Christmas Goodie Bags

This year for my Book Club's Christmas gifts, I boxed each of the goodies and put them in a bag with a pretty Christmas ribbon.  The bags included the usual treats: peppermint iced brownies, peppermint bark, and cheese wafers.  This year I added the peppermint chocolate chip cookies and peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.

Now that Christmas is over, it's time to focus on New Year's Eve..........I am thinking Pink Champagne Cookies.  There is a recipe that I have had for a few years and I think this is the year to make it!

Gift Bags

Boxed Peppermint Iced Brownies

Boxed Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Boxed Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Boxed Cheese Wafers

Boxed Peppermint Bark

Snowman Wreath

A fun snowman wreath for the front door!

There is not a lot to say about the wreath except that if you buy ribbon for a wreath, buy two rolls so you don't have to run back to the store mid-wreath! :)

Snowman Wreath

Snowman Wreath

Snowman Wreath

Close-up of snowmen

Overflowing the Cookie Jar

What would Christmastime be without baking tons of cookies???

I have made several and still have a bunch of cookies I want to make before Christmas.  Right now there are three kinds of cookies on our counter, so I need to make some that freeze well and/or give them away.  Or just eat cookies non-stop for the next few weeks. ;)

I made the Hershey's recipe for Peanut Butter Blossoms* and they are good.  I will try some other recipes as this one seemed a little dry at first.  I baked the last batch for a shorter time and that seemed to help.  They look right though!

Due to my apparent obsession with chocolate and peppermint, I was looking for a chocolate chip peppermint cookie to try out.  I decided if I couldn't find one, I would just make up my own and may go that route next time.  I ended up making Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies based on this recipe*.   It calls for peppermint junior mints which I did not use.  Instead, I used dark and milk chocolate chips.  The cookies were good, but I am still looking for a favorite recipe in this category.

I make corn pudding from a Taste of Home magazine and below it is a recipe for Chippy Peanut Butter Cookies that I always see, but had never made.  I after several years of looking at it, I finally made Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies based on this Taste of Home Recipe*.  I used plain chocolate chips rather than the peanut butter swirl chips it calls for.  These cookies are wonderful!!!!  I was super pleased with them and will definitely make these again!

Of course I had to make Sugar Cookies!  I made Christmas Trees for Little C's school party.  I used my favorite recipe that my mom and I have been using for years.  I decorated them by brushing warmed corn syrup on the baked cookie and then adding the sprinkles.   I had never tried this, but it gives much better coverage and richer color for the sugar than adding before baking.

I also made 2 different M&M cookies; but I think I will save those for another post.  I have 4 or 5 recipes that I have looked at and I may try them all to see which I like best.

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies

*click on highlighted/underlined areas for original recipe links.