Finished my holiday baking!

[muttmeister]

I've been at it off and on since Sunday. I made my favorite chocolate cherry fruitcake, Butterscotch/Apricot Cookies, Cranberry Squares, the peanut cookies with the kisses in the middle, peanut cookies with miniature Reese's in the middle, difficult child 1's favorites (no bake chocolate cookies with coconut, oatmeal, and nuts), candy cane cookies (my granddaughter's favorite), cranberry pinwheel cookies (my favorite) plus a batch of marshmallow cream fudge, a batch of Chex party mix, and two kinds of biscotti (almond cranberry and chocolate cherry). Also tried a new recipe for ghirardelli's ultimate chocolate cookes. Yum! And I froze a batch of strawberry daiquiris. Also, my mother will make one of my favorite cookies for my birthday next week.

I still need to bake the dog cookies but I will do that nearer to Christmas. Also will make pies, a suet pudding, and cranberry ice. But for now, I'm off kitchen duty.

I'm really not as big a pig as it sounds. I give a lot to neighbors, etc. Maybe more this year as I want to keep off the 20 pounds I lost. Oh well, the holidays only come once a year and I could be dead by next Christmas so I plan to eat, drink, and be merry.

 

[DammitJanet]

I want the recipe for the chocolate cherry fruitcake! Pretty please? LOL

I am going to try to bake a Japanese fruitcake this year. Tony's grandmother used to make one when he was a boy and he has been talking about one for the last couple of years. I went online and found a recipe that he says sounds "similar"...lol. She died without writing hers down.

 

[muttmeister]

OK - Chocolate Cherry Fruitcake

In a bowl place
4 oz. red candied cherries, quartered
2 oz. green candied cherries, quartered
2 oz. candied orange peel OR mixed candied fruit
8 oz. dried cherries or dried cranberries or a combination
4 oz. coarsely chopped walnuts
4 oz. slivered blanched almonds
3/4 cup coarsely chopped Brazil nuts
Mix and set aside.

In another bowl mix 1 cup+2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

In large bowl combine
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
Mix with mixer till light. Add, one at a time,
2 extra large or 3 small eggs
Beat after each egg. Beat till light and fluffy. Add
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
Blend.
Add flour mixture. Beat till smooth. Pour over mixed fruit.
Pack firmly into greased and floured (I use Baker's Joy) bundt pan.
Bake about 1 hour; test in center with toothpick.
Cool in pan one hour; remove from pan.
If desired, (I do desire) pour about 3/4 cup dark rum over cake.
Wrap in saran and let season in fridge.

When ready to serve, frost with the following:
2/3 cup butter
1 tablespoon rum
2 cups powdered sugar
Beat till light and fluffy

 

[DammitJanet]

That sounds delicious! Gosh...we will have a chocolate fruitcake and white fruitcake...lmao.

 

[Star*]

I just bought a really cool dog cookie book - if you need recipies let me know...this book is awesome.

 

[Wiped Out]

Feel free to come here and bake too!

 

[Kjs]

I love to cook and bake. I bake all the time. The older I get the more I bake.
I made two different kinds of candy. I have the batter made for the peanut butter cookies with the chocolate kiss in the middle (double batch), same with chololate chip dough. and a double, double batch of sugar cookie batter. Now just need to find the time to bake it all.

I have a couple more candies to make. Going to try some new ones. Any suggestions?

I wanted to try caramals, but I don't know what to wrap them in. I made turtles and the caramal I used on those stuck to the waxed paper. Lucky I started off with just a couple.

 

[GoingNorth]

I like fruitcake but cannot abide the artificially preserved and colored fruit usually used in it.

In Germany I had a sort of stoellen that was made with dried fruit and nuts. It was fabulous. Not really healthy as it was not only half butter, but it was also soaked in brandy for several days.

Only stoellen recipes I can find are for the ones that use the candied fruit.

 

[donna723]

I haven't even started mine! But I'm fixin' to get ready to!

I need three different batches - some to take to a lunch with co-workers next week, some for another thing the next week, and some to take along with us to my daughters house. And I have 5 or 6 different kinds to make. So the plan is, I will make all the cookie dough this weekend and freeze it. Then I will just chop off hunks and bake them as needed! I did buy a great big bowl tonight, and the peanut butter, more nuts, etc.

Mine aren't very Christmasy but they're the kinds that the kids like, and I'm trying a couple of new ones off the Southern Living site. And the peanut butter ones with the melted smooshed Reeses Peanut Butter Cups in the middle are a pain in the butt to make but people started asking me a month ago if I was going to make some!

 

[tiredmommy]

I'm almost done too. I have a small refrigerator downstairs. It now has a ham, some beer, some tonic water, a few pounds of butter, a bottle of booze and cookies. Lots of cookies. I have only peanut butter blossoms left to bake. I made about 15 dozen cut-outs, 28 dozen chocolate chip, and 12 dozen pecan cream cheese wheels. I will start assembling teacher gifts early next week.

 

[lordhelphim]

i haven't started either! i am gonna steal an idea that difficult child made for a craft at the psychiatric hospital earlier this week. use a regular size pretzel cover with-choc and fill in spaces. use m&m for eyes and small stick pretzels for antlers and you have a reindeer! i'd attach a pix but i ate the one he made

 

[Fran]

D, can I freeze cookie dough? Part of the reason I haven't baked is I like the cookies to be fresh and some of mine have to last until the 29th of Dec. I have never done it before. What do you freeze it in?

Does anyone know if freezing a baked nut roll does it any harm? I hate the taste of "freezer" in baked goods. Well in anything.

What a good idea.

 

[donna723]

I'm the same way. Some cookies I need next Tuesday and some not until Christmas. Don't want to bring two-week old cookies!

I'll soon find out about freezing the cookie dough! I have to go shopping this morning and then this afternoon and evening I'm going on a cookie rampage! I'm going to make several different kinds and throw them all in the freezer. I was just going to put it in the zip-lock freezer bags.

 

[DammitJanet]

Well I just discovered I am horrible at anything you need to roll out! A baker I am not. Ok...maybe the word is pastry chef. I can make a cake or cookies I just have to drop onto the pan. I ended up trying this cookie with jam in the middle that was supposed to be rolled out and cut out but I failed miserably. I ended up trying to save it by making a log out of it. Maybe it will work.

 

[ML]

I'm doing my baking today. I'm doing sugar cookies, chocolate chip, peanut butter and weight watchers pumpkin cookies. Yumm.

 

[muttmeister]

Janet- I used to not like to roll things out either but then I bought a good pastry cloth and a stocking sleeve for my rolling pin. Makes all the difference in the world.

 

[DammitJanet]

Maybe I will have to look up what those are. I dont even own a rolling pin! Well at least I dont think I do unless there is one in one of the boxes from my mom that I havent opened yet. Possible I guess since there was a 1940s waffle iron...lol.

 

[maril]

muttmeister: You truly are amazing!

I invited daughter to join me in baking Christmas cookies and we decided we could squeeze some baking in tomorrow evening (varied work schedules, etc.).

I already made PB blossoms and mini cheesecakes and will split those with her. I also pre-mixed dough for other types that we'll work on together.

Mostly, I am looking forward to spending some time with daughter! Last year, we had a lot of fun; some comical moments with the two of us working together.

 

[Fran]

Janet, my m i l, talks about having "hot hands" which makes any sort of pasty that needs to be kneaded or rolled difficult. She is the best pie maker I know.
I flour my hands frequently. I may look for a rolling pin sleeve. My mom had one but I forgot about it. Thanks mutt.
Donna, let me know about freezing dough.
Wonder if I can freezed nut roll dough?

 

[hearts and roses]

Well good for all of you who have started (and finished! OMG). I made one holiday cookie thing that we all enjoy (cinnamon nut twirls - a family fave) and they are in the freezer. Now I only have about 5 more varieties to make, about 3 dz of each...what is that? 180 cookies. easy child made the dough for the sugar cookies we like so that's her project this year. She has finals this week and then she will finish those up, which will leave me only a few. I am hoping to be done this Sunday, if everyone stays out of my way - lol. You're an inspiration! Now if I could just figure out a way to make more time.