as i mentioned in my last post, cookie baking is what i live for. unlike most people, i don't get together with a bunch of girlfriends and bake cookies all day. i like to do it in the quiet calm of my own kitchen with christmas carols playing at a reasonable decibel in the background. something about measuring out the specific ingredients for each cookie, mixing them according to the instructions, and then pulling them out of the oven looking like the little picture at the top of the recipe is therapeutic for me. at a time when i feel like i am doing a number of things the wrong way (ahem, what wedding??), i need to have these small things to remind me that i am capable of completing something successfully.
here is my day (actually, two days) in pictures:
first i wanted to do something easy to get my feet wet, if you will. so i went with
hershey peanut butter blossoms. they are so simple and the recipe always produces massive amounts. they're a good filler cookie.
then, to honor my nephew, i made
o'henry bars. not only do these bars share a name with owen, they are delicious as well. if you have never had these, make them. you will not regret it.
next up on my list were
these bad boys. three years ago, andy's mom gave me a great cookie recipe book. i told andy to browse through the pages and pick one he's like me to make. he picked these, and they have been a huge hit in the family.
to add a little something new to the mix and also to use some sprinkles, i decided to whip up some
whoopie pies (hint hint if you need to get me a christmas present - i would LOVE this cook book).
i think they are adorable.
amidst all this cookie making, i called my parents and asked my dad what he wanted me to make him (of the cookie variety). classic dad, he said he wanted chocolate chip cookies (sad horn). so i made some of those. is it me, or are these the hardest cookies to make? i can never make these right. for that reason, no one except immediate family members will be munching on these this holiday season.
these ones were new last year, and i decided to bring them back for an encore. they seem to be lighter and healthier than all the other cookies (i can believe what i want to believe) and sometimes it's nice to have a break from all the chocolate. the only downside is that you have to make the dough ahead of time and then let it chill in the fridge for two hours. i tend to forget about that part.
i have been making
buckeye balls for a number of years. they're always well-received. they are incredibly easy to make, they just take some patience.
every year there is a last-minute cookie idea. it's usually because i forget how much i've made and i panic that i haven't made enough to share with everyone. this year's panic cookie was the
snickerdoodle. they are pretty easy to make in a hurry and the recipe calls for standard ingredients.
i could have kept going. i seemed to have endless energy when it came to making these cookies. i didn't care that i was washing the same bowls after every batch and i didn't care that my hands were so dry from washing dishes that they were starting to crack.
thankfully, i ran out of eggs and had to stop.
