the urban baker: Holiday Baking Extravaganza

Every year I bake for the holidays. And every year, I have my old favorites (triple chocolate dream bars, mexican wedding cookies and jam thumbprints), I have to make these no matter what. Each year I buy different magazines, thumb through all my cookbooks and search the internet looking for new and interesting treats. I like a variety. I like different shapes, textures and flavors. Some years I go super crazy, but this year I kept it pretty simple.

7 Layer Bars

My husband loves anything with almond. These are all the same cookie dough however divided into 3rds. Between each cookie layer is a layer of apricot preserves. These are not that hard to make, really pretty and tasty. Next time, I would temper the chocolate topping (to avoid cracking).

Epicurious.com

I usually make my doughs in advance (before Thanksgiving). This is how I stay organized.

Chocolate Crinkles

These are from an out of print Marlene Sorosky cookbook.

Mexican Wedding Cookies.

Rose Levy Birnbaum, Christmas Cookie Book

I have made a lot of different recipes for this particular cookie. These are, hands down, the best.

Chocolate hazelnut shortbread

I bought a 2008 edition of "The best of fine cooking, cookies" at the newstand. These jumped out at me. Eli and I tempered chocolate and dipped half of the cookies in the chocolate. Isaac sprinkled the non parils on the cookies. We took photos of us tempering, dipping and sprinkling. Neglected to put the card reader back in the camera!

Coconut Shortbread. These are from an old Martha Stewart cookie magazine. I am pretty sure they are on her website

These are the best Jam Thumbprints ever! This recipe is a combo from an old Martha Stewart Magazine, Rose Levy Birnbaum and Epicurious.com. I like to roll half the cookies in shredded coconut (shown) and ground almonds. I make a vanilla sugar and combine it with the almonds and it makes the cookies really crunchy and really good. I use both rasberry preserves and apricot preserves. MMM good!

Cinnamon, walnut shortbread (see dec. 6th blog entry)

This is the same sugar cookie recipe as the Christmas cookies below. I buy all my baking supplies (jimmies, sugars, nuts, chocolate, etc.) at Surfas in Culver City (surfas.com)

I have tried a lot of carmel popcorn recipes (in honor of my dad-he and I used to eat a whole can of "poppycock" in one sitting-mind you, I was 10 and could do that back then). This recipe rocks!

Epicurious.com (make a triple batch)

the best butter/sugar cookie ever!

The Christmas Cookie Book, Rose Levy Birnbaum

IT IS ALL IN THE PACKAGING!

somehow it makes everything taste better

line 'em up

labels and ribbons

(made the labels in illustrator, ribbon from

Papermart.com)

Small box of treats

The large box of goodies

I still have a lot of little accessories left over from my furniture business (Little Folk Art). I like to use them for my baked stuff. Not only do my friends get the fattening stuff, they get an extra added bonus!

Triple chocolate dream bars(make a triple batch)