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Now the hard part... what to bake... I don't have a "traditional" treat I make every year so I raked my mind for cookies and candy that have been apart of my family. Even with my gourmet Grandma Marj, nothing comes to mind! My maternal grandmother, GiGi, made a 50's concoction called minted walnuts- which taste exactly like sound.. minty and walnuty- no thank you.
With the purchase of our first home, Jack old enough to eat cookies, and another little cookie monster on the way- the pressure is on to find a family favorite for the holidays. So I turned to 'ol faithful, The Joy of Cooking. As I browsed the pages I noticed there are ALOT of Christmas cookies. I narrowed my search down to recipes that were A, relatively easy to make B, somewhat festive and C, a little different from the usual. Some of the runners up were Angel Slices, which has a description stating "these are the cakes that St. Peter gives children at the gates of Heaven, to get them over the pangs of homesickness". While at first glance this seems sweet, I realized this is a cookie for dead kids- not exactly a great treat to bring to a playdate. Another bar that peaked my interest was Lebuchen, German Honey Bars. Bars are easy to make, and this recipe includes honey, cardamon and candied citrus peel - the uniqueness I was looking for... but are they festive?
www.whatscookingamerica.com
Then I came across chocolate crinkles. I vaguely remember having them at some point in my childhood and that I liked them. They have a dusting of powdered sugar which gives a wintry appearance and they seem relatively easy to make. All I need now is a twist to give them a personal touch. Peanut butter? Chili? Hazelnuts? Hopefully I will be inspired by Sunday afternoon... I forecast a stop at Penzey's Spices in the near future.
Will keep y'all posted on my crinkle progress!
Maybe you should try spritz! Although you need a special gadget for them...hmmm but they are tasty, simple and delicious!
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