Years ago my son and I would spend a weekend baking to create boxes of various sweets for him to give to his friends in college. We made brownies, caramel corn, cookies and biscotti and stuff I can’t even remember. We made so many different things I had to create a spreadsheet to calculate how many pounds of butter, sugar and chocolate I needed. It was a lot of fun.
I am not doing that this year, but I do want to give a box of a few different cookies to each of my family members on Christmas. Since I don’t want to give stale cookies, I made the cookie dough for several different kinds and put them in my “outside refrigerator,” which means they are sitting out on my front porch. After I rearrange the contents of my fridge, I’ll transfer them back to the fridge. The temperatures here for the next four days is not going above 34F so they are fine out there. There is a shortbread cookie with pretzels, chocolate, pumpkin seeds, coconut and pecans. There is an ultra-rich chocolate chip cookie; there are Russian Tea Cakes (also known as Mexican Wedding Cookies) and some Moroccan Semolina and Almond Cookies.
I’ll also be making some Gochujang Caramel Cookies, Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies, Spiced Chocolate Marble Shortbread Cookies and some Crunchy Coconut Twists.
I’ll also make some caramel corn, but I’ve also found a recipe for Cheddar Popcorn. This batch (above) is made with white cheddar powder. This is a test batch. I’ll bring it to work tomorrow to see what my coworkers think of it. Last week I made some Peppermint Saltine Toffee Bark and that was a great hit.
I have made another small pink bird, but with Christmas coming up around the corner, I’m pretty focused on that, and the dinner I will be cooking that day, so I haven’t been in the studio as much.
9 comments:
Gochujang caramel cookies? That sounds different. I see there is a NYTimes recipe, so I guess they must be good, but initially I’m dubious . I’d be interested to hear a report on how you and your recipients like them.
Sounds like mum and her peanut brittle. Plus peppermint bark and new this year, candied almonds. She is done making everything and this week she gives it all away.
The neighborhood we lived in as young marrieds with toddlers had a neighborhood cookie exchange - it was marvelous fun (aside from baking dozens and dozens of the same kind of cookie). But the tray of cookies we enjoyed after the swap was amazing. Kudos to you !!
Is your front porch enclosed? If I left food on the porch or deck the raccoons would have a feast in short order! I found that out when I left a few plastic Easter eggs out for DS the first year moved here. The next morning, all were opened and the candy gone.
I only make 2 cookies every year and Russian Tea Cakes is one of them. The other is Peanut Butter Blossoms. When the children were young, Rice Krispy Treats were also in demand.
It is harder for me to do a baking marathon. My husband has celiac, so I don't use any wheat flour in the kitchen so I don't contaminate it. It only takes a crumb to set him off. GF recipes are usually heavy in the starches and don't make great cookies. I have switched to Keto recipes and almond flour works some of the times, but not enough to have all those wonderful kinds of cookies.
It would be heavenly if you were to share those cookie recipes! Merry Christmas!
It's bizarre to think you can just leave it out there.......I don't get that cold......
So many yummy combinations......
Our enclosed front porch near Rochester, NY was used often as a refrigerator. Usually it started with Thanksgiving and continued on throughout the winter. Also, we used it for storing bushels of apples bought from a traveling truck who would knock on our door. The apples did get a covering. Love all those cookie names.
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