Recipes

[FastDogWalker2]

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

[Mom2Dogs]

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.

[StylishLady]

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.

[Pamita]

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.

[AuntG]

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.

[simplyfriends]

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. 

[BirkiLady]

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. 

[deepwaterdotter]

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.   

[DiAnne]

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.  

[RealtyGal2]

---

@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)