holiday baking

rrodney

Does anyone have any specific baked good that you make every year? I plan on going on a baking frenzy and making homemade cinnamon rolls, decorated sugar cookies, peanut butter cookies, fudge, maybe some toffee, and then otherwise I will be sifting through my mom's old fashioned cook books for a few more things.  Also do you give your baked good as gift baskets to your friends?  I am thinking about doing this as well as making ornaments.  Is this too cheap?

bg022202

I don't think it is too cheap. A lot of people are having it harder this year. Hand made things are more special anyway. I am making a dry ingred. jar that I got off of bakerella's blog. I also always make peanut butter snicker cookies and people love them!

angelashly

bg022202:

I don't think it is too cheap. A lot of people are having it harder this year. Hand made things are more special anyway. I am making a dry ingred. jar that I got off of bakerella's blog. I also always make peanut butter snicker cookies and people love them!

I am thinking of doing the jars too.

I always make snickerdoodles for my mom, sugar cookies, and the peanut butter/hershey kiss cookies.

luckycooky

I gave cookies last year and everyone loved it.  Especially some of the older relatives who were not able to bake as much as years past.  DH's grandpa actually gave me the container back the next time we were up and asked for a refill!

LilacStar11

My signature dessert we call "Lumps of coal".  It is two packages of oreo cookies, two packages of cream cheese mashed together in a food processor.  Then they are made into liitle lumps with a mellon baller and put on a cookie sheet in the fridge to cool.  After 1/2 hour they are rolled in melted fruit chocolate that you would get in the produce section.  Back in the fridge to cool.

Heavenly!

SarahBaby87

I've done baked goodie gift baskets for Christmas for several years now. People look forward to them and even make requests. "Are you going put those in there again?! Those were good....." I'm thinking of trying my hand at making some home made jam's and jellies this year too. I thought that would be a nice change of pace.

joeysgirl2008

I usually give coworkers a tin of goodies every year!

It's not cheap at all...it's very thoughtful!

hudysgirl

That's a great gift idea.

 

I'm not sure what our cookie routine will be this year, but in the past we've made sugar cookies, chocolate chip oatmeal, gingerbread, horseshoes, 7 layer bars, cherry tarts, caramel cups, lady locks, biscottis, and pitzels. We probably won't do as many this year though.

Merin

I switch up the cookies I make each year, but I always make coated pecans (and have included walnuts & almonds before too) similar to this recipe:  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sweet-Coated-Pecans/Detail.aspx  and I always do peppermint bark too.  I do a layer of dark chocolate then top it with the layer of white chocolate w/ peppermint pieces mixed in. 

I think homemade gifts are awesome!

yellowroses510

We did baked goods last year for the extended family, and most people really enjoyed them. Everyone is having a rough year, so making something as opposed to buying something takes a lot more effort and time, and those are the best kinds of gifts because the recipient doesn't end up with a lot of extra crap in their house that they don't need!

Last year I made: cinnamon rolls, blondies, cheesecake bars, sugar cookies, and florentine cookies. I spent a week in the kitchen!

AugustBrideCO

I'm definitely doing baked goods this year for co-workers and maybe for extended family as well. I'm thinking of making baskets with a chocolate peppermint cupcake (if I can find cute cupcake containers somewhere), some peppermint bark, puppy chow, and maybe some coated nuts or cookies would be fun.

DFico21

This is a great board, 1st post over here.  Every December my mom and I bake cookies together.  We do the following:

Oatmeal Candy Bar Cookies, Snicker Doodles, Coconut Macaroons, Peanut Butter Kisses, Pecan Sandies, Thumbprints, Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies, and Tuluche (Italian Wedding Cookies), and 2 new ones each year

opps!  Forgot the Cashew Cookies

My mom has been doing this since she got married. We give them out to family and friends.  I send a platter with MH to work, I also take one to work. 

Mrs.H.

I bake cookies....and everyone loves them.  In fact, people who work with my DH are asking about them already!!!

I will make about a dozen ( or more) different types. 

Mrs. Wifey

LilacStar11:

My signature dessert we call "Lumps of coal".  It is two packages of oreo cookies, two packages of cream cheese mashed together in a food processor.  Then they are made into liitle lumps with a mellon baller and put on a cookie sheet in the fridge to cool.  After 1/2 hour they are rolled in melted fruit chocolate that you would get in the produce section.  Back in the fridge to cool.

Heavenly!

I am so doing this! Great idea!

WA1215

I think it's a great idea, and very thoughtful.  I try to do some baking every year to give some to family and friends.  But, this year I plan to make even more.  Here's my list:  Choc chip/m&m pudding cookies, snickerdoodles, kiss cookies, pinwheel cookies, decorated sugar cookies, fudges, choc dipped pretzels, etc.

gakester8

my mom's toffee, gingerbread men

BookAngel0823

We do mostly Swedish stuff for baking

Almond tarts

San Tarts

Peacan Lassies

Spritzers

that kind of stuff but we also do no-bake cookies and surgar cookies. It's a whole two day thing so that we make enough for everyone and then some! It's one of my favorite things about the holidays 

yellowapron

I always bake for the holidays, but last year was the first year that I gave cookie boxes as gifts. I got adorable cardboard gift boxes from A.C. Moore or Michaels (I think they were Martha Stewart). I baked 8 kinds of cookies: mini black & white, peanut butter, sugar, chocolate chip, rainbow cookies, florentines, chocolate mocha, and one more kind that I can't seem to remember right now.

 I was also afraid of being seen as 'cheap', but everyone was really appreciative and loved the cookies. I've already gotten requests for this year!

chanteltbarrett

I think it's a great idea! Very thoughtful too.

Turtle143

I wanted to do this this year but our house won't be finished until Feb.

Love the idea though. Not cheap. Hits the Betty-Crocker/Martha-Stewart place in my holiday-geared heart.

candreco

I always make nutella biscotti, gingerbread, shortbread, hello dollies, snickerdoodles, several quickbreads, russian tea cakes, oatmeal cranberry cookies, and cream wafers (miniature, very thin sugar cookies with red or green buttercream).

I love cookie boxes- I'll take one to work, send one with DH, drop one off at the church office, give them to friends, and so on.  People love homemade cookies!

jkmcnamara

Nope. I bought a bunch of Christmas themed plastic jars last year. This year I plan on filling them with Christmas candies, including my pink ice candy. You make it with white chocolate and peppermint candies.

mungova1

LilacStar11:

My signature dessert we call "Lumps of coal".  It is two packages of oreo cookies, two packages of cream cheese mashed together in a food processor.  Then they are made into liitle lumps with a mellon baller and put on a cookie sheet in the fridge to cool.  After 1/2 hour they are rolled in melted fruit chocolate that you would get in the produce section.  Back in the fridge to cool.

Heavenly!

My husband just had these for the first time at work and has been begging me to make them ever since. He agrees they are heavenly

anneg

everyone who i gave my cookie boxes to last year was downright delighted, so i wouldn't worry.  one set of friends opened their box (i used 1 lb candy boxes) and wolfed them down in about five minutes flat.  it was pretty funny.

Whirlgirl01

I always make pumpkin cranberry bread, chocolate cut-out cookies, and cranberry-pistachio bark in white chocolate.  The other stuff varies.  It's a great gift and I think people appreciate the fact that it's homemade.

rebaann

I always make sugar cookies.  Other things that get made some years and not others are fruit cake (it's good, I swear), date rolls, caramel corn, peanut blossom cookies and rum ball.  I frequently give treats to my friends for the holidays.

lexweir

I make peppermint bark (honestly the easiest thing ever and people.go.NUTS for it!), chocolate gingerbread, and cherry chocolate chunk cookies every year and give them to family, friends and co-workers in cute holiday-themed take out containers from Costco.  People love them and have already started asking about them this year.  It's not cheap, it's hand-made gifts!