Twelve days of Christmas baking

Ok. You got it!

By popular demand I will be posting some of my favourite Christmas baking recipes right here at this very blog!

In order not to violate any copyright laws I will have to take some special precautions, though.

Copyright applies only to the instructions on a recipe - not the list of ingredients. So I will be posting the ingredients and creating my own version of how to do it.

In addition, I will happily allow anyone who wishes to gaze at the golden recipe book whenever they please... at my house. (wink, wink)

So stay tuned, some delicious additions to your cookie tray are just a few days away.

I am happy to share some of my favourite baking with you. I love baking. It's both ignites my creativity and reminds of the many, many afternoons I spent at my grandparents house on baking day. I loved the smell of bread baking as I walked in the door.

I often helped make cinnamon buns, apple coffee cake (or kuchen), and a family specialty bread stuffed with ground beef and sauerkraut.

My Grandmother is currently 93 years young. She doesn't bake as much as she used to. I am blessed to pass on her love of baking to my children and to share it with those I love and care about.

As a result some of you will get a taste of the recipes featured here when I hand out my Christmas cards.

Here's one to get you started:

Cream Cheese Candies
A wonderful, cool hit of mint after a big meal.

1-3 oz package cream cheese
3 cups icing sugar
1/4 tsp peppermint extract (or almond extract)
Decorator sugar (optional)

Beat cream cheese with 1-1/2 cups of icing sugar and peppermint extract until smooth. Stir/knead in 1-1/2 cups icing sugar. Roll into 1/2-inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Roll in decorator sugar. Flatten with finger or glass or fork or whatever. Let harden for at least one hour. Store in the refrigerator.

(This recipe can be quite messy. Yesterday my mom called in the middle of making them and I nearly had my hand cemented to the phone by the time I hung up. But they are worth it! I've also stored these little gems in the freezer to last a bit longer.)

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