Holiday Cookies

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Holiday Cookies

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Jam Lady

Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2571
Location: New Jersey, USA

Posted: Mon Dec 03, 18 4:33 pm Post subject: Holiday Cookies

Three batches of fruitcake baked and receiving their "baptisms" of brandy. Now to move on to the cookies. There are some that I really, really like but only make at this time of year. Makes them special to the season.

Springerle, anise cookies that are stamped with a special rolling pin, then cut apart before baking. Lebkuchen, made with spices and honey and candied citron, baked in a pan, cut into small squares, given a lemon frosting. Both are very good "keepers." Almond cookies have finely ground nuts, formed into a roll, refrigerated, and then sliced into individual cookies before baking. Rugelach, a cream cheese butter sort of pastry with a raisin walnut filling.

What cookies do you bake for the holidays?

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Mon Dec 03, 18 4:41 pm Post subject:
Don't really do cookies much for Christmas. Boy Wonder made some very nice Chocolate and Orange Muffins the other day which I thought might be good for breakfast on the day.

Jam Lady

Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2571
Location: New Jersey, USA

Posted: Fri Dec 07, 18 2:19 pm Post subject:

The various sizes of fruitcakes (small loaves, bundlettes, and little muffins) are receiving their brandy baptisms on schedule.

Made lebkuchen yesterday. Today will cut the pan to small squares, frost with lemon icing, and - new this year - top with a half candied cherry for festive appearance.

Yesterday evening I mixed the dough for springerle, rolled it out with the special rolling pin. But forgot to chill the rolled out dough before special rolling pin bit. So designs are not as crisp as might be. They are in a cool room "setting" the designs before baking later today.

Next - cardamom cookies, perhaps chocolate molasses cookies. And must not forget the cream cheese for the rugelach when I go shopping today.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46207
Location: yes

Posted: Fri Dec 07, 18 7:55 pm Post subject:
our family festive baking usually includes profiteroles with life threatening amounts of coffee cream and toffee coffee glaze macaron are rather handy with a cuppa ( and without ) fruit heavy cake is always good and puds ditto.

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Sun Dec 09, 18 8:29 pm Post subject:

I’ve given up most of the Christmas baking, because we just don’t do big Christmas dos anymore. I do gingerbread with the ‘children’ which is fun, sticky and very, very sparkly (Even though no one really eats it, and they are mostly teens, they still ask to come and do it) There will be sausage rolls and I’ll ask my dad to do some mince pies with last years mincemeat (I love home made mince pies, but I hate making them. Dad was a baker, and can usually be persuaded to dust off his rolling pin)

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46207
Location: yes

Posted: Sun Dec 09, 18 8:56 pm Post subject:

the uk traditional are mince pies, steamed fruit pudding and fruit cake.

i cant really think of a uk winter festival cookie or special bread , most of the rest of europe seems to have them but we go for lots of dried fruit in a fairly limited range of yule baking

posh folks medieval banquet spicing is a strong theme.

among the traditional sweet things are candied fruits, nuts in sweet things esp chocolate, citrus fruit such as mandarin oranges.clementines also feature.

stuff like brandy butter, rum sauce and sherry trifle as a " light " alternative are often included with the baked goods

the brits are odd

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45668
Location: Essex

Posted: Sun Dec 09, 18 9:13 pm Post subject:
My favourites are an oatie one with our own dehydrated cherries and hazelnuts (but christmas means mince pies)

Jam Lady

Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2571
Location: New Jersey, USA

Posted: Tue Dec 18, 18 2:50 pm Post subject:

On Saturday I shaped the gingersnap bourbon honey balls and chilled them. Yesterday they were dipped in melted, tempered dark chocolate. Nicely coated but I think a little large. Made a note to reduce the size next year.

Also yesterday I made the dough for rugelach. This morning it will be rolled out, brushed with jam (I grabbed a jar of my brandied peach jam to use). Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, dried currants (I think they're actually the tiny champagne grapes, dried) and mini chocolate bits. Cut disk into 16ths, roll, chill, bake.

Tra la la

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Tue Dec 18, 18 5:41 pm Post subject:
Had the first mince pies of the season yesterday.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46207
Location: yes

Posted: Tue Dec 18, 18 9:16 pm Post subject:

sean wrote:

Had the first mince pies of the season yesterday.

slacker

we were on the christmas puds weeks ago

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45668
Location: Essex

Posted: Wed Dec 19, 18 8:42 am Post subject:
1st Saturday in December is start of mince pie season round here

sgt.colon

Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 7380
Location: Just south of north.

Posted: Wed Dec 19, 18 10:43 am Post subject:
We don't do cookies either but we do do mince pies.

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