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Highlights: Christmas Cookies

Published on December 11, 2011 By Emily. Updated on December 11, 2011

Another sign that Christmas is on the horizon?  I’ve got cookies on the brain.  It just occurred to me that I don’t have any cookie swaps on my calendar this year and I had such a good time at the 2 I attended last year that I think I’m going to host one in January (let me know if you want in!)

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the results of my 2009 baking
 
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the results of the 2010 cookie swap #1
 
I’m planning on keeping my baking fairly low key this year, but I can’t go to school empty handed on the day before break.  It’s just not in my nature.  I think I’ve settled on what I’m going to do, but I might change my mind, given all of the posts I’ve seen lately:
 
Food In Jars has a recipe for thumbprint cookies that are a great way to use homemade jam.  You know, that homemade jam that I never got around to canning this summer?  I’ll add that to the file for next year.
 
What kind of holiday cookie are you?  Take the Washington Post’s quiz to find out.  I’m apparently a no-bake cookie, which surprised me, but I guess I am pretty busy.
 
Peanut butter buttercream sandwich cookies don’t scream Christmas to me, but they still look awfully tasty.  I really don’t know where Evan comes up with these genius ideas.  Also, a good reminder that my frosting making experience is almost non-existent.
 
Speaking of geniuses, Liz kicked off her 17 Days of Cookies at the beginning of this month and they all use the same base sugar cookie dough.  My favorite recipes so far are Nutella Cookies with Sea Salt Sprinkles and Caramel Toasted Coconut Stars, but I’m excited to see what else she comes up with.
 
If you like a little spice with your sweet, I’d take a look at The Kitchn’s collection of 10 spice cookie recipes. 
 
Julie mixed some of the best flavors of the season and posted Eggnog Sugar Cookies.  Um, yes please (and only 6 ingredients!)
 
It needs to be known that I have a (possibly unhealthy) obsession with all things shortbread.  These hazelnut and olive oil shortbread cookies on The Kitchn sounded fabulous until I saw the photo.  Then they looked and sounded phenomenal.  Also being added to my “to make” list? Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies… or Banana Chocolate Chip Sandwiches from Home Cooking in Montana.
 
On Smitten Kitchen, there are some mighty tempting looking Nutmeg Maple Butter Cookies, made even more adorable by the use of leaf and acorn shaped cookie cutters.  I bet they taste like fall.
 
Too busy to bake? Trust me, I feel you on that one.  There are some yummy ideas on Chow’s “Crazy Easy Christmas Cookies” list, so don’t despair!
 
I generally don’t believe in sugar substitutes (except maybe honey or agave, but never Splenda or Equal and anything with stevia in it tastes gross to me), but one Chow writer did some experiments to see how sugar substitutes affected her snickerdoodles.  In the end, it seems that she doesn’t believe in them either.
 
I had good intentions, as usual, to start my baking early this year.  Good thing there’s still time to do so and put these tips for freezing cookies into practice, from Life Your Way.
 
Apparently there exists a thing called Speculoos Cookie Butter.  And, according to Halley on Blunder Construction, it is amazing.  It doesn’t really seem like my kind of thing, but if I ever make it to Trader Joe’s again maybe I’ll try it.
 
Lastly, Bit Rebels shared this excellent mug with a cookie pocket.  I love that idea!
 
(if that wasn’t enough links, check out last year’s Christmas cookie highlights!)

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Filed Under: links Tagged With: baking, dessert, holiday

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Comments

  1. Halley (Blunder Construction) says

    December 12, 2011 at 4:12 pm

    “It’s just not in my nature.” I love your attitude! This holiday just wouldn’t be the same for me if I wasn’t baking something, but I’ll be ready for a break from the oven very soon. Thanks for the shout out, by the way. I am already halfway through the cookie butter jar. Try it with sliced apples, if you can!

  2. Linda says

    December 23, 2011 at 6:10 pm

    Wow they look so delicious, want to see the result for 2011.

Trackbacks

  1. » Highlights: Christmas Trivia » Relishments says:
    December 18, 2011 at 8:15 pm

    […] attempt to not add anything else to your to do lists.  I got some feedback last week that my cookie highlights simply added to the number of cookies people felt compelled to make and I don’t want to be […]

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Emily
New year, new theme word! This year's word is "enr New year, new theme word!
This year's word is "enrich" and I'm really excited about it.

I've written more about this year's theme on the blog. Click in the link in my profile or follow the link below to read the post.
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https://www.relishments.com/blog/my-2023-theme-word-enrich/
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#YearlyTheme #MyOneWord #2023 #enrich2023 #NewYearsResolution
It's not New Year's Eve without a Top 9 post. It's It's not New Year's Eve without a Top 9 post.
It's almost all #Berkshires content this year, which is great.
1. A pasta salad reel that took longer to create than the recipe took to make.
2. A reel from North Carolina where I could have watched birds all day.
3. The @thelazygenius book giveaway.
4.@plantconnector 
5. @berkshiremuseum 
6.@sculpture.now at @themountlenox 
7. @massmoca 
8. @mountainviewfarm413 
9. The #AshuwillticookRailTrail
New on the blog: My 2022 reflections on last year' New on the blog: My 2022 reflections on last year's theme word - resume. 

I was able to get back to many activities that were meaningful to me this year and I'm calling this theme a success. Follow the link below or click the link in my profile to read more.
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https://www.relishments.com/blog/reflections-on-resuming-in-2022/
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#resume2022 #newyearsresolution #myoneword #yearlytheme
New on the blog: My Favorite Recipes of 2022. For New on the blog: My Favorite Recipes of 2022.

For the fourth year, I've recapped the best new (to me) recipes I made this year in the hope that they'll give you some new dishes to try. This year's list is short, but delicious. It includes @budgetbytes My Favorite Recipes of 2022
Published on December 30, 2022 By Emily. Updated on December 30, 2022

It’s hard to believe that 2022 is basically behind us. Though overall this year found me getting back to the person I want to be (post-babies and “post”-pandemic), I did not try nearly as many new recipes this year as I used to. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I’d made note of any new-to-me recipes I wanted to share in this post. This year’s list is short, but delicious. It includes recipes from @budgetbytes, @smittenkitchen and @howsweeteats.
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Read the post by visiting the link in my profile or 
https://www.relishments.com/blog/my-favorite-recipes-of-2022/
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#RecipeRoundUp #BestRecipes2022 #FavoriteRecipes
@coastalmainebotanicalgardens continues to be one @coastalmainebotanicalgardens continues to be one of the highlights of all my return trips to Boothbay and their annual Gardens Aglow event continues to impress. It was great to be back to walking the gardens instead of the pandemic drive through and there seemed to be more lights than ever.  I'm already looking forward to next year.
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#Boothbay #BoothbayMaine #CoastalMaineBotanicalGardens #GardensAglow #BotanicalGarden #MidcoastMaine
It has been a while, but there is finally a new CS It has been a while, but there is finally a new CSA menu plan on the blog! Visit the link below or in my profile to see how I plan to make use of some of the @mightyfoodfarm produce seen here.
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https://www.relishments.com/blog/welcome-to-winter-farm-share-csa-menu-plan-148/
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#MightyFoodFarm #EatLocal #EatSeasonal #VermontGrown #CSApickup #CSAshare #KnowYourFarmerKnowYourFood #MenuPlanning #MealPlanning #igers413 #igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies
Fall in the Berkshires is always incredible, but t Fall in the Berkshires is always incredible, but this year we've had weather that has also been outstanding. The past 2 weekends have included time at Jaeschke Orchards, the Greylock Glen, and the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail as well as stopping to photograph any random foliage I see. 
Check out the last slide for video of some feathered friends we saw on a walk.
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#igers413 #InTheBerkshires #EatLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #FallFoliage #FallColors #autumn #AshuwillticookRailTrail #JaeschkeOrchards #GreylockGlen
@freshgrassfestival continues to be one of my favo @freshgrassfestival continues to be one of my favorite events each year, and it doesn't hurt that it's just minutes away from home. Enjoying the festival with my kids is definitely a different experience than without, but it's still a good time. The weather was especially cooperative today which was great for all the laps I did around the @massmoca campus pushing a stroller. I'm already looking forward to next year.
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#igers413 #InTheBerkshires #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #NorthAdams #NAmazing #FreshGrass #FreshGrassFestival #MassMoCA #MusicFestival
A few more photos from our most recent trip to Mai A few more photos from our most recent trip to Maine:
- a foggy afternoon at Ocean Point
- kid-free lunch at @shannonsunshelled, followed by beers at @footbridge_brewery
- watching birds from my parent's deck
- dinner at @bucksnakedbbqsteakhouse and dessert at @gelatofiasco
- a hot dog and Belgian waffle sundae from @wannawaf
- a visit to the Boothbay Railway Village Museum, featuring an impressive model railroad
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#VisitMaine #MidcoastMaine #Boothbay #BoothbayHarbor
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