Christmas Baking

Last week I enjoyed one of my favorite past times...baking in my kitchen!

The treats I made are: Christmas Tree Spritz Cookies, Snowball looking Almond Cookies, Buckeyes, English Toffee, Puppy Chow (not really baking) and Kolacky.

I love having many choices to offer my family after dinner this time of year.  Growing up, my grandmother on my mom's side would make several different cookies too.  I remember 6 or 7 huge Tupperware containers that she'd have in her cold, garage from Thanksgiving through Christmas.  Each container was a different type of cookie.  She would have one container filled with of each of her children's favorites and then another one or two cookies.  My mom had three brothers and a sister.

My own mom wasn't much of a cook, but she did make Buckeyes when I was little.  It's her recipe I use in my kitchen.  My siblings, and a few good friends, know to expect a container of these from me each year.

The Kolacky is a newer cookie to my baking.  It is a polish cookie made with poppy seed filling.  My grandmother on my dad's side made very traditional Polish/Slavonic food...which is part of my heritage.  I loved our Christmas Eve's with my dad's family.  If you enjoy reminiscing, click on this memory from my past: My Christmas History.  I loved my grandmother's poppy seed bread, but I don't know that my family would like it, so I have opted for a cookie version.  I like the results, but I still think my grandmother's bread was the best.  Maybe I'll try making a loaf this next week.

The English Toffee is a recipe I discovered about 20 years ago.  My daughter loves it so much that it was what she requested this summer for her birthday; no cake, just toffee.

Do you have any special treats you make this time of year?