Holiday baking--it's the most wonderful time of the year

It is, seriously.  My step-mother and I have an on-and-off again tradition of getting together, putting Elvis' White Christmas album on iTunes, and baking, baking, baking.  Generally I'm the one with the recipes, which I collect throughout the year.  Anything that catches the eye gets saved to a veeeeery long file of recipes, and come November, I narrow down the list and make the official selections.  Of course, some recipes come out so well that they are repeated two or three years in a row.  My "Laura Bush" cookies are like that.  So are the oddly-shaped cardamom cookies and cut-out shaped sugar cookies (recipes to follow).  The first year we got together to bake, my step-mother provided a recipe for truly delicious fudge.  It's a shame the piece of paper with the recipe has since gone missing.  I'm usually not fond of fudge; I find it cloyingly sweet.  This may sound strange for a bonafide sugar-tooth and chocoholic, but I need some depth to my sweets--gratuitous sugar does nothing for me (well, other than causing a sugar high and subsequent crash).

Last year I did all the baking myself, and also tried out a candy recipe, which is a first for me.  The recipe was for Martha Stewart's Neapolitan Coconut Strips.  They're colored just like traditional Neapolitan ice cream, with brown, pink, and white stripes.  The dominant flavor is coconut, due to the shredded coconut which forms the base.  They are intensely sweet and creamy, thanks to sweetened condensed milk.  The only problem I had with the recipe is that, when trying to spread the layers evenly in a 9"x9" square pan, it seemed like there wouldn't be enough of the mixture to do so.  In the end it worked out fine, just stress-inducing.  The candies were the clear hit out of the several types of sweets in each package, and I was asked for the recipe (always a good sign, and compliment to the cook and recipe-creator).

So, about those Laura Bush cookies.  No, I'm not Laura Bush.  This recipe is from THE Laura Bush, and I have to say if anything good came of her eight years in the White House, it is this recipe.  These cookies are chewy and full of different textures and tastes.  There's a lot crammed into them--oatmeal, chocolate chunks, dried cherries, and walnuts.  They're what I imagine trail mix in cookie form would taste like, and they're darn good. The recipe, as found in Family Circle magazine, makes 8 dozen.  You've been warned.

Then there are the Cardamom Butter Squares, which also get made most every year.  This recipe comes from Gourmet magazine, and they are definitely a class act.  The cookie itself is quite simple--buttery and well-spiced with cardamom, cinnamon, and allspice.  The square shape, made by rolling the dough into a log and cutting slices, is unique and stands out amongst standard round cookies.  The recipe calls for two different glazes to be drizzled on them, but after one poor attempt at it, I gave up and kept them plain.  Glaze really does not mesh well with packaging and shipping cookies!

When it comes to sugar cookie recipes, I stick with the first one I tried, which works for me.  It's called Mary's Sugar Cookies, and it is a bit unique because of the addition of some almond extract (be sure you include the extract when letting people know about potential food allergies).  This recipe makes approximately 7 dozen cookies, but you will end up with more or less depending on the size of the cookie cutters you're using.  I top these with decorating icing, which I separate and make into several different colors.  I use a recipe which makes icing that is smear-resistant.  (If you have a recipe that is completely smear-proof, please let me know!)  Here's the basic recipe (source unknown):

Decorating Icing

Ingredients:

1 (1 lb) box confectioners' sugar

4 t powdered egg whites (not reconstituted) such as Just Whites

1/3 c water

1 T fresh lemon juice

1 t vanilla

Whisk together confectioners' sugar and powdered whites in a large bowl.  Add water, juice, and vanilla and beat with an electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment at low speed until just combined, about 1 minute.  Increase speed to high and continue to beat icing, scraping down side of bowl occasionally with a rubber spatula, until it holds stiff peaks, about 3 minutes.

If not piping icing immediately, cover surface with a dampened paper towel, then cover bowl with plastic wrap.

Makes about 3 cups.

Now comes the time when I must decide which recipes to retire, and which to try out for the first time.  I'll post later with the options for holiday season 2009.  Note to self: call your step-mom!