Christmas Baking Report

Christmas baking report

Well, the floury dust has settled in my kitchen, and I can report on this year's Christmas baking. (I still have some desserts to make for a party next week, and some cookies for a post-Christmas cookie swap, but the actual Christmas baking is, of course, completed.)

I baked mini-loaves of breads and cakes for our neighbors:

* Golden Apricot Cake
* Gift of the Magi Bread
* Fruited Eggnog Bread

Of these, the apricot cake is definitely my favorite, but I'd bake the others again too.

For candy, I made:

* Heavenly Delight (a chocolate-peanut butter layered fudge)
* Four-Chip Fudge
* Cranberry Nut Fudge
* Almond Brittle
* Chocolate-covered Fruitcake

I guess the fruitcake doesn't really belong in the candy category, but it's not a cookie either, so... I made a favorite fruitcake recipe (with no yucky citron -- in fact, with no candied fruit at all) in a jelly-roll pan, cut it in small squares and dipped in melted chocolate confectionery coating. I'd seen chocolate-covered fruitcake bites offered in a Gooseberry Patch catalog and decided to try making my own. These have been well-received by everyone who has tried them!

For cookies, I made:

* Cranberry Pecan Sandies
* Sacher Torte Cookies
* Whipped Shortbread
* Eggnog Logs
* Brown-Sugar Cut-out Cookies
* Macaroon Kisses

Of these, the only new recipe I tried was the Cranberry Pecan Sandies. This recipe came from Simple & Delicious magazine and starts with a cranberry quick-bread mix. With an orange drizzle and a pecan half on top, these cookies looked impressive and tasted delicious too.

In other kitcheny gifts, I also made:

* Mulling spices for cider
* Sunset Orchard Spiced Tea Mix
* Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix
* Make-Ahead Bran Muffin Batter

This was also a Christmas when I had an unusual number of kitchen disasters.. but that's another story for another post!