Scotch Shortbread

I think the first time I ever made this shortbread I was wanting to make cookies but was broke & had very few ingredients in the house.  It only takes butter, powered sugar, & flour.  They are so easy to make and yet very yummy.  I know shortbread tends to be a little dry, but I would have liked these better if they were a little less dry.  I give them a 9.

(Pecan) Walnut Tartlets

These were another favorite of mine.  They tasted like mini pecan/walnut pies.  They recipe only called for walnuts, but I added half walnuts and half pecans.  They were very yummy; a 10!

Salted Peanut Chews

Not quite sure why these are called "salted" peanut chews, they are not "salted" like the oatmeal cookies I've made.  I would call them Crispy Peanut Chews.  Either way, they are very good, a 10!  They were another favorite (maybe the favorite at work); they went the fastest.  I even had to bring more in because they went so fast.  I love it when something I create is so well appreciated.  That's why I love to cook/bake for others, so I can make their taste buds happy!  Anyway, these were another new recipe, and I will definitely make them more often.  They are made with peanut butter chips, but I think they would be even more awesome with a mixture of peanut butter and white chocolate or even peanut butter and milk chocolate.  I thought of butterscotch chips too, but that may be too sweet. 

Mini Gingerbread Cakes With Cream Cheese Frosting

This was a new recipe I was excited to try.  They were another one of the favorites at work (and one of my 3 favorites).  I really hate frosting anything, so it was a pain frosting the mini cupcakes, but they turned out pretty yummy.  I give these a 10!  They would be good on a seasonal menu.
P.S.  I fixed my camera from getting the the weird bright spot I kept getting in my photos.  Too bad it was after I took all my Christmas cookie photos, but at least it's fixed.  I just cleaned the lens with lens cleaner & it worked!

Mini Cherry (Apple) Empanadas

These are the same ones I posted about before.  I made a homemade crust instead of a store bought one (I added cinnamon to the crust), and instead of making a cherry filling I used canned caramel apple pie filling.  I sprinkled raw sugar on top.  They were a popular one, and I think they have been the best empanadas I've made so far.  I give them a 9 1/2.  These would be really good on a menu with ice cream and caramel/nut topping.

Gingerbread Men

I keep getting stuck trying to load the pictures for the recipes, blogger keeps freezing up.  I'll try again.  Hopefully, since it's Christmas, the site will be less busy & download faster.

Anyway, here are the gingerbread men/dogs/cats.  They weren't as moist as I would have liked, but the flavor was good.  I give them an 8.

Cream Cheese Cutout Cookies

These are another cookie I've been making for at least 7 years, & also a favorite.  I give them a 9.  They can be made w/ a frosting, but I never have b/c they taste good enough without it.

Butternuts (Candy Cane Cookies)

Hold onto your Santa hats, I'm about to post 8 different cookie recipes I made for Christmas.  I made 6 1/2 of them today (spent 6 hours in the kitchen).  The 1/2 being that I made the dough yesterday for one of them, but rolled them out & baked them today.  I had planned on splitting them up between my 3 days off, but I ended up working on Fri & Sat was too busy w/ my dad and then my work Christmas dinner.  I was originally going to make the 12 treats of Christmas, but b/c I was at work on Fri, I didn't have time to buy the last minute ingredients I needed.  Oh well, this is plenty.  They are mostly for work, but also giving some to my mail carrier (Shelly), and saving some for me and my family.  I am OF COURSE, posting these not in the order they were made, but in alphabetical order!  (he he) Also, I didn't get very creative w/ my photos because I was doing so many (plus my camera isn't photographing very good right now).  So, here it goes. 

These are called "Butternuts" and are supposed to be made with crushed up butterscotch candies and almonds, but one year (at least 7 years ago), I decided to try them with crushed up candy canes and walnuts instead.  They have been one of my favorite Christmas cookies ever since (they're good w/ butterscotch too).  They always spread a bit (as you can see in one of the photos), but they are so good.  I give them a 9!

Nook & Cranny Casserole

I also made this casserole last weekend.  I think I messed it up.  I added too many green onions and too much dill.  I'm sure it would have been pretty good otherwise.  Instead I can only give it a 6.

Pumpkin Empanadas

I made Pumpkin Empanadas last week.  These were supposed to be cherry w/ a store-bought crust.  But I made my own crust and used pumpkin filling.  I made them again today w/ apple pie filling (I didn't take a photo).  So, I didn't really follow the recipe from the Costco cookbook, just the concept.  I got the pie crust recipe from the same pie I made for Thanksgiving.  They were pretty good, a 8.  I liked them with pumpkin better than the apple.  

Sweet Potato Biscuits

The sweet potato biscuits were another new recipe for me this year (the stuffed squash was the other new one).  I again cheated and used canned sweet potatoes. Everything else was the same.  These are good, but not great.  They taste best with butter and honey.  I give them an 8.  Not sure if I'll make them again next year.

Sourdough Stuffing With Sausage, Apples, and Golden Raisins

I changed a few things with the Stuffing.  I made this same stuffing last year but was lazy and used dried bread crumbs.  The dish was okay, but not great.  So this year I was determined to used fresh bread as the recipe calls for.  But instead of purchased sourdough, I made corn bread (from a mix, not from scratch).  This made such a huge improvement from last year.  Also, last year, I don't remember doing all the saute'-ing that this recipe calls for, but I followed all the directions this year.  Plus, last year I had bought apples, but they went bad before I could use them, so this year I was able to use all the apples.  The other changes are that I use veggie sausage and veggie broth.  This is really good - a 10!  I'll make it again, maybe even make the corn bread from scratch next year!

Pumpkin Pie With Brown Sugar-Walnut Topping

I had some difficulty with the Pumpkin Pie.  I made this same pie last year and it was very good.  But the filling was not enough for 2 pie crusts.  I decided to double the recipe this year.  But I must have over-filled the crusts b/c it took almost 2 hours to cook through.  It is not as solid as pumpkin pies usually are, but the flavor is very good.  Also, I think so much time in the oven helped turn the topping into a caramel sauce.  So it ended up working out even better than last year!  I give it a 10, and will maybe make it again next year (I'd usually try a different pie every year.)  I accidentally downloaded these pictures in the wrong order, but I don't have time to fix it right now. 

Garnet Yams With Maple Syrup, Walnuts, and Brandied Raisins

I changed a couple of things with the Yams.  First of all, I used canned sweet potatoes.  I know, it's a lazy trick!  Also, instead of soaking the raisins in brandy, I soaked them in pure maple syrup (since the recipe called for it anyway).  Also, I added pecans with the walnuts.  I forgot to take a photo of the pre-ingredients before I started cooking, so that's why that photo is already partially started and the syrup bottle is empty!  These are really good - a 10!  I made them last year too and will most likely do them every year.

Cranberry-Nut Rolls

The only thing I changed with the Cranberry-Nut rolls was that I added dates too. Oh, and I used almond milk instead of "real" milk.  These are good, and always a big hit.  I give them a 10.  I made them last year too, and will most likely be a regular part of my Thanksgiving.

Baby Winter Squash With Spiced Orange-Currant Stuffing

The Thanksgiving cooking marathon began around 3:30 pm Wed. afternoon until about 7:30 pm, and then again on Thurs. 8:30 am until about 12:30 pm.  So I have a lot of pictures to post.  Since I'm a weird-o, I have to post them alphabetically!  This is the stuffed squash.  I used regular size squash for it since the recipe said either could be used.  And I bought 2 bags of diced squash for the filling so I wouldn't have to to so much chopping!  I couldn't find currants, which is too bad b/c currants are better, but I substituted w/ raisins.  And I used veggie broth instead of chicken broth (of course).  I think it may be the first time I've used thyme in a recipe, and I've discovered I'm not a big fan.  I think the dish would have been a lot better w/ less thyme.  It was a lot of work and took a lot of time, but it is a pretty dish.  I give it a 7.  I would probably make it again.