August 2006 Weddings
pghctwife
member
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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can we talk xmas cookies?
what is everyone making? Start em yet?
I think Im starting mine tonight (well techincally I started this weekend but those were a group effort).
Re: can we talk xmas cookies?
Let me note: this is my "scaling back on cookies this year" list. I am generally insane... I know this.
This weekend made family recipe for Pfefferneuse and cutouts with my mom, sisters, cousin.
My List: Snickerdoodles, "neiman marcus" cookies, chinese new year cookies, cran-orange cookies, bark (2 kinds), mini brownie bites with candy cane kisses, coconut macaroons
If I have time would also liek to make (round two and not gonna kill myself): more cut outs, candy cane cookies, choc-espresso cookies, PB blossoms...
Also making danish braids for xmas bfast and a fancy dessert for my sis's bday. I wish there was another week btw now and xmas...
If anyone has good recipes, post them! I am really trying to be healthy right now but will probably make some to bring in to work/for the fam.
I am making fetus cookies for my friend's going away party. I ordered the cookie cutter this weekend and it should be here soon! What color icing should I use?
I've never made them before and I wanna start this year to do home made gifts like MW. I wanna do "interesting" cookies and not just like snickerdoodles. Any ideas for easy ones that are festive? can we post pics too cause pics help a lot!
BLOOD RED! Awesome!
I am not going to bake a ton, but I am thinking of making chocolate chip cookies, except I'll use white chocolate, dried cranberries, and pistachios, so they will be in festive colors.
I love thumbprint cookies too...maybe I'll make some of those.
yeah bark is SO easy! And it always seems to impress... win win! Plus... yummy!
Im trying to stick with easier ones so I dont spend hours and hours on 1 batch of cookies (thus my candy canes and cutouts that I love are in the maybe category)
Usually I make:
Browned shortbread
Light shortbread
Lemon squares
Choc chip
Oatmeal raisin
sugar cookies - decorated
thumbprint cookies
rugelach
stained glass cookies
I'm not working this year, so I don't have an office to drop a bazillion cookies off at this year, so I'm not sure what I'll do. I'll still do the shortbreads and the lemon squares, and I really think stained glass cookies are fun, so I'll probably do those. I don't know if I have the time or the inclination to do much more with a baby around, and no one to enjoy the cookies but me (darn family that doesn't like cookies).
I like the windows and the bark! any of those jelly ones I tend to like. I don't like the powder ones - maybe just because of the mess with the powder? If I did the first two and a third one, should I do something with chocolate or a sugar cookie-type?
I am making:
Wonderland cookies (basically iced sugar cookies)
My great-grandma's chocolate cookies (the recipe is so old it calls for "ten cent chocolate" which I think today is about $2.50)
Chocolate chip cookies with red & green M&Ms
Chocolate cream cheese sandwich cookies
and possibly chocolate truffles.
And this post just reminded me to get some butter out to soften!
It's pretty much the same as regular shortbread, but you take half the butter and brown it first (put it in a saucepan over low to medium low heat until the solids turn golden brown and it smells nutty)
Then you put the browned butter back in the fridge until it's almost solid again (it should be pretty firm, but not hard) then make the shortbread as you would normally do. it gives the shortbread a bit of a different flavor - to risk sounding redundant... it's a bit nuttier.
But you have to be careful not to overbrown the butter, otherwise it just tastes burnt or bitter.
Buckeyes
Peppermint Bark
Tiger Fudge
chocolate mint cookies
I debating on whether or not to make my pecan cookies. Usually I just make Buckeyes and Pecan Cookies (which are my absolute favorite) but this year I wanted to branch out and try something different so I wasn't going to make either of the regulars but a friend requested buckeyes; Most of the recipes are really "candy" so...I don't know.
I was going to start/finish this weekend but got sick so that really but a crink in the plans.
my read shelf:
my read shelf:
I am in awe of all you gals! This is the first year in a looooong time that I work in a real office, and I'm starting to panic about all the bosses, secretaries, assistants and others that deserve a gift of some kind. I'd love to do cookies, but we're doing an office cookie exchange, so that would be really lame!
I've got a GREAT choc chip recipe. Choc chip is kinda plain, though - maybe I'll use red and green m&ms like someone else suggested....?
Anything you can achieve through hard work, you could also just buy.
I usually make tea cookies and these jelly cookies that my gramma cut from a magazine in the 50s. ?They're kinda like shortbread with jam dropped in the middle. ?Yum. ?And then I always choose something that's not from my childhood like trail mix cookies or a bar of some sort. ?One year I inadvertantly did a bunch of recipes that all happened to have coconut in them. ?I guess I was in the mood for it.
I just don't know if I'm doing any this year. ?I won't be at my apt, and my parents recently redocorated their kitchen and are insane, 100% insane about it. ?Like, you have to wipe the sink dry after you use it. ?So I don't really want to cook there. ?Maybe my gramma and I will bake.?
My traditional xmas cookies are chocolate-dipped macaroons, shortbread, and decorated sugar cookies.
I'm doing:
- Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies
- Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Lemon Squares
- One other
Clearly blue and pink
I love oatmeal-chocolate revel bars. Very easy and sooooooo tasty. The original recipe is in the red & white Betty Crocker cookbook, but i think this one is accurate:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chocolate-Revel-Bars/Detail.aspx
I had been planning to make these for the cookie swap, but for this damn bronchitis:
Triple-Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
I generally make regular chocolate chip cookies and oatmeal scotchies. And these truffles have become my traditional Christmas treat.
I've got gingerbread (snowflakes, trees, stockings), chocolate crinkles, and pine nut cookies in the freezer - recipes in my blog.
I think I've decided on rosemary cornbread for my Christmas craft this year.
You people are making me feel like a very incompetent baker. Maybe I'll make more next year when I have a bigger kitchen.