Holiday Baking Thread

[Anonymous]

Today I’m making Ina’s jam thumbprints with apricot and cherry jam, chocolate chips - trying the Sally’s Baking Addiction recipe for the first time - and a batch of double chocolate chips with mint chips instead of regular ones. That’s as much as I can muster this year.

Tweens asked for cinnamon rolls out of a can for Christmas morning - makes my life easier! I will bake a spinach/feta/broccoli frittata for DH and me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone have a good roll out sugar cookie recipe? I usually do the all recipes one, thinking of trying Sally's Baking Addiction this time, but would love a recommendation.

I use Alton Brown’s sugar cookie recipe. It holds its shape really well and doesn't stick to surfaces.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I bought a bunch of cookie ingredients but now I don't have the energy, maybe I'll do it after Christmas.

DH made fudge from a giant tub of marshmallow fluff, overcooked it, and now I don't know what to do with two big trays of brick hard fudge. I asked him to just make half at a time but ....

OMG, same. I was just staring into my kitchen wondering if I could manage to get up and make the easiest-to-make cookies. I think it's a "no."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have made ginger snap cookies, Christmas frosted sugar cookies (the cut out kind), and going to attempt to make a Buche de Noel on Christmas Day for dinner. A bit nervous about that one. Send tips my way or if you have a tried and true recipe for one

I'm going to do Sally's Baking Addiction Buche de Noel next week for an after Christmas party that I'm hosting. I just made her Chocolate Cake Roll and the Buche de Noel is almost identical, except different flavors/ingredients. When I unrolled the cake after it cooled, it did crack. But once I frosted it with the chocolate ganache, it covered the imperfections. So I would imagine the same would be true with the Buche. I used a towel instead of parchment paper when I rolled it. And go slowly when unrolling.

Don't feel badly about this -- I feel like every time there is a rolled cake on GBBO, most of them are covering cracks with frosting.

[Anonymous]

Kids made butter mochi as they wanted to learn/try baking during winter break, it’s simple enough to do and delicious.

[Anonymous]

I made cardamom cherry walnut rugelach (tastes good but looks messy, jam leaked), my times guchujang cookies, Mexican wedding cookies with dried cherries and pistachios and a variation of chocolate chip cookies with white chocolate, dark chocolate and hazelnuts. Hazelnut butter in the dough as well.

Also made an orange almond cake and making this tomorrow:
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017758-sticky-cranberry-gingerbread?unlocked_article_code=1.-08.Y7ff._c1NPvQ2k9Yt&smid=share-url

And just finished Browning 12lbs of Swedish meatballs.

[Anonymous]

I have been having health problems since Thanksgiving, so I’ve only managed chocolate raspberry crumb bars and lemon cream cheese cookies this year. You do what you can.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid wanted to bake cookies for school club so I helped do molasses crinkles and brown butter snickerdoodles. 4 batches of cookies later, I'm pretty much done. I did 2 rounds of homemade chex mix (tabasco garlic, and a sweet&savory south Indian version) for neighbor/friend gifts. I was going to do homemade cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning, but the take-and-bakes were on sale and, well, I'm okay with that for this year. We always have way too many sweets and treats, even when I'm not the one making them!

I want some Chex mix. I’ll have to try and make some today. The stuff that you buy is just nowhere near the same.

+1
Chex mix is a great idea for us savory types on this baking thread.
I'll try to score some of these to swap out for the very unpopular pretzels:
They never have them at the grocery stores but I have seen them at cvs I think.

I made some at thanksgiving and it wasn’t as good as I remembered. I found the bagel chips at grocery store.

Thanks - yes bagel chips from around the deli aisle will work! I wonder why it wasn't as good this year? I use extra worcestershire.

[Anonymous]

I made 5 dozen sugar cookies that we decorated with our kids and friends, gingerbread houses yesterday. I’m doing a red velvet cheesecake and taking it to a friend’s who is hosting Christmas Eve and tomorrow I’ll be baking dinner rolls from Sally’s to bring to family Christmas dinner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I made cardamom cherry walnut rugelach (tastes good but looks messy, jam leaked), my times guchujang cookies, Mexican wedding cookies with dried cherries and pistachios and a variation of chocolate chip cookies with white chocolate, dark chocolate and hazelnuts. Hazelnut butter in the dough as well.

Also made an orange almond cake and making this tomorrow:
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017758-sticky-cranberry-gingerbread?unlocked_article_code=1.-08.Y7ff._c1NPvQ2k9Yt&smid=share-url

And just finished Browning 12lbs of Swedish meatballs.

This year I replaced cardamom for any cinnamon in cookies. So so good!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have been having health problems since Thanksgiving, so I’ve only managed chocolate raspberry crumb bars and lemon cream cheese cookies this year. You do what you can.

I'm sorry. Last year I tripped and broke some bones in my face and didn't bake. It's tough and I feel for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I bought a bunch of cookie ingredients but now I don't have the energy, maybe I'll do it after Christmas.

DH made fudge from a giant tub of marshmallow fluff, overcooked it, and now I don't know what to do with two big trays of brick hard fudge. I asked him to just make half at a time but ....

OMG, same. I was just staring into my kitchen wondering if I could manage to get up and make the easiest-to-make cookies. I think it's a "no."

Every fudge recipe says to cook to 235° but that always ruins it. 225° is soft and creamy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid wanted to bake cookies for school club so I helped do molasses crinkles and brown butter snickerdoodles. 4 batches of cookies later, I'm pretty much done. I did 2 rounds of homemade chex mix (tabasco garlic, and a sweet&savory south Indian version) for neighbor/friend gifts. I was going to do homemade cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning, but the take-and-bakes were on sale and, well, I'm okay with that for this year. We always have way too many sweets and treats, even when I'm not the one making them!

I want some Chex mix. I’ll have to try and make some today. The stuff that you buy is just nowhere near the same.

+1
Chex mix is a great idea for us savory types on this baking thread.
I'll try to score some of these to swap out for the very unpopular pretzels:
They never have them at the grocery stores but I have seen them at cvs I think.

I made some at thanksgiving and it wasn’t as good as I remembered. I found the bagel chips at grocery store.

I make chex mix after Christmas. We have a week with everyone here and sick of sweets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I make chex mix after Christmas. We have a week with everyone here and sick of sweets.

Great idea! I think I’ll do that too.

[Anonymous]

Meringues in the oven now. Making a Swiss roll cake later today (maybe it will become a buche de noel this year maybe just a Swiss roll...)
Making cinnamon rolls, will start the dough this afternoon. And cranberry orange bread.