My cookie baking during December has been a solitary activity.  I like to bake cookies with other people, but my sister doesn’t eat sugar anymore and my mom doesn’t have the energy.  But, on cold days in December, my happy place is my warm kitchen that smells like cookies.  So I have been cookie baking on my own.  What have I made this year?

There are three recipes I made in December that I also make during the rest of the year.  Sometimes I want the finished product and don’t have time to mess around.  I have an excellent recipe for No Bake Cookies from Cooking Classy.  I only use 1.5 cups of sugar instead of 1.75.  These always turn out well and are a staple cookie all year round.  They are Tom’s second favorite cookie.  When I want chocolate chip cookies, I make Nestle Toll House Cookie Bars.  I have the original recipe clipped from a Nestle magazine ad years ago.  The recipe at Lifestyle of a Foodie is the same.  All the goodness of chocolate chip cookies in a bar.

A new favorite this year is Perfect Fudgy Brownies from Inspired Taste.  Tom likes his brownies chewy and fudgy and these brownies are easy to make and delicious.  Mixing all the ingredients up in one saucepan makes preparation simple.  These brownies are less sweet than a lot of other brownies and we like them better that way.  I also keep all the ingredients as staples in my pantry.

 

Now, on to the seasonal cookie baking.  I haven’t made any “Christmas Cookies” this year, but I have been baking quite a bit.  I started with Chocolate White Chocolate Chip cookies for the Cookie Walk at church.  I made four batches of those.  That same weekend I made Nestle Tollhouse Caramel Bars for the choir potluck.  I got this recipe years ago from Kerrol Graham, a member of the United Methodist Women at Wedgewood.  It has become a favorite when I want an easy and delicious dessert.

It wouldn’t be Christmas without Ginger Cookies using my Grandma Clymer’s recipe.  The spicy mix makes my kitchen smell like Christmas.  This recipe is the same as Grandma’s.  These are my dad’s second favorite cookies.  My mom’s chocolate chip cookies will always be his favorite.  Mom hasn’t been doing much cookie baking, so she and I made a double batch of these on one of the days we were together.  This was a neighborhood favorite when I was a kid.  I can’t give away her secret recipe, but chocolate chip cookies are always a winner, no matter what recipe you use.

I made Tom’s favorite cookie, Reese’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip cookies.  I always make a double batch of these because they go quickly.  They are the only cookie that John asks for every year.  The recipe on the bag of Reese’s Peanut Butter Chips is not as good as this one.  The day after that, I made a double batch of the Cape Cod Oatmeal Cookies from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook.  I discovered this recipe the year we worked at Slate Run Farm and they are now one of my favorites.

I haven’t finished all my baking yet.  I found a recipe for “authentic” Swedish kanelbulle and plan to make that before Christmas.  Warm kanelbulle on Christmas morning sounds delicious.  I will be taking the desserts for our family’s Christmas gathering, so I will be baking a banana cake and some other goodies for that.  Some of the “off limits” cookies in the freezer will also go to the family gathering.  We have people in the family who are sugar-free and others who are gluten-free so I try to provide a variety of desserts to please all tastes.

When the weather outside is yucky, cookie baking makes the day warmer, brighter, and sweeter.  Anyone want to sign on to help me with cookie baking next year?