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.