christmas baking

we do alot of entertaining over the holidays season.. nd we bake alot.. and when i say alot we have an assortment of about 20 different things... no wonder everyone puts on a few pounds every year around this time

Ping* What.. who's burnt christmas!!!! Vicky, I thought you said you'd remind your mum when it was 10 past? nice going love. Who want's a burnt christmas? geez I don't know what I'm doing yet, having a hard time discussing ideas with kate. she mainly wants cookies and I want cakes! *goes off in a mood.... ~Joey

here are some of my suggestion of baking recipes for Christmas from allrecipes.com... hope you enjoy it... Gingerbread Men SUBMITTED BY: Kim PHOTO BY: 4LEA "Doesn't need molasses!!! INGREDIENTS * 1 (3.5 ounce) package cook and serve butterscotch pudding mix * 1/2 cup butter * 1/2 cup packed brown sugar * 1 egg * 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour * 1/2 teaspoon baking soda * 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger * 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon DIRECTIONS 1. In a medium bowl, cream together the dry butterscotch pudding mix, butter, and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the egg. Combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, and cinnamon; stir into the pudding mixture. Cover, and chill dough until firm, about 1 hour. 2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease baking sheets. On a floured board, roll dough out to about 1/8 inch thickness, and cut into man shapes using a cookie cutter. Place cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. 3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until cookies are golden at the edges. Cool on wire racks. ----- Pebber Nodder (Danish Christmas Cookies) SUBMITTED BY: YAC2004 PHOTO BY: jalexandropoulos "These cookies are like little bites of Christmas. Cinnamon and cardamom flavor these little shortbread nuggets." NGREDIENTS * 1 cup butter * 1 cup sugar * 2 eggs * 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour * 1 teaspoon ground cardamom * 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 2. In a large bowl, mix together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, stirring until light and fluffy. Combine the flour, cardamom and cinnamon; stir into the sugar mixture just until blended. 3. Separate the dough into 6 balls, and roll each ball into a rope about as big around as your finger on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 1/2-inch pieces, and place them on an ungreased baking sheet. 4. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. ----- Christmas Jewels SUBMITTED BY: DeeDee PHOTO BY: KYODDIE "A nice looking Christmas cookie to grace your holiday table." INGREDIENTS * 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour * 1 teaspoon baking powder * 1/8 teaspoon baking soda * 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg * 1/2 cup butter * 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar * 1/3 cup white sugar * 1 egg * 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract * 1/2 cup candied pineapple chunks * 2 tablespoons slivered almonds DIRECTIONS 1. Grease and line a 9x5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper. 2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and mix well. Stir in flour, baking powder, ground nutmeg, vanilla, candied pineapple, and almond slivers. Mix well. Put in prepared loaf pan. Freeze overnight. 3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 4. Slice crosswise and bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 10 to 12 minutes.

I think bake at christmas is a good ritual for family because working together to make something delicious can bound you together as a family.