Menu
Elly Says Opa!

Recipes & Ramblings of a Home Cook

Connect with Elly

Favorite Holiday Goodies and a GIVEAWAY!

posted in misc. on Dec 12, 2011
317

I’m making a lot of “old” staple recipes for holiday tins this year. I’m not making much, and I’m certainly not going overboard. That said, I probably won’t be posting any new recipes this year (though I am majorly eyeing these Linzer cookies as a possible last minute addition), so I wanted to give you a list of some of my favorites, a few of which will be making an appearance in this year’s treat boxes. And also to make it evident that I really need to re-photograph some of these…


Melomakarona– These are the cookies I make every year, no questions asked. They are traditional Greek holiday cookies with a hint of cinnamon and orange that are then doused in a honey syrup and topped with a cinnamon, clove, and walnut mixture. In other words, they are the best cookies ever.

Kourambiedes – Another traditional Greek holiday cookie. These are almond shortbread cookies rolled in powdered sugar, very similar to Mexican wedding cookies.

Chocolate-Mint Thumbprints – These cookies have the quintessential holiday combo of chocolate and mint. Plus, they’re pretty!

White chocolate, cranberry, and pistachio fudge – I know that white chocolate is very polarizing. It’s not “chocolate” for one, and some people hate it. I am not one of those people. I adore white chocolate. Love it. Think it’s one of the best things on earth. Studded with red cranberries and green pistachios, this is a very festive fudge!

Sablés – These cookies are perfect for every holiday treat bag. Not only are they delicious, they are incredibly simple to make. Plus, you can make them ahead of time, freeze the log, and slice and bake when you’re ready.

Gingerbread scones – These are a great change of pace from the cookies most people tend to give out. They have that unmistakable holiday gingerbread flavor in the form of a scone, and they are drizzled with maple glaze.

Peppermint Bark – This is about as easy and classic as holiday treats go. This year, I’ll be pouring these into holiday candy molds, rather than into a sheet pan and breaking into shards (thank  you, Pinterest).

Romano and Black Pepper Biscotti – While this is a sort of unusual addition to a list of holiday tins, that’s what makes it so great. People get so overloaded with sweet stuff during the holidays, that a savory biscotti is a welcome addition. It’s also easy to make the dough and freeze in advance, plus biscotti is shelf stable for quite a while.

 

And now, for the giveaway!

I’ve never been a huge baker, but I’ve definitely gotten into it more, and have gotten much better (thankfully). Originally, I had some pretty cheap and not all that great bakeware. I got a few recommendations for the Williams Sonoma Goldtouch pans, so I bought a couple pieces. I fell in LOVE. I want to eventually rotate out all my old bakeware for new, shiny, perfect, awesome WS pans.

I’m actually jealous of whoever wins this giveaway, because I don’t even have all these pans!

I’m giving away a 6-piece set of Goldtouch essential bakeware to one lucky winner!

The set includes a cookie sheet, a half sheet pan, 2 (9″) cake pans, a cooling rack, and a muffin tin.

To enter, just leave a comment below telling me what your favorite thing is to bake around the holidays. 

  • Giveaway ends on Thursday, December 15 at 11:59 PM CST. The winner will be announced on Friday. Good luck!
  • Open to U.S. addresses only.
  • You must include an email address when commenting, otherwise I can’t reach you if you win (don’t worry, no one can see your email address but me).

Disclaimer: This giveaway is sponsored by yours truly. 

Favorite Holiday Goodies and a GIVEAWAY!

blogherads.adq.push(['Middle1', 'skm-ad-Middle1']);
//

317 thoughts on “Favorite Holiday Goodies and a GIVEAWAY!”

  1. I don’t want to bake any more cookies! I think i just want to come to your place this holiday season. Those all look awesome!

    My favorite thing to bake during the holidays is rainbow cookies! Love them.

  3. Cookies (peanut butter blossoms, candy canes, sugar cookies, and the ever classic Christmas M&M cookies) are my favorite to bake during Christmas! I may just have to try your Greek cookies, too. 🙂

  5. Christmas treats ALWAYS include my mom’s soft sugar cookies (the recipe actually comes from a 1970s Cosmo issue!) Sooo good!

  9. My favorite holiday treat to make is cranberry pistachio biscotti and shortbread cookies. The red and green look great together and the taste is SO yummy!

  10. I love to make my Great Aunt Joan’s Molasses Cookies. I can’t seem to get into the holiday spirit without that spicy, gingery aroma wafting from the kitchen.

  11. I love to bake chocolate chip cookies at christmas time, also the pioneer woman has an amazing cinnamon roll recipe that’s also great to bake at the holidays.

  13. This is not really a baking item but I just can not get through the holidays without making a batch of party mix. It is my winter addiction!

  14. Your recipes sound amazing. I enjoy making peanut butter roll. It was something my grandmother always made so now I try and carry on the tradition.

  15. I love making anything that envokes past memories or brings traditions to life. My MIL is no longer with us and my kids never got the chance to meet her, but I made a batch of her dream bars, a long standing family tradition, and to my husband it was like having his mom in the house with us again. Making something for my kids and being able to tell them that this was a cookie that their daddy used to eat as a little boy, priceless.

  17. I love to bake cookies during the holidays! I usually bake a different kind every weekend, starting Thanksgiving weekend. But my FAVORITE thing is my sweet potato cassarole recipe. No other compares, and I am always asked to bring it to Holiday gatherings:)

  19. I don’t have anything I traditionally bake for the holidays, but right now I really enjoy baking cupcakes.

  24. I love baking all kinds of Christmas goodies, bit this year I’m keeping it simple due to the birth of baby #3. So this year my favorite is mint meringue kisses.

  26. My favorite cookie to make at Christmas time are Lemon Dainties. They melt in your mouth and they remind me of all of the special women at my church that baked for the cookie exchange.

  28. I usually bake some sort of cheesecake (I love trying new flavors) and then at least chocolate chip and monster cookies.

  31. I’m actually baking your black pepper biscotti today! But, my favorite thing to bake is definitely pumpkin pie for turkey day!

  33. I love to bake biscottis and scones at Christmas but always always make cut outs. Labor of love but oh so good!!
    -veniceforever 🙂 great giveaway and cookie ideas!!

  37. I like baking quick breads (i.e., banana bread, zucchini bread, pumpkin bread, etc) for the neighbors.

  39. I’ve made the same chocolate-toffee cookies from Smitten Kitchen every year for my boyfriend’s holiday party…but this time, I might try to switch things up!

  40. Last year I really enjoyed the ease if making a million cookies fast with a new cookie press. This year I look forward to making my husband’s favorite almond crescent cookies

  43. My favourite thing to make around the holidays is sugar cookies, with my kids. I just love how excited they get and how proud they are of their creations. Thanks for hosting such a great giveaway!!!

    hunwhatsfordinner[at]hotmail[dot]com

  44. My dad and I take a whole day and bake cookies for our friends and family. This year we made 8 different kinds.

  45. I really love making my Mom’s old fashion donuts. Even with the kids grown and out of the house, I still make them every year.

    mommy_of_love1[at]hotmail[dot]com

  46. This christmas I am so lucky to go to Germany to visit my husbands family in a few weeks. I am going to learn some new family recipes and see how they bake in Germany. I can update you with some recipes if you want! Btw, we are newleyweds and married at a city hall, we still havent had a wedding shower yet so I am dying to have a set of these!

  48. Definitely cookies-& I enjoy taking some around to our neighbors. I’m doing that tonight, actually! Merry Christmas!

  51. My favorites are from my family: one grandmother’s biscotti and my other grandmother’s fig cookies. My husband also loves sugar cookies, gingerbread, and chocolate chip — so I make all of those as well!

  52. My favorite thing to bake over the holidays is lemon stars. They are so yummy but so much work so they only happen twice a year!!!

    All your cookies look awesome!

  55. I can’t pick one favorite, but I just made biscotti for the first time and it was so much fun! I’ll have to try your savory biscotti!

  56. I love to bake up White Chocolate Chip & Cranberry Cookies. Super simple but yummy and festive!

  57. My go to baking staple around the holidays is a chocolate ganache tarte. It is deceptively simple to make and always impresses.

  58. Peanut Butter Blossoms are my favorite. I’m horrible at every other cookie, but for some reason, those always turn out AMAZING.

  59. I love to make peppermint bark! It’s a favorite holiday treat. I love those goldtouch pans – I have several but not the whole set.

  60. My favorite things to bake are Australian Crispies. They’re an easy oat cookie that my husband loves. And I like to make him happy!

  61. While it’s not technically baking, I love making marshmallows every year. The homemade version is infinitely better than the store bought and people are always impressed with them. Actual baking, I love making cookies and I don’t think I could choose just one favorite!

  62. Pecan pie is always on the Christmas-time menu. I love it, but I limit baking it to around the holidays 🙂

  64. My favorite thing to bake at the holidays, especially for Thanksgiving, is a butterscotch apple crumb pie.

  68. I always make my favorite and much requested Cherry Almond Shortbread cookies. Seriously easy recipe, but looks beautiful, and everyone loves them. They’ve become a tradition within my circle. I got the recipe from a newspaper article about seven years ago, but somehow everyone thinks they have been around in our family for years. I also love my mom’s meringue cookies with chocolate chips (an even easier recipe).

    This year, I’m going to try my hand at your Melomakaronas for my half-Greek mother. Her dad was from Greece, but died when she was 10. He owned a Greek restaurant in L.A., and she remembers all the wonderful tastes and smells, but doesn’t know how to cook a single Greek thing (!). I know she’ll love the cookies.

  69. This isn’t really baking, but we usually make a few batches of peanut brittle to give to friends every Christmas.

  74. I try to make something new every year, but my favorite so far has been a beautiful layered chocolate cake with strawberries and ganache!

  76. Cookies! Cookies and more cookies! I actually spent the entire day baking on Saturday and still have about 3 more kinds I want to make!

  81. As soon as I arrive, my Dad and I always make baklava and Greek Easter bread (this may or may not be a traditional recipe)

  82. What a fantastic giveaway! My favorite thing to bake around the holiday’s is sugar cookies. Now that I have a young child making cookies for “Santa” every year is a fun tradition that we look forward to!

  84. Rosettes. I loved watching my grandma make them when I was little. It’s a happy memory of her I like to hold close. Hopefully I can pass on the tradition to my children and grandchildren someday.

  85. I have always, always made shortbread cookies, boiled cranberry pudding with sugar whiskey sauce, and of course, ginger bread men. I LOVE Christmas cooking, and I wish I could afford to make everything that my mom and grandma used to make, because my christmas would be complete!

  86. My favorite thing to bake is a super quick and easy rum cake. Literally takes less than 10 minutes to prepare, and then just bake. Clean up is ridiculously easy, too. My favorite thing to con the hubs into making is espresso mocha cheesecake with oreo cookie crust. Except. They don’t make the oreo crumbs anymore, so I always have to scrape the oreos to get the crust.

  87. I love making my grandma’s peanut butter cookies! She makes a “sandwich” out of the dough and puts an extra scoop of peanut butter in the middle and seals the sides with a fork, then bakes. That gooey pocket of peanut butter in the middle is to die for!

  88. Baking is difficult this holiday season as my son was just diagnosed with allergies to milk, peanut wheat soy and corn. However I love baking cookies, apple cinnamon cookies are a Christmas favorite.

  89. I love to make blueberry streusel muffins; they’re amazing any time of the year, but when I go home for the holidays, I get access to my parent’s awesome cookware and fridge contents, and they always have these ingredients on hand 🙂

  91. I love to bake oatmeal raisin cookies. They are my dad’s favorite, and the only thing he asks for every Christmas.

  93. Cheesecake is a must for any holiday, Christmas included.
    And, Creme Brulee French Toast for Christmas morning …it’s baked in the oven (so it counts)

  95. My favorite thing to make are my mom’s gingerbread men! They are spicy and not too sweet – perfect in my opinion. I wasn’t gifted the recipe until last year so it’s really fun to finally be baking them in my own home with my husband 🙂

  97. I don’t bake a lot of goodies at Christmas – we don’t need the extra calories, but I do love to make cherry amaretto bread. Sour cherries are folded into a buttery batter flavored with amaretto and the whole loaf is glazed with a mixture of sugar and amaretto. It’s a real after-dinner treat on Christmas Eve or wonderful with a cup of coffee on Christmas morning.

  98. My favorite thing to bake at the holidays is thumbprint cookies. I’ve been making them since I was little, when my mom found the recipe in a magazine or something. They’re delicious, and they remind me of Christmas and family!

  100. I like to bake a white fruitcake from the recipe that my Mother cut from Gourmet magazine about fifty years ago. I do not normally like fruitcake, but this is really really good.

  101. I really enjoy baking cookies this time of year but my absolute favorite thing to bake around the Holidays is my Panettone Bread Pudding.

  103. My favorite thing to bake around the holidays is recipes with spices in them – this year I’m all about everything gingerbread!

  104. I love baking spritz cookies and chocolate crackles every year. I also like to try a few new recipes for the holidays as well.

  105. My favorite things to bake around the holidays are sugar cookies and pumpkin rolls which my family loves! I even bake pumpkin rolls for my husbands co workers!! Wonderful treats!

  106. My favorite thing to bake for the holidays is sugar cookies and then decorating them with my kids 🙂

  110. My favorite thing to bake around the holidays is chocolate chip cookies. My mom used to always bake them in the morning and wake us all up to that smell… must be a nostalgia thing 🙂

  111. I eating mince pies that my mom bakes(I need to get her recipe). . .I love baking cookies–boring, but true!

  112. I usually bake a couple kinds of cookies and then some kind of sugar loaded pie when Christmas comes about.

  114. I always have an array of cookies I bake each year, but this year I am going to simplify a little bit. One thing we have to have every year, is our English Trifle, complete with homemade pound cake (instead of ladyfingers), layered with vanilla pudding and raspberries, topped with whipped cream and it is served in a large footed glass bowl. I’ll probably do Treasure Bars and Shortbread Cookies, and if time Fruitcake cookies, that last for several months. Well, they are supposed to last that long, anyway.
    Thank you for your blog, Elly.

  115. I love to back cranberry banana nut muffins. They are even better with butter! Merry Christmas to you!

  117. I love baking sugar cookies cut into christmas shapes and decorated with icing and sprinkles. I do this with my 7 year old son so it isn’t so much about the cookies but the experience.

  118. For the past three years gingersnaps have been an absolute staple! I know I’ll be making them again, since I asked my building’s security guards which cookies they like, and I got gingersnaps as an answer! There’s nothing like holiday baking to show others how much you appreciate all that they do.

  119. I usually bake about 2-3 different kinds of cookies around the holidays. My favorite to make are the cut-out sugar cookies b/c it’s something fun to do with my little boys!! All your treats look soooo good!!

  120. I love to bake cinnamon rolls around the holidays! I only make them once a year on Christmas Eve so they’re ready for Christmas morning!

  121. Mint surprises. Miini thin mint and wrapped in chocolate cookie dough sprinkled with crushed candy cane.

  123. I like to kick it old school and make Christmas sugar cookies! Who can say they don’t like a frosted sugar cookie?

  124. We like to make the usual thumbprint cookies and also rum truffles rolled in dark chocolate and cocoa.

  125. i am a baking FOOL during the holidays. i love baking cookies and bar cookies the most but peppermint bark always gets the best reactions. OH and homemade marshmallows 🙂

  126. I love to bake Choreg around the holidays. It’s an Armenian yeast bread flavored with Mahlab. People head toward that scene like zombies when they’re near it baking. Not sure why we tend to only make it around the holidays, but it’s great to have on hand for breakfast.

    My favorite “sweet” to bake around the holidays is sugar cookies, because it turns into a family event. We make the kind that you roll into balls, flatten them out with a glass or mug that has been slathered with butter and pressed into sugar, then decorate them with sugar crystals, candies, coconut, etc. Lost of fun. I think it’s relaly more about spending the time together.

    I must say, I’ve never tried this line of pans, but would love the opportunity – thanks. 🙂

  129. Just made some killer chocolate mint chip cookies that might just be the new favorite. Looking forward to baking more cookies as the month goes on!

  130. My favorite thing to bake are oatmeal white chocolate cranberry cookies. They’re everyone’s favorite 🙂

  131. I love to bake spice cookies. I used to make everything from scratch, but now that I am a working mother, the sugar cookie dough in a bag from the baking aisle is a perfect substitute. I just follow the directions on the bag and sprinkle in some pumpkin pie spice. Once they’ve cooled I dip them in royal icing made with additional pumpkin pie spice. They always get rave reviews! And you can wrap them up nice and pretty for teacher or hostess gifts.

  132. My favorite thing to bake for the holidays is Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies.Well, cookies in general, but those are my current favorites 🙂

  133. We love to bake chocolate crinkles and candy cane cookies, both from the old fashioned Cooky book. And yes, it is spelled with a y!

  135. I love to bake and decorate sugar cookies this time of the year. I am also exploring other varieties of cookies this year posted by bloggers. I am making several tins of cookies for my son’s teachers at school.

  137. I love to make cookies with my daughter. When she was younger, they started out as basic sugar cookies and each year as she gets older, they become more complex. Since she is a teenager now, she gets complete control over the recipe.

  138. Girl, I’m am *so* making those first two, and that fudge! My list keeps growing. They look so good, and so special to have some Greek treats to share with friends. I’d have to say I look forward to making cranberry and pistachio biscotti the most. It’s so much fun to make, and such pretty festive colors. Great giveaway!

  139. I love to bake sugar cookies this time of year. It doesn’t seem like Christmas until the cookies are done!

  141. I love making pizzelles around the holidays..perhaps not traditional for everyone but it is in my Italian household!

  142. I like to bake giant cookies (12″) to give as gifts to the UPS and Fedex guys and an assortment of small cookies for friends, pies and cinnamon rolls for family.

  143. I’m not a huge baker either.. however I just ADORE the Goldtouch stuff, my new(ish) bread pan has made me excited about getting things back into the oven 🙂

  145. Cake pops are on my baking list this year. Let’s see how they turn out…maybe this will be my new holiday baking tradition. Because cookies and bark are so last year. 😉

  146. I bake a whiskey cake every Christmas that both our parents love. It’s great because they aren’t big sweets eaters and they love it.

  147. What a sweet giveaway, and I find it funny that you don’t have these pans either. I definitely drool at these pans and eventually upgrade when I win the lotto!

    My fave thing to make around the holidays are pecan tarts. I have to make at least 5 to 6 dozen for the family!!

  149. I love funfetti cake all year long, but during the holidays I like to bake it with special red and green sprinkles!

  151. I really love making cupcakes, so for the holidays it’s christmas themed. However, I usually only make those peanut butter cookies with a hershey kiss around christmas. Love them!

  153. Cookies-I make at least 6 different kinds every year at this time and go to an awesome cookie exchange and get to try even more!

  155. I don’t really have a favorite. I just like to try something new every year. It is the fun of baking that I enjoy most.

  156. Thank you so much for this generous giveaway! <3 if i win, i will be over the moooooon, haha
    My favorite thing to bake around the holidays would be gingerbread!!

  157. My favorite thing to bake is bread. All year round. But around this time I like to experiment with sweet breads of all kinds.

  159. I love baking different desserts, for sure. But my all-time favorite is FLAN. Vanilla, coconut or my husband’s favorite, pumpkin. It’s a hit!

  160. I love making any and all cookies, but my favorite thing to make is Christmas cut-out cookies. We use my grandma recipe, and I am extra excited because my daughter will be able to help make cookies this year.

  161. Well, i always bake but I am not a great baker or cook for that matter. I have been using your site religiously for a few months now since i discovered it. by the way, my kids thank you 🙂
    so if i were to know how to cook anything, I would love to have homemade baklava. Better yet. have my mom here make us baklava.
    🙂

  162. Cookies and Brownies…. Spritz and Jelly Filled cookies and Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Brownies!

  167. I love to bake year-round! I always make tons of stuff, but I really only eat the molasses cookies. Yum!

  168. I always bake traditional Norwegian gingerbread cookies, along with caramel saltines- both recipes that have been in our family for ages! They make the holidays for uor family.

  170. I always make sugar cookies and pound cakes. I’m seeing a lot of new recipes I want to try this year though out on the web!

  183. As silly as it is my favorite thing to bake any time of the year is bread. Whether its plain old white bread for sandwiches or something more elaborate like cinnamon raisin bread I just love to bake bread. I’m also loving the cookies I’ve been making lately. Chocolate peanut butter chip. Yum!

  184. I love to bake. i just made some vanilla popcorn that was to die for. it vanished all in one day. 🙂

  186. Cookies! For the past few years it’s been my husband’s grandmother’s recipe, but I love to make a variety of cookies.

  190. My favorites are gingersnaps (chewy ones). I could eat them nonstop. Such an awesome giveaway!!

  191. My favorite thing to bake would have to be a tie between two cookies. I love making Chewy Ginger Molasses cookies and Italian Lemon Cookies. It’s just not the holidays without them!

  192. My favorite thing to bake around the holidays is to bake caramel popcorn. Mix it up with peppermint candy for christmas… add spices for thanksgiving… candy corn bits for halloween… just perfect!

  196. Individual cheesecakes; with different toppings like cranberry sauce with vanilla bean and cassis, blueberry, chocolate ganache, salted caramel sauce…………so pretty on a seasonal plate.

  197. I love to bake Potato Chip cookies and for Christmas morning it’s a must to bake homemade cinnamon rolls. Happy Holidays!

  198. As a fewllow Greek girl, I can’t have Chrsitmas without Melomakarona either. They are my absolute favorite!! I also love to make frosted sugar cookies with my daughter – it is a nice holiday tradition.

  203. I love to make shortbread with pieces of Toblerone bar in them – I also like to make an almond cake

  204. Kolocky cookies. 🙂 I have great memories of baking some up with my Mom when I was a kid.

  205. I love to make peppermint bark, I make it every year. So easy but so good.
    I have a whole list of favorites of holiday baking treats, but this is the first holiday treat I made by myself and I always make it no matter what. 🙂

  208. It’s a toss-up for me: either a homemade gingerbread house (LOVE the smell) or my favorite chocolate layer cake, jazzed up for Christmas with the addition of mint!

  210. I love holiday baking and I would SO enjoy owning this set! I think my favorite thing to bake is classic cut out cookies because they’re my husband’s favorite!

  211. Anything with pumpkin, usually starting in September and culminating around the holidays. My current favorite is pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

  215. My favorite item to bake for the holidays is sugar cookies. I especially love to make snowflakes! These bakeware pieces georgeous! I’d love to win them!!

  217. I love to make Christmas cookies. My fav is thumbprints…while my husband just wants chocolate chips (not very Christmas-ish- but his fav)

  218. My absolute favorite things to bake around Christmas time are soft golden sugar cookies decorated with festive red and green frosting & topped with fun Christmas-ey sprinkles. So cute & they put me in the holiday spirit!

  224. My favorite thing to bake is chocolate mocha cheesecake! It’s absolutely delicious with a hot cup of coffee

  225. I love to make cookies. One of my best friends has a cookie party every year and I always find a new recipe to try. This year it was toffee, pretzel, peanut butter cookies. I have heard wonderful things about that line from WS. I would be a happy girl.

  233. Love baking all my Mom’s holiday traditions. She used to bake more than 12 different kinds of cookies and candies!

  237. I’m not much of a baker, but some homemade cinnamon rolls are always delicious on Christmas morning.

  238. My favorite thing to bake is anything apple related! Cobbler, pie, etc. I just hate peeling apples! :/

  239. My favorite thing to bake around the holiday season is something that’s actually a total PITA, but worth it because everyone loves them. I make these individual chocolate nut tarts for our office holiday bake sale and there are literally people that show up early just to make sure they get one 🙂

  241. I love baking “pita” — a typical Bulgarian bread 🙂 but I’d love to try and make the Melomakaronas, they look irresistible!

  243. Bourbon pound cake – it’s one of my favorite things to bake any time of year, but the bourbon makes it seem especially comforting in the winter.

  244. I like baking cookies at this time of the year.. normally it isn’t my fav thing to do. lol I also like to make cranberry bread.

  245. I’m glad you don’t live in my neighborhood b/c it would be too tempting to A) eat all of your cookies and B) be depressing to always be outdone by your recipes! 🙂 Now I just get to cheat off you! Thanks! 🙂

  246. My favorite thing to bake around the Holidays is anything new, I love trying new recipes! Or anything with chocolate! Chocolate peppermint sandwich cookies are great.

  250. My favorite thing to make for Christmas is peanut butter fudge. SO GOOD! Other than that, things are rotated in and out based on what I am feeling like making. I generally make about a half dozen different things and give plates to all of our neighbors. My mom always used to do that, and my neighbors truly appreciate the gesture.

  255. Old fashioned sugar cookie cut outs! It’s the only time of year I get to use all of my green and red sprinkles.

  256. I look forward to making fudge and caramels all year long. I’m not sure that really counts as baking since it’s all done on the stove top. I did make some pecan tassies today that were so delicious they’re going onto the annual rotation.

  257. I love all my holiday baking, but chocolate chip cookies are my favorite! Despite the protest of my jeans! ha

  259. Your cookie recipes look amazing! I can’t wait to try Sables! My favorite cookies to bake this time of year are molasses cookies!

  260. Although they aren’t particularly festive, I like to bake black and white cookies. They’re so fun to make!

  262. I love to bake these little chocolate-covered cherry cookies I have a recipe for. Basically a chocolate cookie with a deep thumbprint baked until done. Place a cherry in the thumbprint and covered with melted chocolate. The chocolate hardens some around the cherry. Such a yummy and festive cookie.

  265. My all time favorite thing to bake during the Holidays is my Hungarian Yeast Torte…I just love to bake.

  268. I love your blog! Baking around the holidays for me means lots of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and no-bakes!

  271. I love making cookies and giving them away to friends and neighbors. David Lebovitz’s Crack cookies are my favorite.

  272. My favorite things yo bake for the holidays are cakes and cookies. Cake for me, cookies for the hubby and kiddo.

  273. My favorite would have to be Rumble Cakes. A decadent mix of butter,
    eggs, Trader Joe’s Truffle brownie mix, Montmorency cherries, walnuts
    and chocolate chip cookie dough. I can’t take credit for it as it’s a
    TJ’s recipe. Not your Mother’s fruitcake, by any means!

    Merry Christmas,

  274. I love baking mint chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin cheesecake, and cherry-pistachio cookies.

  281. I love baking cookies of all kinds but my favorite are Martha’s cranberry nut noels. I could eat an entire tin of those buttery delicious cookies. In fact, I probably have!

  283. I love cooking Andes mint chocolate cookies, but this year I am really wanting plain old frosted sugar cookies.

  284. I’m not much of a cookies and candy type of gal. Actually I loathe baking…it’s precise and accurate and organized….unlike me. So around the holidays I enjoy baking more savory things like puff pastry with goat cheese and caramelized onions, hearty soups, roasted vegetables, prosciutto, mushroom and Gruyere cheese fritattas and seared meats.

  285. I always bake my Mom’s Plum Cake, a spice cake using plum baby food and lots of nuts, with a lemon glaze. Keeping her memory alive! 🙂

  289. I love making golden Thumbprint cookies with my mom. The thing that makes them taste so wonderful is that we use red current jelly in the centers for a perfect tart and sweet mix!

  293. I love to bake at the holidays and would say picking one favorite is difficult! So…I will list a few: cut out sugar cookies, chocolate marshmallow meltaways, and white chocolate dipped cherry cookies!

  294. Baking holiday cookies really going to enjoy in a few years with my new granddaughter. We bake them and give away alot as gifts.

  300. What do I love to bake around the holidays? What DON’T I love to bake?! I host a cookie exhange with a few dozen gal pals and we go to town! Wedding cookies, layered bars, spritz, chocolate crinkles, molasses chewies, snickerdoodles, peanut butter blossoms…you name it, I’ll bake it. I also love to make a nice flourless chocolate cake or cheesecake to share with co-workers on special food days at work.

    My only rule around the holidays is no chocolate chip cookies. Yes, I love them, but they are so common that I try to avoid serving them since people eat them frequently throughout the rest of the year.

  301. I’m a definate cookie baker at Christmas. Some friends get together for a cookie exchange which yields a lot of fun, and a lot of new cookies. Looking forward to making my world famous chocolate chip, as well as pistachio butterscotch (among others)!

  302. My favorite thing to bake during the holiday’s would be Biscotti and cookies any kind really. I love going on my favorite food blogs and looking to see what everyone else is making and giving it a try myself. This year I can’t eat anything I bake but it doesn’t mean I’m staying out of my kitchen. I love to bake for my family, friends and co workers.

  303. my favourite things to bake over the holidays aren’t pictured above, but i don’t hold it against you….they are ginger cookies – NOT to be mistaken with gingerbread, which is traditional and lovely in its own way, but hardly delicious compared to these….
    note: this is my great grandmother’s recipe….making its internet debut!! (i could REALLY do with some beautiful bakeware…)

    GINGER COOKIES
    1 cup shortening
    2 cups white sugar
    2 eggs
    1/2 cup molasses
    4 cups flour
    2 tsp cinnamon
    1 teaspoon cloves
    1 teaspoon ginger
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    4 teaspoon baking soda
    1 teaspoon maple flavouring
    Mix shortening and sugar well, then add flour, spices, maple flavouring – mix well and chill for 30 minutes. roll into little balls and toss in white sugar. Bake 10-12 minutes at 325 degrees farenheit.

  307. I love baking peppermint cookies and gingerbread cookies! The melomakarona recipe looks delicious!:)

  310. I love to bake yeast breads for the holidays. Everyone love getting homemade bread and it’s a nice change from cookies and candy.

  312. I have looked forward to making mint chocolate chip cookies the last few years but I went to a cookie swap the other day and had toffee crunch cookies and they were great! I can’t wait to make them myself!

  313. I love love love baking snickerdoodles at Christmas. I love the bite they have, juxtaposed with the sweetness of the sugar and the spice of the cinnamon. Possibly the only thing I enjoy baking more is sugar cookies; that brings back memories of loads of December nights spent in the kitchen with my mom as a child, carefully decorating each one with sprinkles.

Comments are closed.