Gift Giving

Most years, when I have time, cookies are the gifts that I prepare for our friends and family. In a previous post I shared with you the cookie line up for this year, here is how I packaged them up as gifts.


I bought a box (50) of these kraft colored boxes from Nashville Wraps, they are the perfect size for any baked goods and I really like the naturalness of the kraft color. I tried two different ribbons as you can see in the picture below. The green and red one was the winner as you may have guessed. To keep them on the box I measured them to size and stapled it together on the bottom. I'm planning to use the twine for when I give gifts throughout the year.
Here's the cookie packaging station.
I separated each type of cookie with cupcake wrappers and I wrapped the peppermint bark in cellphone bags.
All wrapped up and ready to go.

Merry Christmas.

Cookie Factory

This is what I've been up to lately, it's a lot of work but all worth it in the end.

This years cookie line up was:

Gingerbread Cookies
Noel Nut Balls
Candy Cane Cookies (which thanks to the 70 degree weather this week did not form into candy canes but I'll say pepperment drops)
Spritz Cookies

Also:
Mom's Homemade Fudge
Peppermint Bark

It was funny I was looking forward to baking cookies up here in Atlanta this year because it's always so hot in Miami and the cookies are sometimes not so easy to work with but of all weeks for it to be nice in warm in Atlanta had to be cookie baking week. LOL I almost had to put the air conditioning on, I tell ya.

Here's some pics from the baking extravaganza:

Orange Pinched Macaroons

Last week Martha had Pastry Chef Patrick Lemble from the acclaimed Four Season's Restaurant on her show sharing his recipe for Orange Pinched Macaroons. Well they seemed like the perfect cookie for me to try and see if I wanted to add them to my 2008 Christmas Cookie Collection so yesterday I tested the recipe.

They are delicious, but I'm not sure if they will make the cut for this years batch of holiday cookies. They are easy enough to make and they are delicious, I think they are perfect for exactly how the four seasons serves them as a delicious dessert after dinner but not necessarily as part of my cookie gifts. The other "down" side to them if you want to make a lot to give away, although the recipe does make 40 cookies and I think two per person would be a enough, is that you need 1 lb. of almond paste and that is not cheap around $10 for the pound. Now again the holidays are not a time to skimp on delicious ingredients but that's probably the ONLY down side to these cookies.

Here was the process and a few of my comments (helpful tips) in case you make them yourself.

when rolling out the dough into long snakes I suggest using a good amount of powdered sugar on your board because it is a fairly sticky dough. I used a bench scraper to work with the dough and to cut the pieces out. let the pieces that you have rolled in egg white and powdered sugar sit out for about 30 minutes, it seems you do this so that they dry a little and then they're not so sticky when you pinch them.

pinched and ready to go into the oven.

up close shot of the pinched cookies.

out of the oven. yummy and they were a hit with everyone who tried them. Happy Baking.