Issue 24 - Providing Holiday Cheer and Comfort with Cookies

Even though I sold my upscale, European-style cookie company several years ago, people continue to ask me if I would bake and sell them cookies. I don’t do that, but the lucky few who are on my list are presented with a lovely tray or basket of bagged cookies around the holidays. And they are always well received; especially this year, with so much economic turmoil. Give trays or baskets of homemade cookies instead of presents. Save money, and show your loved ones that you care enough to bake the very best!

In this issue of How the Cookie Crumbles, you will find my most popular cookie recipes, as well as a few new ones that I’ve developed recently. Of course, there are the usual suspects – Pecan Snowballs, Snickerdoodles, Cranberry Chocolate Chip, and Holiday Oatmeal Drops – we can hardly celebrate without them. But there are also some interesting twists on old favorites, as well as seductive specialties.

For the nostalgic among us, I offer the three choices above, along with Triple Ginger (one of the most popular cookies in my bakery’s repertoire), Pecan Tassies (those cute little cups of cream cheese dough hugging a pecan and brown sugar filling), Chocolate Chip Coconut Chews (chewy macaroons loaded with mini chocolate chips), melt-in-your-mouth Chocolate Snowballs, and Chocolate Peppermint Jumbles (made with melted peppermint patties and bittersweet chocolate). And in my house I wouldn’t dare go through the holidays without making 6-Layered Bars (which are called Hello Dolly Cookies by my husband’s family).

But what would a holiday cookie tray be without a few fancy choices? Orange Almond Chocolate Sandwiches, rich with cream cheese, orange zest, and ground almonds, are sandwiched with a smooth chocolate filling – absolutely delicious! Butter Cutouts decorated with Dipping Icing for Cookies are scented with nutmeg and dress up the tray with shape and color. Everyone loves Rogelach, and I’m including two varieties: Chocolate Raspberry, and Walnut. And my daughter Emily would never let me get away without making Chocolate Almond Lace Cookies.

Lest you think I’ve forgotten – the list is not complete without some luscious bars. Pumpkin Cheese Praline Bars are full of great holiday flavors. S’More Bars, made with packaged or homemade(!) marshmallows are a child’s delight, and will appeal to your adult family members and friends, also. And I’ll finish up with Bittersweet Double-Mocha Walnut Brownies.

And these are just part of the cookie recipes included on the Recipes page! Take a look and start planning to make your holiday cookies now. By mixing and shaping the dough, then freezing it, you can make many varieties – baking them and decorating them just days before you will be using them.

All of these cookies can be made ahead, and I’ve included instructions for doing that in the Recipe Guidelines page. And be sure to check out the Baking Hints section, for lots of helpful information about home baking.

When selecting cookies to put in a cookie tray, refer to my hints (found on the Recipe Guidelines page) to help make sure your tray looks as beautiful as possible.

I wish all of you, and your families and friends, a truly joyous Christmas and happy Hanukkah. And may we have peace in the New Year!

Eileen

PS – Don’t forget that you can find lots of home baking help on the Baking Hints page of this web site if you have questions. There are also recipes for cupcakes, and other desserts, as well as some great Homemade Biscuit Recipes.

You can always contact me by email if you have specific questions that you can’t find answers to here. Have a delicious holiday season!.

Eileen

Never been to How the Cookie Crumbles before?

I'd like to welcome you to How the Cookie Crumbles - a webzine for Home Bakers, where you will find excellent recipes, baking hints, and sensible information on baking equipment and ingredients that make the process of baking from scratch easier and more fun. No heavy technical jargon, no confusing lingo. Just good advice and helpful information.

This site is dedicated to the joys of home baking. But just what, exactly, is a "home baker?" Home bakers have a passion for baking, or the strong desire to learn how to bake from scratch. And "from scratch" is the key to defining home baking. Real home bakers don't use mixes or canned frostings or store-bought baked goods. They understand that the soul of their efforts comes from using wholesome ingredients of the highest quality, and paying attention to detail. While it's true that anyone can learn to bake, not everyone understands there is a huge difference between package baking and home baking. This site is for those of you who know the difference. As we go along we'll be talking about baking a variety of items, both sweet and savory. Periodically I'll be adding additional cookie recipes, muffin recipes, biscuit recipes, cake recipes, filo pastry recipes, tart recipes, cobbler recipes, pie recipes and much more. (Each issue will have a different theme.) These are all from-scratch recipes using wholesome, quality ingredients. All of the recipes you find in this site have been personally developed and thoroughly tested, so you can count on them to be delicious and successful. Most of the recipes are truly easy to make, so don't feel you need to be a professional pastry chef to use this site. You just need to be a passionate Home Baker.

Kids can learn so many things by baking: fractions, following directions, how to measure, how things in the kitchen work. It will help improve their self-esteem and fine motor skills. And they will think you are amazing for doing this with them. Enjoy all of the recipes in this issue and in the Recipe section of this web site, and have a great time baking with your family!

Check out my Links page for more sites that talk about baking with children.

I would love to hear about helpful techniques or gadgets that you use when baking. Helpful ideas will be included in our Baking Hints page, with your name. Thanks for your interest in How the Cookie Crumbles, and enjoy home baking!

- Eileen Talanian

I'm Eileen Talanian, and I have baked since I was 5 years old. My lifelong passion for baking led me to start a European-style mail order and wholesale cookie company called An American Kitchen. I headed the award-winning, and nationally acclaimed, company for more than 10 years, then sold it so I could spend time with my two children and my husband. My passion for baking has not diminished at all and I am currently working on my third cookbook. (My first cookbook, Chewy Cookies, has been completely revised and updated and is now available. It includes step-by-step directions, and chapters on holiday cookies, butter-free macaroons, bar cookies, home-style favorites, kids' favorites, and cookies for chocolate lovers. Great recipes from an award-winning baker. Buy it now.) My second cookbook, Marshmallows: Homemade Gourmet Treats, will be published in March 2008. It includes step-by-step instructions for making homemade marshmallows and marshmallow fluff in many delicious flavors, and it includes dozens of ways to use them. Order it now. I am currently working on my third book, Bread Pudding: Sweet and Savory Gourmet Recipes, which will be published by Gibbs Smith, Publishers, in the fall of 2009.
All recipes and text found in this site are copyright 2003-2008 by Eileen Talanian.