Christmas Time Goodies & Sugar Rush

I absolutely love making cookies at Christmas time. I can remember lots of years baking with my mom, putting all those wonderful cookies that I never remember until this time of year into tins with foil hiding them away. It's funny how talking about a snickerdoodle cookie any other time of the year makes me draw a blank as to what they taste like, but the minute we make them in December I recall exactly how they taste--and I love them!

The last few years I've been able to bake with my sister (in law, but she's just sister to me!) Steph and we've made a list of all the goodies we want to make and make a day of it. I think that will be a new tradition for us...except this year since she's in CO and I'm in AZ. Baking from a distance though, right?!


I look up to my mom and grandma when baking, since most of my recipes come from these two lovely baker ladies. Just last night I was making peanut butter fudge, having never made fudge before in my life, I called them and asked some questions. I pretended that the whole time I was baking they were in the kitchen with me, helping me taste test. This year I made some goodies all by myself, way to go! I made fudge, first timer, some haystacks that Steph and I made last year, some new Swedish Spritz cookies with the recipe from Taste of Home but I made a huge twist on it (as you could usually guess), and some chocolate chip blondies. Can you feel the weight gain yet?! I might have to dish some of these out so the hubster and I don't gain 50 lbs from all the sugar.



Chocolate Chip Blondies





Haystacks or Butterscotchie's--Next time I'll use more chow mein noodles and not so many marshmellows.



These started to not work using the cookie press, but I switched to the "frosting" setting. So I made my own shapes!





Swedish Spritz Cookies--Vanilla-Maple flavored shortbread cookie!





Peanut Butter Fudge--with a handfull of chocolate chips thrown in to give it a slight hint of chocolate!

 I had a blast baking and cooking all this up. There is one more thing I want to make and will likely make it tomorrow on Christmas eve, since I got that day off, woot! Josh and I will spend our Christmas just the two of us this year. We were both lucky enough to get Christmas eve off so we're going to spend the day together. The gifts under our tree are growing and Lucy even has her stocking full. She can't wait to open her gift from Grandma!