Last week I was mixing up my first Christmas cookies of the year and my hand mixer caught on fire.  Well, maybe not flaming caught on fire, but definitely smoking.  Of course, I shut it off immediately.  After a minute, Tom told me to turn it on again and, when I did, it sparked and then started smoking again.  Tom took it to the garage to get the smoke out of the kitchen.

That hand mixer has mixed up lots yummy baked goods over the years.  Stand mixers take up too much room, so I have always just had a hand-held.  It is my second mixer.  Tom repaired my first one several times until John, then eight or nine, said he wanted to get me a new one for Mother’s Day.  Tom didn’t feel I needed a new one but John pointed out that the one I was using was held together with duct tape.

The hand mixer that caught on fire had lasted for 25 years.  Not bad.  It didn’t owe me anything but the Christmas cookie baking was at a halt until I got a new one.  Fortunately I had almost finished mixing up batch #4 of the White Chip Chocolate Cookies I was baking for church.  Tom added the chips and used his strong arm muscles to finish mixing the cookies.

Normally by now I would be into full-on Christmas cookie mode.  But this year I am being more restrained.  My mom has not felt like making cookies and half the people I know aren’t supposed to eat much sugar, including myself.

On the other hand, I really like to bake and Tom really likes to eat the cookies I bake.  Mom and Dad are also willing to eat anything I bake.  And the cost of cookies from the store has increased to the point that making my own cookies is more cost-effective.

I have been making cookies, but doing it one batch at a time.  Tom really likes no-bake cookies and I like this recipe.  No-bakes are easy to mix together quickly.  I have the ingredients for  Reese’s Chewy Chocolate Cookies with Peanut Butter Chips and Ginger Cookies.  Those will be coming out of the oven before Christmas.

But you might remember that this post started out with my mixer on fire.  What kind of hand mixer did I get to replace it?  Tom picked the Hamilton Beach 6-speed mixer with Snap-on case.  He said it was an early Christmas present.  I got the red one because I like color.  I haven’t tried it out yet, but I will be putting it through its paces before the week is over.

I hope you are enjoying your Christmas baking.  And I hope your hand mixer does not catch on fire!