Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

Because it’s never too late to put out cookies and milk for Santa...

Merry Christmas!
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Apricot-Ginger Slice and Bakes

How did this happen?  I let December 1st pass without mentioning the fact that it was the 2nd year anniversary of Anush Lini.  Luckily, it is never too late to celebrate, and today has a most auspicious date of 12-12-12.  First things first.  Thank you!  I love sharing with you, and I’m so honored that you spend a few minutes of your day reading my baking ramblings!  The butter count for the past year was a rotund 45.75 sticks.  Ok, ok, I know I shouldn’t be using that many significant figures, but there it is.  I’m going there.  That is just shy of 23 cups.  Good thing all of that butter wasn’t eaten all at once!
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Vanilla Bean Slice and Bakes

Hello!  I hope your week is off to an excellent start!  This weekend I managed to use 11 sticks of butter in just under 5 hours.  It might just be a personal record.  I plan on breaking it this Friday when I continue with my holiday baking on my day off.  This past weekend I didn’t just bake; we also went to a Grace Potter and the Nocturnals concert, saw the boys, and managed to squeeze in a nap.  The nap was very much needed.  When a 4 year old tells you that you need to get more rest because you misidentified a roller truck, napping becomes a priority.  Apparently my concert recovery is not the same as it used to be.  The concert was awesome, even if the woman standing next to me sang every single song off-key at the top of her lungs.  To her credit, it was clear that she was super excited to see the show and the fact that she knew all of the words and could sing and tweet at the same time was pretty impressive.
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Mounds Bar Cookies

Have you made your list and checked it twice?  Your cookie list, that is!  I hope your baking season is off to an excellent start!  All of this commercialization is taking away from the real focus of the holidays: baked goods!  I’ve been tinkering with my holiday cookie list since we first turned on our heat.  I think I finally have it squared away.  It is a carefully honed list of 14 super secret items.  Some are cookies.  Some are candies.  Some are just flavor ideas right now.  To get all 14 made, I’m going to have to make a plan and stick to it.  Luckily making the plan is half of the fun of holiday baking!  Raise your hand if you love making baking lists and timelines!  Ahem, I hope I am not the only one wildly waving my arm in the air.  Regardless, this is a great time of year because you get to bake so many great things and share them with so many wonderful people.  The world would be a better place if we had more baking-focused holidays!
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Fudge Drops

Hi there!  It has been a busy few weeks.  You can rest assured that I have been baking and tinkering around in the kitchen even if I haven't been posting.  I'm sure my lack of posts was at the forefront of your thoughts.  Truth be told, I'm only posting this now because I wrote part of it on my cell phone on my way home from work.  I hadn't even thought about doing that until Nancy reminded me today that I have finally joined the modern age of smart phones and have a handy little computer at my finger tips.  Thanks, Nancy!  How convenient!  I love multitasking! 
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Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Because sometimes you just need to make (and eat!) a classic....
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Cranberry Orange Pistachio Thumbprints

Whoot!  I am super excited to share these cookies with you!  They are amazing!  If you had walked past the front of our house this afternoon and looked in the window when I tried one, you might have thought I was a touch crazy.  That's because with my first bite, I had to let out my inner dance.  [Full disclosure:  I was listening to the Mariachi El Bronx (II) album, and how can you not dance when it is on?]  Even though I took my share of modern and ballroom dance classes in college (admittedly, this was a while ago now...), my inner dance still scares the crap out of Scott.  I'd like to believe that is because my dancing is so amazing that it intimidates him, but honestly, it's because I look like a crazy person.  Generally, I try to keep my inner dance harnessed until the curtains are drawn to minimize his embarrassment (and mine), but with all rules, there are exceptions, like this afternoon when I ate my first cranberry orange pistachio thumbprint.

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