Let the Baking Begin!

Ooohhhh ~ I love this time of year! I love everything about it. I love hauling the boxes from the shed and rediscovering our treasured decorations in each one. I love wrapping the colorful packages and bedecking them with ribbon and bows. I love cutting a tree and revisiting the stories behind the ornaments. I love celebrating the birth of our Savior. I love selecting the carefully chosen gifts. I love the magic of the season. I really love it when it snows and I love the mouth watering smells that waft through the house when we are in the midst of our Christmas baking extravaganza!

This weekend is the designated baking weekend. I have toyed with the idea that I should begin baking earlier, but it simply isn't possible in a house filled with cookie monsters. Everyone here has a big sweet tooth ~ in fact I do believe that they are in possession of multiple sweet teeth. When I bake ~ it disappears. Case in point: I baked a double batch of gingersnaps on Wednesday. Today is Friday. Out of 9 dozen cookies here is what is left:


Why 1 cookie?

Thanks for asking.

It's quite simple. No-one wishes to be accused of taking the last cookie. They do not wish to hear me exclaim, "Alright ~ who ate all the cookies!?"

Sigh. Guess I'll be adding another batch of these to my list.

So, tomorrow DD and I will be up to our elbows in flour and sugar and cinnamon and butter and all those wonderful ingredients that can be mixed and stirred and baked into the most heavenly concoctions. You know, the good stuff that is certain to make your belly jiggle like Santa's.

We've got a list like Santa too. All those must haves:

1. Cranberry Sour Cream Pound Cake (this is our annual Birthday Cake for Jesus)

2. Pretzel~ Rolo~Pecan Thingies ( you can make a lot really fast, but they disappear just as fast
as you can make them)

3. Gingerbread Cowboys (an original invention by me!)

4. Mint Fudge (DD found this a few years back and oh my...so good!)

5. Heavenly Fudge (a Christmas staple)

6. Chocolate Caramel Candy (have to give these away or I will eat them all)

7. Sugar Cookies (so much fun to decorate)

8. Dipped Pretzels (these are so pretty on a plate)

9. Peanut Clusters (a favorite from DH's childhood)

We'll weigh a ton by New Year's! Thankfully, we're making lots of plates and baskets to take to neighbors and friends.

I think we're well armed. Don't you?