Day 12 of the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies, featuring my daughter’s favorites: Black and White Rolly Balls.
Another family recipe that I might write up later - but these are dangerously good and might not last for the big man in a few days.
Now, a break before prepping cinnamon rolls on the Eve.
Nearing the end of my Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies - and still so many cookies I’d like to to make!
For Day 11, I made shortbread in honor of a trip to Edinburgh I’m planning for next year.
Surprisingly addictive.
Wednesday, December 20, 2023 →
I’ve baked cookies for ten days in a row as part of what I’m calling The Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies.
Tonight: Chocolate Peppermint Snaps from King Arthur again.
I think I made them bigger than the recipe expects - but I probably like them softer anyway.
Also used white chocolate chips.
Day Nine of my Twelve Day of Christmas Cookies!
Ginger molasses cookies - another King Arthur Flour recipe, but a family favorite.
www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/s…
Used a bit more flour and chilled the dough which made shaping way easier.
Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies! Day Eight!
Cocoa Kisses! From another family recipe, and a full batch baked this time as a) a favorite and b) close to time to deliver a batch of cookies to folks.
Dusted the cookies instead rolling them in the sugar. I like how they look snow-covered.
Monday, December 18, 2023
As part of this Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies shenanigans I’m undertaking, I occasionally slip in a family recipe. In this case, these chocolate cookies have a Hershey’s Kiss in the middle and were one my favorites growing up - though dangerous because they looked very similar to another cookie that had a cherry in the middle (yuck!). These require a bit more work than most of the cookies I’ve been making, but are still mighty tasty.
Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies! Day Seven!
Gingersnaps!
Recipe: www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/g…
Had this saved for a whilee but had never made it before - mostly because I don’t use shortening a lot.
The batch for tonight I burned the bottom of a bit, but still tasty.
Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies!
Day Six!
Mexican Wedding Cookies. This time, a family recipe.
Notes:
Tastes like nostalgia!
Saturday, December 16, 2023
As part of The Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies thing I’m doing, I’m mixing in a few family recipes. This is our version of Mexican Wedding Cookies. I always remembered them as being the one green cookie we made each year - though they don’t taste anything like green. It’s just food coloring after all. In doing a bit of research on the name, this is a style of cookies originally called Russian Tea Cakes, but the name changed (and splintered) in the post-WWII Cold War period.
Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies! Day Five!
Peanut butter cookies! Cross-hatched and everything!
Dipping back into King Arthur for the recipe (because they’re solid, in grams, and haven’t let me down): www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/c…
Peanut buttery!
Day 4! Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies!
Today, I broke out the disher and made some chocolate cookies, again with a King Arthur recipe (I find theirs to be pretty straightforward and good).
www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/c…
Missing espresso powder, but still tasty!
Wednesday, December 13, 2023 →
Twelve days of Christmas cookies, Day 3!
Good ol’ chocolate chip. Trying this recipe from King Arthur Flour: www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/c…
Didn’t have enough corn syrup, so I swapped in molasses for the remainder.
Worked!
Twelve days of Christmas cookies, Day 2.
Sugar cookies courtesy of Serious Eats: www.seriouseats.com/soft-and-…
Three baked for tonight, the rest headed into the freezer for baking later in the month.
Notes: Not bad. Could probably cook a little shorter.
Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies. Day one.
Eggnog Snickerdoodles. Recipe from NYT Cooking. Couldn’t find run extract anywhere, so went with actual rum (Smith and Cross).
Really tasty.
cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1…
Settling in for my 35th stadium and school in my quest to see a game at every FBS football program. Today it’s Missouri at Arkansas for the totally-not-made-up Battle Line Rivalry. 🏈
Today was a good reminder at how effective exercise is at improving my mood.
I’ve been a bit in the dumps lately (nothing specific, just ennui/malaise), but the moment I finished my first set of deadlift today it was like it all melted away.
Looking forward to getting in a run tomorrow, too.
I suspect I might be more of a Cal person than a Stanford person after seeing games at both back to back today.
Stanford is just so, and park-like. And maybe a quarter full. It’s objectively great in amenities and symmetry and fit and finish, but it lacks soul.
Except the band. The band is great.
I missed a whale of a game when I had to leave stop one for the day (sorry Cal). But howdy from a 7-7 game in the second quarter at stop two: Washington at Stanford. This is the 34th stop in my quest to see a game at every FBS college.
Folks, Cal is the most fun college game atmosphere I’ve been at in a long while. I hopped off the BART, walked uphill through campus to a beautiful stadium nestled in a canyon with a chill, fun crowd vibe.
Just awesome.
Kind of bummed to leave early to make my next kickoff.
It strikes me as very Cal that kickoff is being delayed by a sit in protest of some sort at the 50 yard line.