2024 Holiday Cookie Box

  

I know I've done a crap job of updating my blog in the past several months but I would be remiss if I ended the year without posting my 2024 Holiday Cookie Box.  I think it's a nice variety that caters to many different tastes.  Hopefully the people who receive it will agree.

Stella Parks Gingerbread Cookies

Pierre Hermé Viennois (Raspberry Jam Filled or Chocolate Dipped Fingers)

Ginger Molasses

Walnut Snowballs

Lemon Gooey Butter Cookies

Clotted Cream Shortbread 

 

Bakery Boxes

 

 

2023 Holiday Cookie Box

 

For the 2023 Holiday Cookie Box I stuck to the tried and true classics that everyone seemed to love along with the new addition of vanillekipferl.  Year after year I vow to cut back on the different types of cookies I make to save myself the time and effort, yet every year I never do.  I can't help it, baking is my love language and what better way to show someone you care than by gifting them a box of homemade treats?

 

Ginger Molasses

Walnut Snowballs

Vanillekipferl

Viennois

Checkerboard Sablés

Italian Rainbow 

Gingerbread 

 

Packaging (Item 851445940P)

Gingerbread House Bundt Cake

 

November came and went by in a flash with very little baking on my end.  To be honest I just didn't have the motivation after returning from a holiday in Europe.  Perhaps subconsciously I was also storing my energy in preparation for the whirlwind of holiday baking and candy making that awaited me in December?

 

My first real bake for the holiday season is this super cute Gingerbread House Bundt Cake using this Nordic Ware pan.   For the cake itself I used White Lily Flour's recipe for a cream cheese pound cake.  I need another bundt pan like a fish needs a bicycle but I couldn't help myself.  The design on this pan was too cute to pass up and will be added to my growing bundt collection.  

 

 

What I especially love about a bundt cake is how easily you can achieve fantastic results with very little effort.  Especially ideal for you novice bakers out there.  Let the cake pan do all the work for you!  But, whenever making a bundt cake the golden rule you have to follow is to grease the pan well.  I swear by Baker's Joy cooking spray (with flour) and 99% of the time my cakes release without any issues.

Let the holiday baking extravaganza begin!

   

Holiday Cookies

Every year I love to make cutout cookies to celebrate the holidays and give as gifts.   Normally I stick to my foolproof sugar cookie recipe but this year I decided to add gingerbread to the mix.   And I'm so glad I did!  The dark molasses and spices from the gingerbread just scream Christmas to me.  

I found a great gingerbread recipe from one of my favorite blogs, The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle.  After an overnight chill in the fridge the dough is easy to roll out and cut.  The baked gingerbread is firm but still soft, if that makes sense, and the royal icing complements the cookies so nicely.

 

My theme for holiday decorations this year was red and white, like a candy cane stripe.   I decorated my tree with this scheme and all of my holiday baking and packaging followed suit.  I hope my friends and family will love it as much as I do!