a christmas tradition

Every year for as long as I can remember back, my Mom and I have got together to bake cookies for the holidays. We love giving them to the family/friends & neighbors for homemade gifts -- and I'm pretty sure they love receiving them too. It's a tradition that means a lot to me, and I'd like to keep going as long as possible. Since I'm not feeling very Christmas-like this year with my Dad still in the hospital, I thought maybe some holiday baking would do the trick. I had to make a lot of them myself, but Mom and I did manage to get together for at least one afternoon to finish up the baking. It wasn't the same... but I'll take whatever happiness I can get this Christmas.

Something new...

Since it looks like nothing is really traditional this Christmas, I figured why not give a few new cookie recipes a whirl. Last year Gourmet Magazine published their favorite holiday cookie recipes from 1941-2008. I printed out a stack of recipes. We never got around to making these last year, but I'm sure glad I decided to make them this year. Aunt Sis's Strawberry Tart Cookies. They are about the best little bites of buttery deliciousness I have ever tasted with strawberry jewel in the center. Try them. I'm pretty sure they will be on our Christmas cookie roster from now on and maybe yours too!

Something old...

Another cookie that we've been making for about six years is Chocolate Crackles Cookies from Martha Stewart. I stumbled onto this recipe within a special edition holiday baking magazine. So many cookies from that magazine have become family favorites. It was definitely a good purchase years ago. When it comes to chocolate hands-down my favorite is dark chocolate and these cookies are made with bittersweet chocolate. YUM! If you make them with children, have them watch in the window, because it's fun to watch the cookies that have been rolled in powdered sugar, crack in the oven to reveal the deep, dark cracks of chocolate. They are especially delicious, after a minute or two hot from the oven. I usually buy the bags of Ghiradelli bittersweet baking chips to make them and they turn out perfectly every time.