Show us your Christmas Cookies - 2011

[TrishUntrapped]

It's early still, but can't let everyone in the office go hungry. Here are before/after photos of:

Mini Gingerbread Whoopie Pies with Lemon Cream
Chocolate Almond Lace Cookies
Chocolate Crunch Cookies

So what you are making?

[TrishUntrapped]

My daughter's home for Christmas. Now it's her turn to bake. She made Molasses Crinkles and Peanut Butter Blossoms. Cookie baking in the household is now officially over! MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Molasses Crinkles
Peanut Butter Blossoms

[AGM_Cape_Cod]

I give my cookies in individual (after finding that my brother wasn't sharing the family tin with his kids) containers using the takealong by Rubbermaid. Here is this year's version with the bottom layer container candies- candied grapefruit, orange and lemon rinds, white chocolate pistachio & cranberry bark, almond butter crunch and ancho chili-cinnamon chocolate bark. The cookie layer has the constants- lemon stars, apricot foldovers, champagnebrod, pistachio-craisin biscotti, and macademia lime cookies as well as new additions- chocolate peppermint drops, pecan slice and bake cookies and rosemary-pine nut shortbread. So far I have given out 22 of this size and another 20 of a smaller one with one of each cookie. I still have another 22 to prepare. I make my cookie doughs and bake to fill the number of boxes I need.

[TrishUntrapped]

AGM,

That's a lot of cookies!!!

Lovely mix of luscious candies and delectable looking cookies. Nicely iced cookies. Which ones are those?

[AGM_Cape_Cod]

The ones with the holly and berries are the macadamia lime cookies. It is a lime juice and confectioner sugar glaze.

[rstuart]

AGM... these just look gorgeous. I always fall down on the presentation front.. generally lots of little sandwich bags jammed into a gift bag!

[AGM_Cape_Cod]

The good thing about sandwich bags is that you don't have to worry about competing flavors. I also make gingerbread using the ABC cookie cutters but bag them separately since the spices would overwhelm some of the other cookies.

[rstuart]

Yep... I make spiced pecans, and different barks.. and some crumbly bars. They do tend to blend into each other!

[AGM_Cape_Cod]

What spices do you use with the pecans? My husband loves pecans.

[rstuart]

I think just cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.. maybe some ginger? I can look up the recipe if you're interested...

[TrishUntrapped]

Thanks, they're super cute, nice job!

[AGM_Cape_Cod]

Thanks. I always think the box isn't that nice but if I pack it right it get the ones I mail there without breakage and it is easier to carry the ones I deliver to work on the train. Also I figure it keeps the cookies from getting stale though at time co workers have given me the box back the same day.

[karykat]

Gorgeous. Am I seeing a chocolate covered toffee next to some of the citrus rinds? Or is that some of your chocolate bark? The ancho/cinnamon combination sounds great.

[AGM_Cape_Cod]

Yes that is almond buttercrunch. The recipe is from Better than Store Bought and I make a double batch early in December. Makes a lot for a little bit of effort and is delicious!
The ancho/cinnamon is very good. Surprisingly subtle. I will wait to hear if anyone notices and if not maybe jack it up if I make it again. Saw somewhere a product list for a bakery with a number of savory spices and herbs in their stuff. Made me think maybe I was getting a little staid.

[karykat]

Can I trouble you for that recipe? Not now while everyone is busy but in a few days?

I used to have the book but don't anymore.

They look great and sound very delicious.

[foodie_guru]

It all looks lovely! Would you share the recipe fo rthe Mini Gingerbread Whoopie Pies with Lemon Cream? TIA.

[TrishUntrapped]

Sure Food Guru. Here is the recipe which I adapted from two different sources (I wanted a filling that didn't have fluff in it). I am also attaching a link to a video showing the creator of the cake part of the recipe, making them.

http://www.wcsh6.com/video/5244724000...

Mini Gingerbread Whoopie Pies with Lemon Cream

Whoopie Pie cake ingredients (Amy Bouchard’s recipe

)

1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1 cup molasses
2 eggs
4 and1/2 cups flour
2 and 1/2 tablespoons ginger
1 and 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 cup boiling water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl mix together oil, sugar, molasses and eggs. In a medium bowl sift together flour, spices and salt.
3. Add baking soda to the one cup boiling water and set aside.
4. Add 1/2 flour mix to molasses mix, then add half the water, repeat this until all ingredients are mixed together.
5. Spoon rounded spoonfuls (not large) onto parchment lined or buttered cookie sheet. Make sure each spoonful is at least 2 inches from each other as they will expand when baking. Bake for 10-13 minutes depending on size. Just like a cake they are done when the top springs back or when a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

When the Whoopie Pies are cool, put halves together with lemon cream:

Lemon Cream Filling:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup Crisco vegetable shortening
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup warm whole milk (not hot, can microwave it briefly about 20 seconds)
2 teaspoons (or more, to taste) fresh grated lemon rind

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients except the lemon rind, in a large mixing bowl.
2. Using a stand mixer if possible, or by hand mixer, beat 30 seconds on low, and then about 5 minutes at medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally. At first the mixture will look lumpy and curdled, don’t worry. Eventually it will come together and be creamy smooth.
3. After the cream has reached a smooth consistency, beat in the lemon rind.
4. Fill the Whoopee Pies with the cream. Can store at room temperature, covered.

Enjoy!

[TrishUntrapped]

Space Dust Cookies
Black Bottom Cookie Bars
Gooey Mixed Nut Bars

Three new ones I decided to test run this year. The Space Dust Cookies are a melt in your mouth shortbread type cookie. Got the recipe here from a poster on CH. Much appreciated. Black Bottom Bars are like a variation a chocolate chip cookie. very rich. The Gooey Mixed Nut ones, OMG!! These are a pecan pie lover's DREAM!!! I had to pack these up real quick in order to avoid temptation.

[TrishUntrapped]

Thanks Plano Rose!

Jam Splits
Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

This week, I decided to try the super easy Jam Split Cookies featured here on CHOW. Easy to make and taste very good. I used raspberry jam and added just a light sprinkling of red colored sugar on top. The other cookie is what I call Chocolate Covered Jerry Cookies, because they are my husband Jerry's favorite. They are actually Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies. Photos below are some before and after shots of each cookie.

[Plano Rose]

Your cookies look yummy. Can't blame your coworkers for gobbling them up.

[TrishUntrapped]

At 1 p.m., the Chocolate Almond Lace Cookies are gone, and everyone wants the recipe for the whoopie pies.... To share good things with my co-workers makes this time of year even more special!