Christmas Confections

What is Christmas without the treats that bring back childhood memories of holiday celebrations? Writing this post was a true act of love. Delving into a multitude of cookie and candy recipes almost put me into a sugar coma without tasting a bite!

Before I jump into the recipes, I want to remind you to be sure and enter for your chance to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card at the end of this post.

I’m sure y’all have favorite Christmas treats tucked away in binders your mothers started when you were young. Or maybe that’s just me. When my mom passed away, she left behind two binders with recipes she’d written in long hand or cut out from Good Housekeeping magazine. There were also a few tucked among hers that my older sister and I had written when we were in high school. Going through those binders was a trip down Memory Lane—a bittersweet experience.

My grandmother wasn’t much into making cookies—instead, she made candy. Rocky Road, Almond Roca, and Divinity (which I never really cared for). When she passed away, my mom searched for those coveted recipes (at least coveted by me) but couldn’t find them. Knowing Grandma, she had them memorized. I’ve included my two favorites among the cookies below.

These days, it seems as if cookbooks are a thing of the past. Any recipe you could want is only a Google search away. And better yet, most of them are rated, so you can pick and choose the those that have already been taste-tested.

That’s what I did when putting together this post—choosing only the highest rated. Rather than type them out and give credit where credit is due, I linked each recipe to its rightful creator. Many of these sights included helpful tips and hints that might make the baking process a tad easier.

Did you know the most popular Christmas cookie of all time is the Peanut Butter Blossom? I didn’t until searching for the recipe. My daughter recently asked about these delicious treats because they are her ultimate favorites, but she couldn’t remember what they were called. All she had to say was peanut butter and Hershey’s Kisses, and I knew. I wouldn’t be surprised if these cookies pre-date Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

Any cookie collection cannot be complete without Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies. I’ve shared my fav before, but here it is again. It’s really an easy recipe—and if you actually follow the directions, you can’t go wrong. My suggestion is to make them smaller rather than larger. They bake much better that way. Aside from these being the absolute best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever made (no joke!) the recipe allows the baker to include specialty ingredients to customize them. Next time I make these, I’m going to trade the traditional chocolate chips for Baily’s Irish Cream Chocolate Chips. I buy them at our local Walmart, but you can probably find them at any grocery store.

My husband’s favorites are Big Soft Ginger Cookies. These melt in your mouth and have just enough kick to give your taste buds a real treat. His mom used to make Spanish Cookies, which were basically the same, except they were thin rather than fluffy. Most people connect gingerbread cookies (little people decorated with icing) with Christmas. These are tastier—just not as showy.

One of my favorite cookies is Peppermint Bark. Not only does it look pretty, but it’s tasty, too. If you’re baking cookies for friends and neighbors, this is definitely a cookie you’ll want to include.

And what’s Christmas without the typical Frosted Sugar Cookies? These are made with reduced fat cream cheese to keep them soft for the long haul. If you have little ones who love to help with the baking, this is the one for them. Tasty and creative!

I love the simplicity of shortbread cookies, but when it comes to the holidays, this cookie gives the right pop of color and taste—Raspberry and Almond Shortbread Thumbprints. I’m telling you, just looking at the picture of these treats has me salivating. Along with the Peppermint Bark, they would be the showpiece of any cookie-tin gift.

The last cookie in this collection is a nod to those of you who love Rocky Road but want to stick with cookie recipes. This 4.97-rated cookie is named after the bakery that created it—the Levain Bakery Rocky Road Cookies.

These last two recipes, although not straight from Grandma’s private collection, is the closest I could come to her candies. Rocky Road and Almond Roca. As with the cookies, I looked at several candy recipes, but these are the highest rated. The Almond Roca is from Allrecipes, which is one of my favorite go-tos for simplicity and consistency.

Clicking through these recipes, you’ll quickly see why I’m now craving a big dose of sugar. I need a baking day and lots of cookie tins, and I’ll be set for gifts for friends and neighbors—if they make it that far. They not only have to make it past me; they have to make it past my husband, as well. He’s not much of a sweet-eater, but when it comes to homemade baked goods, even the staunchest health nut will crumble.

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If you missed Tuesday’s post, Wednesday’s post, Thursday’s post, Friday’s post, and/or yesterday’s post, you can still go back to them and enter for another chance to win the Amazon Gift Card. The more you enter, the better your chances.

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