bake through until a couple of days before the holiday. It's insanity on "plate up" day.

I really have to dial it back this year. I'm too old for this.

But it's so much fun giving nice plates of cookies to frends, neighbors, family and srevice people.

Re: Christmas Cookies

AuntG — Sun, 21 Oct 2018 00:31:07 GMT

How nice that people still make cookies and candy. Around mid-December I'll make peanut butter balls and toffee to satisfy our sweet tooth. I might roll out two dozen sugar cookies if I feel nostalgic.

Re: Christmas Cookies

simplyfriends — Sun, 21 Oct 2018 00:34:12 GMT

I start making cookies early December. Usually do a cookie exchange with friends, some for work and some for family. Always fresh baked. My favorites are bite size shortbread cookies, decorated cutout sugar cookies, Danish Jewish cookies with jelly and Spritz cookies.

Re: Christmas Cookies

BirkiLady — Sun, 21 Oct 2018 00:56:21 GMT

No longer make cookies for myself (diabetic), but I make cookies for my DIL (so doesn't cook or bake) to share with other teachers, my son's employees and my grandson's friends. After the cookies are made, it's her job to wrap and freeze them! There are usually many batches of a variety of kinds for the final cookie baskets.

Re: Christmas Cookies

deepwaterdotter — Sun, 21 Oct 2018 17:56:42 GMT

My most-requested holiday cookie is rum balls:

11 oz vanilla wafers

1 1/4 cup toasted pecans

1 cup powdered sugar

6 tbsps rum (dark if you have it, but any kind will do)

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1/8 tsp salt

1 cup granulated sugar

Finely grind wafers and pecans in food processor, about 20 seconds. Mix wafers, pecans, powdered sugar, rum, corn syrup, and salt in big bowl. Roll tablespoons of dough into balls.

Pour granulated sugar into pie dish. Roll balls of dough in sugar and refrigerate until firm, about an hour. I store mine in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 week, or frozen for 1 month.

Re: Christmas Cookies

DiAnne — Sun, 21 Oct 2018 01:14:15 GMT

I do it on one week end. I spend two complete days and probably one additional evening baking cookies. Then the next evening making bows and plating them for delivery.

Re: Christmas Cookies

RealtyGal2 — Sun, 21 Oct 2018 02:10:28 GMT

@FastDogWalker2 wrote:
I was wondering how early people start them, how to you freeze them and what varieties do you make? Thank you!

I usually starton Black Friday since I do most of my shopping on line these days (my mother is 96 with arithmia and I have a bad back). I make Mexican Wedding Cakes, Pecan Tea Cookies (Grandmother's recipe), Thumbprints, Cream cheese Crescents (my friend's mother's recipe (they are delicious - filled with prune filling), Date Bars (my favorite), Oatmeal Chocolate and Pecan Bars (a former client's recipe), Lemon Bars, and if I have time, I do the cream cheese cut-outs and ice them. These are all from scratch, but I do add a couple of boxes of Ghiradelli brownies because my neighbor is allergic to nuts and almost all of my cookies have nuts. (he gets Brownies and Lemon Bars)

I have several large square plastic containers that seal and I stack the cookises between layers of wax paper. All this is exhausting - I need to train my niece to carry on the tradition. We celebrate on Christmas Eve and usually have dinner followed by Presents for the kids and Peppermint Ice Cream and my cookies. On christmas Day we go to someplace fabulous for brunch (used to be the Camelback Inn before the prices went up to $80+ per person)

Re: Christmas Cookies

LUVNLIFE — Sun, 21 Oct 2018 02:12:19 GMT

@deepwaterdotter- Thanks for sharing your recipe. I am going to try this one this year. Sounds yummy!

Re: Christmas Cookies

chrystaltree — Sun, 21 Oct 2018 02:35:52 GMT

I don't freeze them, a bunch of us make cookies together two weeks before Christmas. We do it over a weekend, Saturday in one kitchen and Sunday in another friend's kitchen. My bff has two ovens so we love it when she hosts one of the cookie making parties. We store our cookies in air tight tins. If you put a piece of parchment paper between each layer of cookies and then put a slice of white bread in the tin (or a tortilla), the cookies stay fresh through the holidays. We each bake 2-3 of our favorites and divide them up.

Re: Christmas Cookies

AnjalenaQVC — Sun, 21 Oct 2018 04:16:19 GMT

This post has been removed by QVC because it is inappropriate.

Re: Christmas Cookies

BirkiLady — Sun, 21 Oct 2018 05:26:39 GMT

Thank you, Anjalelna

Re: Christmas Cookies

Susan Louise — Sun, 21 Oct 2018 05:59:06 GMT

I've been searching online for low carb/keto cookie recipes and have narrowed it down to a few I want to try. I've been making a list of all the particular ingredients I'll need and have to order most online.

I'm definitely on a new adventure

Re: Christmas Cookies

Pook — Sun, 21 Oct 2018 08:50:46 GMT

@FastDogWalker2 I love to bake - especially cookies. I start in November and make the doughs. Balls for some like chocolate chip, peanut butter etc, roll out cut outs for things like sugar, Swedish Tea. I then put them in containers (mostly Lock N Lock) with plastic wrap or waxed paper for the cut out ones between each layer, freeze and then can just bake in December. I wrap well with plastic wrap lined containers and either waxed paper or plastic wrap between and freeze. They last a year as I still have some up to November to enjoy. I also make and freeze the filling for Lady Locks.

I make several hundred dozen and around 15 - 20 different kinds and at least 3 batches or more of each. This works for me so I am usually not rushed and can just do a little each day.

Re: Christmas Cookies

Harpa — Sun, 21 Oct 2018 11:39:46 GMT

Most of the time now I just make drop cookies because you can't mess those up. I never freeze. They are in my husband's stomach way before I would even think of what to freeze them in.

But, to those who freeze - doesn't the freezing alter the flavor?

The other thing...while a cookie tray with assorted cookies looks so nice, after a while, the flavors blend. They all seem to take on the same non-descript taste. My DM, who was a top-notch cookie baker, used to do that. As long as they were separated, they were excellent.

Re: Christmas Cookies

Mom2Dogs — Sun, 21 Oct 2018 12:21:42 GMT

@Harpa wrote:
Most of the time now I just make drop cookies because you can't mess those up. I never freeze. They are in my husband's stomach way before I would even think of what to freeze them in.

But, to those who freeze - doesn't the freezing alter the flavor?

The other thing...while a cookie tray with assorted cookies looks so nice, after a while, the flavors blend. They all seem to take on the same non-descript taste. My DM, who was a top-notch cookie baker, used to do that. As long as they were separated, they were excellent.

@Harpa......I freeze all the time - it does not alter the flavor at all, just wrap well. I do agree with you on the assorted cookies on one plate - my neighbor would give us a small pizza box size of cookies - about 5 different types in the box. We never eat them the flavors had blended together and tasted awful.

When I gift food items (cookies, candy) I use the holiday food bags (tall and slender style) and put one style of cookie or candy in each bag and then buy an appropriate size gift bag to hold the smaller bags. A tray looks nice but ruins the flavor.

Re: Christmas Cookies

LizzieInSRQ — Sun, 21 Oct 2018 13:33:58 GMT

@Pook...several HUNDRED dozen? My goodnees!!!

Re: Christmas Cookies

Eileen in Virginia — Sun, 21 Oct 2018 14:22:35 GMT

I give tins of cookies to our friends for Christmas and usually start baking them about 10 days before Christmas. At this time, baking cookies is my primary activity and DH and DS know to stay out of my way. I make chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, shortbreads, oatmeal raisin cookies, roll-out butter cookies, tea time tassies, macaroons and chocolate fudge. I’m always scanning magazines for anything that looks interesting, but they have to be fairly simple. I bake the “heartier” cookies like chocolate chips and shortbread at the beginning and the more fragile ones like tea time tassies and macaroons at the end of the schedule. I make chocolate fudge towards the middle and keep it covered in the basement fridge. I prefer not to freeze my cookies; instead, I keep them in Lock and Lock containers until I make up my gift tins.