Christmas baking

How many of you enjoy baking during the holidays? I always mean to bake, but run out of time. This year we will spend Thanksgiving with my family, and the day after at a friends for more celebrating. I think we will bake some things to have people test for the holidays. My Christmas gift to my family was going to be Potica from our favorite bakery, but if I have time, I plan to do home made cookies. That's alot of baking. Can I ask my readers how they bake for large families? I will post some yummy recipes I have saved from Pinterest. I have to admit, that is my new addiction. Christmas baking recipes: Easy for me~ Description These easy, colorful, sweet & salty treats are perfect for Memorial Day picnics and pretty much any festivity you can think of. Ingredients 1 bag Pretzel Twists, Squares, Or Circles (9 Ounce Bag) 1 bag Hershey's Kisses (12 Ounce Bag) 1 bag (12 Oz. Size) M&Ms Preparation 1. Spread your pretzels out on a cookie sheet, and place one Hershey’s Kiss on top of each pretzel. 2. Place sheet in the oven at 275 degrees for 3 minutes–just long enough for the Kisses to get soft. 3. Remove from oven, and immediately press a single M&M on each. 4. Refrigerate until eating to make sure they are deliciously solid Cream Cheese Cookies If you like tangy cream cheese frosting and soft buttery cookies, you’re going to be in heaven. The cream cheese stays slightly soft, gooey, and tastes much more like cream cheese frosting than it does like cheesecake. The cookies have a caramely, buttery, rich depth of flavor thanks to dark brown sugar. It has more moisture than light brown because it has more molasses, creating cookies are supremely soft, tender, and moist. Graham cracker crumbs add another subtle layer of flavor and provide a tiny bit of texture. Make sure to chill the dough before baking. YIELD: 9 large cookies PREP TIME: 20 minutes COOK TIME: about 12 minutes TOTAL TIME: 3+ hours, for chilling INGREDIENTS: Cookies 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (1 stick) 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed (I used 1/4 cup of light and 1/4 cup dark) 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1 large egg 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs 1 teaspoon cornstach 1/2 teaspoon baking soda pinch salt, optional and to taste Cream Cheese Filling 6 ounces brick-style cream cheese, softened (lite is okay) 1/4 cup granulated sugar DIRECTIONS: Cookies - To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl and electric mixer) combine the butter, sugars (highly recommend using some dark brown sugar), egg, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until creamed and well combined, about 4 minutes. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, graham cracker crumbs, cornstarch, baking soda, optional salt, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute. Using a large cookie scoop, 1/4-cup measure, or your hands, form 9 equal-sized mounds of dough, roll into balls, and using your fingers, hollow out the center of each ball as if you were making thumbprint cookies. In doing so, the cookies will naturally flatten. Make sure not to go too deeply and punch through the bottom but go deep enough that each cookie will be able to hold 2 to 3 tablespoons of filling. Place mounds on a large plate or tray and place in the freezer while you wash the mixing bowl and make the cream cheese filling. Cream Cheese Filling - To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl and electric mixer) combine the cream cheese, sugar, and beat on medium-high speed until fluffy and creamed, about 4 minutes. Using a small spoon, equally distribute filling among dough mounds, smoothing the tops lightly with the back of the spoon or a spatula. Place mounds on a large plate or tray, cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to 3 days. Do not bake with unchilled dough because cookies will bake thinner, flatter, and be more prone to spreading. Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray. Place dough mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 6 cookies per sheet) and bake for about 12 minutes, or until edges have set and cream cheese is just set; don't overbake for soft cookies (bake a few minutes longer for firmer cookies). Cookies firm up as they cool. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 15 minutes before serving. I let them cool on the baking sheet and don't use a rack. Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days (I'm comfortable storing items with baked cream cheese at room temp; store in the fridge if you prefer) or in the freezer for up to 4 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired. Recipe from Averie Cooks. All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or simply link back to this post for the recipe. Thank you. I got these off pinterest. I haven't tried them yet. When I do I will let you know how they taste. Until then follow me on pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/mom4abb/ Until next time. Carole