Christmas Baking

I sat down today with my recipe collection to make a list of Christmas bakes. I'll be making both keto and non-keto items. My list of keto treats is entirely unreasonable, so I've already had to triage some items.

Let's get the non-keto bakes addressed first. I've polled my family and the results are still coming in but here's what will be on the traditional bakes plate for sure:

• Mary's Sugar Cookies (from the Betty Crocker Cooky Book)
• these are tender and delicious and the ones my mother made. So these are nostalgia in dough form for me.
  
• Peppermint Meltaways (from an old Land O' Lakes recipe card I got heaven knows where)
• we tend to make our glaze a bit pinker and thicker so it's more like icing than glaze.
• we usually skip the crushed candies and use pink or white glitter sugar instead
  
• Peanut Butter Cookies (also from the BC Cooky Book)
• every time I make these I am struck anew at how insanely good these are for such a simple cookie.

So my list of keto bakes numbers sixteen! (As I said, entirely unreasonable). Last year was my first attempt at keto baking and a few of those attempts are back. Other items here are favorites I have made for no particular reason but are ones that I love. 

• Nanaimo bars - previously posted here. These are so beloved in general that my non-keto son asked for these to be on the Christmas cookie plate. (I might have to make a double batch....)
• Pecan pies - okay; not technically a cookie but Carolyn Ketchum's recipe has you bake them in tiny ramekins. I use paper liners which are wider and shallower than a cupcake liner. Once I cut each "pie" into 4 or 6 pieces, they will be like little wedge-shaped cookies. 
• "Sugar" Cookie Cutouts - new this year; they didn't make the short list last year.
  
• Chocolate Peppermint Stars - I made these as hearts because my only star cookie cutter has fluted edges which were problematic with the dough. These taste a lot like a Girl Scout thin mint although the texture is a bit more rustic.
• Marzipan Hearts - This is not the recipe I used last year but I have so much faith in Carolyn's recipes, I'll use hers this year. Plus, I'm not sure how much variation there would be between recipes. 

Possible recipes that haven't yet made the cut. We'll see how ambitious I feel and honestly, how many cookies and sweets I really need to have around.

• Fudge Crumb Bars - new
  
• Peppermint Cheesecake Bars (an old favorite)
• Peppermint Patties (another old favorite)
• Peanut Butter Bars (old favorite; like a Reese's PB cup!)
• Fudge (I've made this one; super rich!)
• Peanut Butter cookies (I might have to make these just so I stay away from the BC ones noted above)
• Scottish Shortbread - new
• Magic Cookie Bars - new; involves making keto sweetened condensed milk from scratch but Carolyn assures us it's not at all hard to do.

I like to have a variety of flavor profiles on the cookie plates. Sugar, almond, vanilla, peppermint and then something bright and citrusy. I don't tend to love spiced cookies like gingerbread but sometimes it's nice to include something like that. I do have a bottle of key lime juice and I have a recipe for a glazed key lime loaf cake, so that might be included as well. And I always try to include a new recipe or two along with all the favorites.

More later as my plans firm up!