Let the baking begin

I am usually not a baker. Oh I trudge through the cupcakes and cookies of life with kids, but I prefer to cook rather than bake except at Christmas. I LOVE Christmas cookie time. Every year I start right before December 1st and I bake and bake and bake. I always make at least six types of cookies (and dozens of each kind) and as I bake them, I pack them up and freeze them. Then the week before Christmas I start bringing the cookies out. We pack them up for friends, family and teachers. I put a plate out after dinner for the kids to snack on, etc. Usually the weekend before Christmas, I make a batch of hot chocolate, top it with marshmallows, and the kids, Ryan and I snuggle up in front of the fire and watch the Christmas specials.

Today I began the madness. I made a batch of fudge, but I am not sure if it came out right or not, time will tell. I also started the jam print cookies. As Haven cannot have nuts or any pit fruits (cherries, peaches, apricots, etc) we use seedless raspberry jam. The batch I made was wonderful, so Thursday I will use the rest of the dough and finish those off. Next in line are the shortbread cookies with chocolate, macaroons, cathedral fudge and meringues. I will make peanut butter chocolate chip cookies (havey's faves) and sugar cookies that the kids decorate. I also have a few more recipes to try, so I may make it to double digits this year :0