So real food is awesome and all, but let’s be honest — sugar is the love language of the season.
Last year a friend came over and we did a major cookie blitz of all the cookies on the platter — mixing, baking, decorating, and taste-testing (a LOT of taste-testing, oops…). I love that aspect of food, beyond the eating. The preparing of it with someone else is so fun, and you have someone to give half the treats to so you’re not tempted to eat cookies for dinner every night. Just one or two nights. Before you give the rest away as presents. (Perhaps fewer presents than you originally intended…)
Here are the treats that make our holiday nights and work days (and breakfasts!) so sweet.
Going clockwise starting upper left…
Russian Tea Cakes
Image and recipe from Pretty. Simple. Sweet.
Also known as Mexican Wedding Cookies, I love these crumbly, nutty powdered-sugar-dusted goodies. Sometimes I get wild and add cardamom or nutmeg instead of cinnamon. You do you, boo.
Candy Cane Cookies
Minty! Sweet! Twisty! These candy cane cookies are easy (premade mix ftw) and fun and always liven up a cookie plate. These are my husband’s favorite.
Christmas Wreaths
Image and recipe from Epicurious.com.
These are super sweet, super messy to make, but totally worth it. They’re basically rice crispy treats with cornflakes and cinnamon buttons and add character to cookie plates. Grease up your fingers and give them a go.
Whiskey Praline Pecans
Image and recipe from Cookin’ Cowgirl.
These are addicting and amazing nibbles to accompany a great book. I like to add little baggies of them to Christmas packages.
Sugar Cookies
Everyone has a good sugar cookie recipe, so go nuts. My royal icing never turns out as glossy as I’d like, but it’s still sugar on top of sugar, so does it really matter how it looks?
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Image and recipe from Gimme Some Oven.
Basically, any cookie you roll in powdered sugar is going to find its way to my oven sometime over the holiday season. Be ye not alarmed. These are wonderful because the chocolate is a nice complement to the sugar cookie madness.
English Toffee
Image and recipe from Shugary Sweets.
Ok, one more chocolate treat. Instead of making these in molds for bite-size pieces, I just make them in a pan and break them up into pieces with my hands.
Wishing you much caffeine to counteract the sugar coma of the season!
Please leave your favorite baking recipe below! I’m always up for adding something new to the mix.
