Christmas Cookies and Candies

[dotfurio]

Too early?

I'm thinking ahead about what to bake this year. So far I'm planning on making iced sugar cookies, and also these Almond Joy cookies (really more like candy) that were a hit last year.

What are your favorites? Any recipes you'd like to share?

 

[kaytieeldr]

https://www.bakingbeauty.net/bacon-chocolate-chip-cookies/?crlt_pid=camp.bEJ2QALxxiz8

 

[Klayfish]

Oooohhhh, Chrismas cookies. I can't wait, I plan to have plenty of them Thanksgiving week and again Xmas week. I'd need to have DW give more details, as she's a much better baker than I am. Some of my favorites that she and DD11 make...

Chocolate balls - Oreos crushed to fine bits in a blender, mixed with cream cheese (I normally hate cream cheese) then rolled into a ball. Cover with melted baking chocolate and put in the fridge to set/harden. My absolute favorite.

Birds nests...I think that's what she calls them???? - Chinese noodles mixed with peanut butter and then held together with melted baking chocolate. Awesome.

Forgotten cookies - I don't know how to make these, but they're darn good

You can never go wrong with classics like chocolate chip or iced sugar cookies

 

[Snowflakey]

Peanut butter cookies with a chocolate kiss in the middle
Iced Sugar cookies
Snowballs
Molasses crinkles
Mini brownies with peanut butter cup in the middle
Birdnests - cookies rolled in crushed walnuts with raspberry jam in the middle
Peanut Brittle
Peanut butter fudge
Chocolate Fudge
Pretzles with melted rolo and a M&M on top
Pizzelles
I could go on an on

 

[verleniahall]

Peanut Butter Balls are a must have every year

Cookie press cookies

Oatmeal raisin cookies

Maple bourbon pecan cookies

 

[Frozen Canuck]

We usually make Nanaimo Bars, pecan snowball cookies, and then iced sugar cookies. If I was expecting a larger number of people throughout the holidays, I would likely add butter tarts or turtle tarts.

 

[PollyannaMom]

gingerbread cookies!

My favorite way to make them is to start with a mix, follow the directions but add a little cocoa powder and M&M baking pieces, roll them in balls, and very slightly underbake them.

 

[lynxstch]

Here is the link to the DIS cooking board forum page that has a ton of Christmas (and other days too) recipes. There are cakes, candies, breads, gift ideas, anything you can think of . It's my go to recipe link for the holiday season. Enjoy!

https://www.disboards.com/threads/cookies-from-cake-mixes-also-biscotti-bars-now-cups-pops.681495/

 

[lynxstch]

Oooohhhh, Chrismas cookies. I can't wait, I plan to have plenty of them Thanksgiving week and again Xmas week. I'd need to have DW give more details, as she's a much better baker than I am. Some of my favorites that she and DD11 make...

Chocolate balls - Oreos crushed to fine bits in a blender, mixed with cream cheese (I normally hate cream cheese) then rolled into a ball. Cover with melted baking chocolate and put in the fridge to set/harden. My absolute favorite.

Birds nests...I think that's what she calls them???? - Chinese noodles mixed with peanut butter and then held together with melted baking chocolate. Awesome.

Forgotten cookies - I don't know how to make these, but they're darn good

You can never go wrong with classics like chocolate chip or iced sugar cookies

To the bolded in red---I sometimes make a version of meringue cookies that are called forgotten cookies, as you put them in a very low heat oven to cook, then turn the oven off and let them sit overnite. Just don't 'forget' they are there and turn the oven on to cook something else--been there, done that!

 

[lynxstch]

We usually make Nanaimo Bars, pecan snowball cookies, and then iced sugar cookies. If I was expecting a larger number of people throughout the holidays, I would likely add butter tarts or turtle tarts.

To the bolded in red--I had never heard of these. Just googled them, and they look delicious!

 

[tvguy]

We usually make Nanaimo Bars,.

One of my Aunts made the best Nanaimo bars. Every Christmas my mom would send several pounds of See's candy, and every year we would get the previous year's See's Candy box back willed with Nanaimo bars, dark fruit cake, light fruit cake, and shortbread cookies. Our Canadian Care Package. During the rest of the year we would usually get sent a piece of the Wedding Fruit Cake when ever one of my cousins.....and later....when one of their children, got married.

 

[tvguy]

Too early to bake? Yes. Too early to think about? No. My wife has been buying one ingredient every week during the grocery shopping since August.

 

[Klayfish]

To the bolded in red---I sometimes make a version of meringue cookies that are called forgotten cookies, as you put them in a very low heat oven to cook, then turn the oven off and let them sit overnite. Just don't 'forget' they are there and turn the oven on to cook something else--been there, done that!

Oh, that's right, thanks for refreshing my memory.

As to forgetting they are in the over and turning it on, I have no idea what you're talking about....

 

[Frozen Canuck]

To the bolded in red--I had never heard of these. Just googled them, and they look delicious!

Nanaimo bars are on nearly every Canadian dessert table, I think. When my son got married (in the U.S.), in lieu of a wedding cake, they asked me to prepare a Canadian dessert table (it included Nanaimo bars, butter tarts, lemon squares, turtle tarts, confetti squares made with the multi-coloured miniature marshmallows that aren't available in the U.S., and peanut butter squares). He and his wife cut a Nanaimo bar in half and then fed it to one another.

One of the ingredients in Nanaimo bars is Bird's Custard Powder, which can often be found at Cost Plus World Market or the "British" section of most grocery stores in the U.S.

I'm not a fan of coconut, so I have a modified recipe, which I use for our family, but I haven't found anyone who hasn't loved them when they taste them.

 

[cluvsdisney]

I've just started to think about what I want to make this year. Definitely on the list are decorated sugar cookies, chocolate chip (not fancy but DH's favorite), red velvet crinkle cookies, chocolate raspberry bars, and I think I want to make one of those rolled log cakes. Last year was the first time I made royal icing and everything looked a little crazy so I want to practice a bit over the next couple of weeks so my cookies look nice. I was joking that you wouldn't want to run into my gingerbread men in a dark alley. haha!!

 

[cabanafrau]

I'm trying to get into planning mode. My youngest daughter was home for the weekend and borrowed a new cookie book I picked up recently with more than 1,000 cookies that I was planning to research for ideas, so I'll have to wait until after Thanksgiving for any planning from that one. I did see an interesting recipe in it for Scottish Abernathy Biscuits that looked a bit like a butter cookie or shortbread with lemon and caraway seeds in it. I'll be taking another look at that one.

What I know for sure will make the cookie tray this year are Wreaths (cornflake/marshmellow), Peanut Blossoms, Spritz, and Anise Biscotti.

 

[kaytieeldr]

confetti squares made with the multi-coloured miniature marshmallows that aren't available in the U.S

One of the ingredients in Nanaimo bars is Bird's Custard Powder, which can often be found at Cost Plus World Market or the "British" section of most grocery stores in the U.S.

Ah, if only something like Amazon existed...https://www.amazon.com/Kraft-Puffed...763&sr=8-4&keywords=Colored+mini+marshmallows

https://www.amazon.com/Birs-Birds-Custard-Powder-600g/dp/B011VZTKDK/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1542035930&sr=8-3&keywords=Birds+custard+powder&dpID=51ClCq%2B2vjL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

 

[dotfurio]

Some of these I've never heard of! Lots of interesting ideas here.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

This is our favorite:

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/26223/raspberry-star-cookies/

 

[Frozen Canuck]

Ah, if only something like Amazon existed

Yep. There is that. If you have more money than time, I guess, or live somewhere super remote. The day I spent $8.88 on Bird's Custard Powder would be the day I quit making Nanaimo bars...and I make a LOT of them. It is about $2 or $3 in Canada and even Cost Plus World Market allows you to order it online...2 for $8.98.

As for the marshmallows, I can't imagine anyone wanting 16 bags of the things! Especially to the tune of nearly $40.

So yes, most everything CAN be made available in the U.S., just not COMMONLY found in the U.S. I guess the question becomes, "How badly do you want item X and how much are you willing to pay? Amazon isn't always the answer to everything. I have had people ask me about the custard powder before, so I simply offered a couple of suggestions where people could reasonably source an ingredient. As always, people should do their due diligence and source items themselves if they really want to make the recipe...from Amazon or otherwise.