Category Archives: Cookies

Cookies, Food, Homeschooling, Journal

Weekly Wrap up: Christmas Cookies

3 Comments

In my life this week…

First of all I am again been nominated for the Homeschool Blog Awards in the category of Best Homeschooling Dad Blog. I would appreciate your votes. You can vote once per day, per device at the link below.

HSBA VOTING BEGINS NOW

We made Christmas ornaments this week. The first came from Pinterest. It looked simple, cool, and cheap it turned out to be an utter failure. It failed to the point that I wonder if the original image is real. Pinterest came to our rescue and the emergency search brought up a great pin that certainly worked and fortunately we had everything in house.

The first pin, Beautiful right.

Acrylic Paint Christmas Bulbs

Do these look the same?
Do these look the same?

Our attempts. Basically shaking does nothing. My attempt to thin the paint failed. Margaret resorted to painting the outside. We added more and more paint turning the bulbs to make patterns. Those ones still haven’t dried. Just don’t bother it is not worth the frustration.

Margaret's Painted Bulb
Margaret’s Painted Bulb

The second was simply cutting and stuffing garland into the bulbs. We found that multiple small pieces worked best for us. The garlands were from back when I worked in an office and decorated said office.

Tinsel Christmas Bulbs

Tinsel Glass Ornaments
Tinsel Glass Ornaments

I’m Cleaning…

Not happening this week due to baking! Yummy

In our homeschool this week…

Ian Hour of Code
Ian Hour of Code

The biggest thing for us this week was the hour of code. The older two continued to work on their Javascript Khan Academy course. Ian did the Frozen Hour of code. He needed me to read him the instructions but other than that he did quite well. He moved on and did the Angry Birds one as well. That one I wasn’t around to help him with but he still figured it out.

We are Reading…

Margaret has started reading Divergent at Philip’s prodding. Hopefully this will get her into reading longer books. She is more than capable but tends to read books that she can finish in a day.

I’m Cooking…

I have been busy doing all my Christmas baking. I have finished five of the six recipes that I have planned. My wife has three that she will do next week and then we are all done. I might need to make seconds of some given that I am providing a cookie tray for Christmas dinner.

Almond Orange Cinnamon Biscotti
Almond Orange Cinnamon Biscotti

I have made Almond Orange Cinnamon Biscotti which I just wrote a post on. I used to make it all the time in university. I also made Chocolate Chip Biscotti from Chef Michael Smith’s website. Coming across that recipes is want made me think of the other one from years ago.

Chocolate Crinkles Christmas Cookies
Chocolate Crinkles

I also made Chocolate Crinkle cookies. Those I will need to make more of…

Somewhere in the minimizing of this year I found a recipe for what I call Walnut Bells but on the recipe they are called Christmas Cookies. I will be posting the recipe next week.

Chocolate Star Christmas Cookies (Gluten Free)

The Chocolate Stars which are some of my favorites are made.

Cinnamon Stars - Christmas - Swiss - Gluten Free

The final cookies to be made are the Cinnamon Stars and those are going to have to wait until Monday. I am not going to have time this weekend and the little time we do have will go towards my wife making her cookies.

Linking up at:

Summer-Edition photo newboardblogbutton_zps5c91eaf8.png

Cookies, Cooking, Food

Almond Orange Cinnamon Biscotti

I used to make this recipe all the time back in university and somehow it ended up being put aside for years. Then recently a recipe for chocolate chip biscotti ended up on my Facebook and I remember this recipe. It took me a while to find particularly since it was actually two recipes that I had modified and merged together.

Almond Orange Cinnamon Biscotti
Almond Orange Cinnamon Biscotti

Almond Orange Cinnamon Biscotti
 
Print
Author:
Recipe type: Cookies
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
  • ½ cup butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1½ tsp orange zest
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1½ tsp baking powder
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 cup toasted slivered almonds
Instructions
  1. Set oven to 325 degrees F.
  2. Cream butter and sugar.
  3. Beat in eggs, vanilla and orange zest.
  4. Combine the flour, cinnamon, salt and baking powder in a separate bowl.
  5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and beat to combine.
  6. Add the toasted almond slivers and beat until just conbined.
  7. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or butter the sheet.
  8. Form into two logs about ¾ of an inch thick and as wide as you like your biscotti. I got for betweeen 3 and 4 inches. The wider it is the lest pieces you get in the end.
  9. Bake for 35 minutes.
  10. Take out and let cool enough for you to cut, 10-15 minutes.
  11. Cut into slices about ½ inch thick.
  12. Place slices cut side down on the cookie sheet.
  13. Bake 12 minutes. Turn over and bake another 12 minutes.

It is funny how our memories work. For me this recipe takes me back to my university days and the people there that particularly liked this recipe. For me this will always go with a large mug of hot chocolate and a cold winter night. This isn’t on my Favorite Six Christmas Cookies from last year but it should be.

Home School Blog Awards…

I have been nominated in the Homeschooling Dad category and would appreciate your votes. While you are there check out all the other wonderful blogs.

HSBA VOTING BEGINS NOW
Linking up at…

Cookies, Cooking, Food

My Favorite 6 Christmas Cookies

2 Comments

For me the Christmas baking is a critical part of Christmas. There are some cookies that go back at least 3 generations in our family that I have to make every year. They are still some of my mom’s favorites and I remember stories of Grandma making them. My recipe card was copied off of my mother’s card and that was copied out of a Swiss cookbook of my Grandma. For me those two cookies make it Christmas. The rest of the cookies are optional.

1. Cinnamon Stars

Cinnamon Stars - Christmas - Swiss - Gluten Free

These are my absolute favorite. They are a meringue based cookie loaded with almonds and cinnamon. (Recipe)

2. Chocolate Stars

Chocolate Star Christmas Cookies (Gluten Free)

These are very similar to the cinnamon stars. They too are meringue based with almonds but they also have loads of chocolate and enough Kircsh to give them a slight cherry flavor. (Recipe)

3. Chocolate Crinkles

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

I discovered these in university although I don’t remember where I found the recipe. Somewhere in my travels I lost the recipe. I must have made them for my wife once early in our relationship because she remembered them when someone brought them into her work. Thus I got the recipe back. It is a different name than I remember but the same cookie. I love how they go from a white ball to that lovely crinkled look. (Recipe)

4. Gingerbread

My Three Kids

My wife bakes these ones although she loves that I came in to the relationship with a big KitchenAid mixer. She used to make them by hand. This is such a family activity that it just has to be part of Christmas. The picture is from last year at Christmas time when we made an igloo.

5. Shortbread

There are a thousand and one recipes for shortbread and I didn’t discover that I liked them until my wife made some. A lot I still don’t like but her’s and a couple of others I quite like now.

6. Thimble Cookies

These are from my wife’s grandma and are also a tradition. Unfortunately the recipe was lost when she passed away. My wife has found something close enough on the internet. These are always filled with homemade raspberry jam.

Linking Up at:

Link it Tuesday