My children have outgrown Santa Claus and I do as much shopping as I can on-line, but one enduring holiday tradition is baking cookies. Every year since 1998 a group of us have blocked off a weekend day in December to get together and bake cookies. We each make double batches of two different recipes, and someone brings pre-baked cut-outs that we decorate while the other cookies cool. It’s like a cookie exchange but we do the baking together.
Yesterday we started baking at 8:00 am and were done adding the last sprinkles to the cut-outs by 3:00 pm. Here’s a sampling of what we made.
Ginger Spice Cookies
Forgive the un-edited pictures. I was busy baking and am exhausted!
Butterscotch Shortbread
Date Pinwheels
Bee Sting Bars
Peppermint Meltaways
Double Chocolate Cherry Cookies
Eggnog Spritz Cookies
Decorated Cut-Outs
Last year was the first and only year I missed. Partly because I had a business trip in December, but also because I was having a rough time and not sure I could put on a happy face for a whole day of baking. This year I’ve come to realize that nobody’s life is what it seems on Facebook, and I needed to spend time with my friends more than I needed to pretend that my life is perfect.
[Tweet “A whole lot of #Christmas #Cookies #Baking”]
By the time we were done, this was my share of the cookies. Now they are all safely apportioned into tins or stashed in the freezer until my son gets home from college–or until I hear them calling my name. 😉
What is your most enduring holiday tradition?
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Oh I love this and just think and envision even hours of baking frolicking JOY at your house entirely ensured 🙂
Because that was it right?
ALL ALL BLISS.
Pretty much! No burnt cookies, no dog stealing cookies … as much as Tiger Lilly wanted to help.
Did I read date pinwheels? If you don’t mind me asking, is there a certain recipe you use? They sound delicious!
That one’s not mine but I’ll see if I can find it for you!
This is so fabulous! I absolutely love holiday baking like this. My mom, sisters and nieces all used to come over and do the same. Sadly the tradition has fallen away.
Baking holiday cookies is one of my favorite traditions too! I usually get together with my sister and two cousins and we bake a whole bunch of stuff and decorate a whole bunch of cookies and watch Christmas movies. It’s the best although it’s changes a bit since having kids! This year we’re actually opting to just decorate gingerbread houses instead of dealing with the children and their mess but I’m sure we’ll be baking some cookies too!
Wow, look at all those cookies! This sounds like a delicious tradition. We generally pick one of the recipes from the Washington Post’s cookie special and bake those but I love the variety you get your way 🙂
Oh, did you pick one from the latest issue? The lime cornmeal ones sound interesting to me. We could try difference recipes and do virtual cookie exchange. 😉
Mmm… those did sound delicious! I’m trying to convince my husband that the salted butterscotch cheesecake bars are the way to go but he’s not quite convinced. And he’s the baker in our house so he gets the final vote.
oh my I would have a hard time not eating all of those if they were in the house. Love Holiday baking too!
Yum! Making cookies is that one tradition that never grows old! I end up doing most of the baking, but since everyone is so appreciative, I don’t mind at all!
That’s A LOT of baking! Everything looks so good though! I have a friend who is hosting a cookie exchange this year, so I’m going to be doing quite a bit of baking as well. I just haven’t chosen what to make yet! Your date pinwheels do look intriguing though.
Your cookies cameo out so cute! especially the wreaths 🙂
FB always make me feel lonely…that is why I don’t look at it much.
laughter and fun is good for the soul and it look like baking brought both.
What a mouth watering post. I love cookies! I make candy and other treats with my teens a weekend or so before Christmas. And then I hide it all over the house.
I’ve been meaning to get on over here to this Christmas cookie post of yours, and now here I am! Those wreath cookies are the so cute but my stomachs will not discriminate. I’ll take 10 batches of everything.
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