What's Cooking?

***Update***
The Holiday Spritz cookies were an utter failure didn't turn out so well. I think the dough must have been too thick to go through the cookie press. I followed the recipe exactly, too! Any hints? I think I'll stick with my tried and true favorites from now on!!

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It's that time...baking for Christmas! I have to space it out over several days to avoid pulling out all my hair - whew! I love it at the same time I feel stress over getting it all done by the big day.

When I awoke Monday morning after spending the night at my mom's, I sniffed the air...yep, there's the freshly cut tree...yep, there's the Christmas potpourri...yep, there's just that "smell" of Christmas at Mama's house...yep, it's time to wake up and nibble on a Candy Cane Cookie. Wait...nope...those cookies haven't been baked yet! Oh, no! I have to get on the ball now - we need our season's favorites to savor this coming week!

So far, my kitchen has seen Reindeer Food, Sausage Balls, and Raisin and Cashew Drops pass through. So, what's next? You guessed it...Candy Cane Cookies!

Every year since I was tiny, my mom made these coveted cookies. As soon as I was able to join in the fun, I did. We looked forward to these each holiday season! I think my mom got the recipe from a Betty Crocker cookbook she received as a gift in the early '70s. I have continued the tradition, and my girls are already begging to make these cookies! It's a mess but definitely worth the effort!

A runner-up on the Christmas cookie list are Almond Shortbread Bells. You can't cut the cookies in any other shape either, or they don't taste as good! They HAVE to be bells! I'll have to snap a picture once we finish these up.

What else is going to be cooking at our home? Good old "Trash," Candy Cane Snowballs, Marshmallow Puffs, and Cherry Snowballs. I have had a cookie press for a couple of years that I have never used (sad, isn't it?!?!). So, I think I may try a Holiday Spritz recipe, pending I have time for all of that!

We definitely won't starve here in our household! And, I'm certainly aiming to stick with my 3 times a week walking schedule to avoid extra roundness that can come with this time of year! LOL!

So what's cooking at your house? Any good recipes to share?

Cindy and crew