holidays

Today is the twelfth day of Christmas. All the decorations will soon be tucked away until next Christmas. White Christmas Tree Cookies are a yummy treat to munch on while we take down the tree, write thank you notes, and eat turkey soup made from the leftover Christmas “beast.” It’s time to ponder the memories we’ve made and all the lives we’ve touched during the past several weeks. Let’s also lift a mug of hot cocoa to the new year. May it be filled with joy and may our hopes be realized beyond our wildest expectations.

I have a friend who used to sew matching pajamas for herself, her husband, and their 3 kids every Christmas. The fabric was usually flannel and covered with Santas, snowmen, reindeer and other Christmas-themed designs. I’m fairly certain that no one in my family would have wanted matching pajamas so I didn’t even think of going there. But I always thought that was a fun idea. In my own way, I adopted her tradition, but for me it was Christmas slippers. Every year I buy a new pair of holiday slippers.

One of the first Christmas decorations that goes up is the wreath on the door. It’s first because decorating the door only involves two minutes. But once the wreath is in place, the holidays can begin. The wreath says “Come inside...Christmas is happening in here!”

Based on his recipe for TKOs Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, I’m inclined to agree that Michelin Star chef Thomas Keller [see footnote] is a culinary genius. His creation is an elegant interpretation of an Oreo cookie and I’m here to tell you that it is beyond delicious. I love the Halloween-themed cookies that it inspired me to make. Forgive me in advance for this terrible play on words, but... “Bone” apetit!

“To make people happy, that is what cooking is all about.” Thomas Keller

Sometimes a holiday and a cookie cutter meet to inspire something out of this world. That’s exactly what happened to me this year. I’ve had a shooting star cookie cutter for several years, but have only used it a few times. Suddenly the 4th of July and the shooting star cookie cutter joined forces and called my name. With these two things in mind, I was ready to develop a plan.

These Sweet & Sour Lemon Cookies will make your lips pucker in the best possible way. The first bite is really tart because the glaze is made with fresh-squeezed lemon juice and a healthy amount of lemon zest. As you chew, the sweetness of the cookie itself — which has the barest hint of lemon — comes through to smooth everything out. It’s the perfect expression of love itself. I don’t know about you, but the people I love the most are also the ones that can break my heart.

Oh-so-red and oh-so-delicious. I’ve already confessed to my passion about baking Brown Butter Cutout Cookies for Valentine’s Day (see With All My Heart). Now I’m admitting that red is my color of choice to decorate cookies for this holiday. But getting the right shade of red is not an easy feat because adding enough food coloring to get the red you want can sometimes negatively affect the taste of your cookie.

There are a two holidays where most people are inclined to throw caution to the wind when it comes to monitoring their sugar intake: Christmas and Valentine’s Day. So I saw no reason to hold back on these beautiful embossed Brown Sugar Cutout Cookies. After covering them with embossed homemade fondant (a yummy combination of white chocolate “dough” and melted marshmallows), I lightly dusted them with confectioners’ sugar for an elegant highlight. You’re welcome!

Gingerbread Valentines? Why not? If someone you love happens to L-O-V-E gingerbread, then gingerbread cookies are the best sweet treat you can give them for Valentine’s Day.

“I know that gingerbread is beneficial to your health because I always feel better when I eat a gingerbread cookie.” Kasha

Since I didn’t have to clean my house for company this year, I baked up a storm and mailed a variety of cookies to those I love. These Raspberry-filled Christmas Sandwich Cookies were a big hit with everyone. The homemade raspberry jam filling was the perfect tart complement to the sweet, buttery cookie. Yum. Double yum.