Thursday's Christmas Kitchen Cupboard.......12/22/2011

As many of you know, I do a lot of baking for the Holidays. This year I did not do a single post on Holiday baking!

So, I decided for Thursday's Kitchen Cupboard. I would post some pictures of what I have been baking, a recipe or two and links to previous posts with some of the other recipes.

A post including two favorites around here, Chinese Christmas Cookies and Pecan Squares can be found here.

Chinese Christmas Cookies

Here we have from top to bottom: Snowballs (recipe below), Pecan Squares (recipe at link above) & Almond Crescents (recipe is also below).

A post with my favorite Holiday treat, Nanaimo Bars can be found here.

Oh boy....these babies are good and just a wee bit fattening!!!

This is a new cookie for me this year. Lynda at Cortina Creek Farms posted this recipe here. When I saw these cookies, I knew that I had to try the recipe with many of our homemade jams and jellies.

Aren't these just Beautiful?? Thanks Lynda!

I also made traditional Chocolate Chip Cookies and a variation using the base to that recipe.

White Chocolate Chip Cookies with Almonds.

I think that I like these better then the traditional Chocolate Chip Cookies made with semi-sweet chocolate & walnuts.

Snowball Christmas Cookies

Ingredients:

• 3/4 Cup Softened Butter
• 1 tsp. Vanilla
• 1 Tbsp. Water
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 1/8 tsp. Salt
• 2 Cups Cake Flour
• 1 Cup Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

Directions:

1. Cream together first 4 ingredients
2. Add Flour & Salt and mix well
3. Stir in Chocolate Morsels
4. Refrigerate for a couple of hours or days. I make my doughs ahead of time and then bake them all in one day.
5. Roll into 1" balls and place about 1" apart on lightly greased cookie sheet
6. Bake for 20-30 minutes at 300 F
7. Remove from oven and roll in colored sugar or plain sugar when still warm
8. Cool & enjoy!

Almond Crescents

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Softened Butter
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 1 tsp. Vanilla
• 2 Cups Flour
• 1 Cup Finely Ground Almonds

Directions:

1. Cream together first 3 ingredients
2. Mix in Flour and then Almonds
3. Refrigerate the same as the snowball recipe above
4. Roll about a teaspoon of dough into a log form, place on lightly greased cookie sheet in a crescent form and then press the edges down with your fingers. I really should have taken a picture of this...but, I forgot. If you look at the shape of them in the picture above, you will get the idea of the shape.
5. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the edges start to turn a golden color, at 300 F
6. Remove from sheet and sprinkle with Powdered Sugar
7. Cool & Enjoy!

I also made some labels for the Mustards. They are now ready to be given as Christmas Presents!

Here are some of the mustards ready to go.

As you can see I used various different jars that have been saved or given to me. I was so happy that I didn't have to use many small canning jars! There always seems to be a shortage of the small jars around here.

What has been going in or out of your Cupboard lately??

From "The Italian" and I to each and every one of you....Have a Wonderful Holiday and a Bountiful New Year!