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Friday, December 18, 2020

Baking, Baking, Baking

While I know many people begin their holiday baking around the first of December, I try to delay holiday baking until about the week before Christmas. I do so for several reasons:

  • having Christmas cookies feels more special if we only eat them for about 10 days of the year
  • I stay on my healthy-eating track until later in December (and do far less damage to my waistline as a result)
  • I'm busy with gathering and wrapping gifts in the earlier part of the season and therefore don't get around to holiday baking until relatively the last minute
  • the treats are fresher for gifting on Christmas day to my son and daughter-in-law and to our neighbors, as well as for our family's consumption on Christmas
  • that last week blitz of cookie and treat making, with Christmas music playing in the background, really gets us all in the Christmas spirit
So those are my reasons for not baking until this last week before Christmas. Now, onto my list of what I'm baking. It looks like a lot, but we hand these out to a lot of friends and family.
What's on your holiday baking list? 

Do you have a favorite holiday cookie or treat? Mine has always been gingerbread men. Now that I'm older (and have a much slower metabolism), I opt for mini gingerbread men and women, using tiny cookie cutters that my daughters played with as young girls and later found their way into my cookie cutter jar.


8 comments:

  1. That's funny--I start baking earlier for a similar reason--I find it harder to resist the multiple kinds of cookies and prefer to introduce them gradually (and if we run out of one kind, no worries, another kind will be coming along soon). Like you, I make gingerbread cookies (my mom's recipe is my favorite), sugar cookies (I don't love these as much but there is no negotiating with my kids on this one--due to decorations!), a decadent cookie to fulfill your wildest chocolate dreams (chocolate shortbread base with a fudgy layer with chocolate chips and walnuts on top), and my mom's no-bake date balls. I have also added your spiced nuts into the mix and have been experimenting with adding one kind of candy--last year I made fudge, this year I tried buckeyes. I will make cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning and possibly some sort of homemade bread if I get ambitious enough, and that's about it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kris,
      I think we each need to figure out what works best for ourselves. I can understand not wanting to have a variety all at once. Your mom's date balls sound yummy. I love dates. It's nice to make something that reminds us of our childhoods, I think.

      Have a great weekend, Kris!

      Delete
  2. I also do not like having all those cookies around for a long time before Christmas. My daughter's third grade class was having a time of decorating cookies, remotely, and she wanted to participate. So I made cookie cutouts, white, red, blue and green icing. I put it all on a tray and she decorated four cookies with her kids and I need a mug of hot cocoa ready so they could eat their cookies, drink their cocoa and watch a short Christmas movie. All for the last day of school before Christmas and all done remotely! We got 2 dozen cookies out the batch and that will probably be enough for The Christmas season. I will make my husband a cheesecake for Christmas day and probably my kids will want cinnamon rolls sometime.

    Alice

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Alice,
      Cookie decorating sounds like a fun activity with your daughter's class. Did all of the kids also decorate cookies remotely?
      Nice that you and your family can enjoy all of the extras, too!

      Wishing you a wonderful rest of your weekend, Alice!

      Delete
  3. Baking here is hit or miss, but I usually try to make something to give to the neighbors. Sometimes this extends to a large group including extended family and work, and sometimes not. There are no specific recipes that are made every year. We made and decorated sugar cookies and gingerbread men when the kids were young, but don't do that as much any more. This year, I think it's going to get pans of brownies and fudge that we'll give out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Live and Learn,
      Brownies and fudge sound so good to me right now. What lucky neighbors, friends and family! I hope you can enjoy the time baking.

      Enjoy the rest of your Sunday, Live and Learn.

      Delete
  4. I will bake 2 kinds of cookies due to freshness. I will make chocolate chip and molasses cookies plus vanilla bean that are in my freezer. Lili would you please say a prayer for my daughter Rachel who got married this spring. Her husband tested positive for the virus from work and right now she is negative but who knows if that will remain. Thank goodness only a cough and no tasting of food for him. No getting together for us. Thank you and have a Merry Christmas. Cheryl

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Cheryl,
      I just prayed for your daughter and husband and will keep them in my prayers. I know this is so scary. I'll pray for you, too.

      Your cookies sound really delicious!
      Wishing you a Merry Christmas, as well, Cheryl.

      Delete

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