Christmas Baking

Christmas is drawing near and as each day approaches the cookie bin gets a little fuller. I am making many of the same cookies as last year and adding a few new ones as well.

Cashew Caramel Cookies
Cherry Pecan Icebox Cookies
Chocolate Crackles Cookies
Double Chocolate Coconut Cookies
Grandma's Gingersnaps
Hazelnut Jam Thumbprints
Lemon Poppyseed Cookies
Pecan Logs
Pfeffernüsse
Sugar Cookies

One of the new cookies I made this year was the Pfeffernüsse (Pepper Cookies). I had two sources of inspiration for these cookies. One was my good friend Cindy who spends countless hours making these delectable cookies as a labour of love for those around her. The second source of inspiration was two German university students that will be joining us for Christmas. I used a recipe from Martha Stewart Cookies and they taste good, but after talking to my German friend Uli I question their authenticity. Both Cindy and Uli roll out their dough into strands and then cut it into small pieces. My cookie were big balls that resembled gingersnap cookies. It looks like I will need to find a more authentic recipe. After all, Martha Steward has a Polish heritage not German.

I'm also hoping to make some authentic French Canadian desserts like la sucre a creme and perhaps trying to make some profiteroles and filling them with la sucre a creme. Yum!

I hope your last week of Advent is filled with anticipation.