# Holiday Baking



## Brittney917 (Jul 13, 2012)

I love to bake during the holidays! What is everyone's favorite thing to bake during the holiday season? Here are some snowman cake pops I made.


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## Missy May (Feb 18, 2012)

Wow, well I don't get that "artistic" w my christmas goodies, but my favorite (i.e., the thing I can make very well) is rum balls. I do not drink (except Kahlua), and I think rum taste horrid so I never even thought about making them until I had one at a friends get together. Mine are yum, secret ingredient: Kahlua.


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## Mochachino (Aug 14, 2012)

Shortbread with icing and sprinkles and chocolate hay stacks. Yum! But I'm the only one in my family with a sweet tooth, so I have to give away a lot of it, or I'd end up eating it all.


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

When my kids were little, we loved making gingerbread houses! Your snowmen are awesome! I don't bake anything like that anymore, I pretty much cut out processed sugar & white flour from my diet, but a treat around Christmas never hurt anyone......
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## mtngrl7500 (May 29, 2011)

I usually make some cookies, but that's nothing special...they're the Classic Cookie frozen dough. Don't get me wrong, they're delicious, but not homemade. The only thing that I make batch after batch of is peanut butter chewies. No one knows what they are where I live now and it just blows their minds! It's so simple though, so it equally blows my mind that people love it so much, lol. I normally also make a cake called Adam's Downfall that is beyond awesome. If in Memphis with my family I'll normally get together with my mom and we'll make different candies, Martha Washington candy mostly.


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## Brittney917 (Jul 13, 2012)

Mochachino said:


> Shortbread with icing and sprinkles and chocolate hay stacks. Yum! But I'm the only one in my family with a sweet tooth, so I have to give away a lot of it, or I'd end up eating it all.


I LOVE shortbread! And my boyfriend loves chocolate hay stacks. I give a lot of my baked goods away also but for the opposite reason...I don't have a crazy sweet tooth unless it comes to chocolate with mint!


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## Lockwood (Nov 8, 2011)

I make fudge. Milk chocolate, peanut butter, butterscotch, and white chocolate.
While it isn't baked, it is cooked the old fashioned way and stirred until you think your arm is going to fall off. People love me on the holidays, especially if I will give them some. 

efore we went gluten free, I used to bake cookies, pies, cakes, cobblers, and just about any unusual things I could find.
I still bake now, but stick mainly to sweet muffins of all different flavors, sweet potato bread, cinnamon maple bread, home made yeast breads, and gourmet pancakes and waffles.
My son doesn't have a huge sweet tooth so he tends to like the special waffles and muffins better.


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## cakemom (Jul 4, 2010)

Adorable snowmen!! I love to decorate cookies!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Missy May (Feb 18, 2012)

Wow, Lockwood...all I make is some poopy old rum balls, cookies, pound cake and fudge...and I thought that was doing pretty darn well 'till I read your menu!


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## QOS (Dec 8, 2008)

those are so freaking cute!!!!


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## Lockwood (Nov 8, 2011)

Missy May said:


> Wow, Lockwood...all I make is some poopy old rum balls, cookies, pound cake and fudge...and I thought that was doing pretty darn well 'till I read your menu!


I said _used to_ bake all those things...
Now it is basically the same gluten free bread in different flavors. 
(I just make is sound interesting so you all with think I'm some sort of gluten free guru.) (....as If!)
Sure miss pound cake though (I have to bake dairy free too) and can't make a rum ball worth a doo doo!
Truffles? Pffttt, so bad I couldn't even give them away..


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## Wild Heart (Oct 4, 2010)

So far, I've only made chocolate chip cookies this month. Boring I know, but I was craving chocolate and make a quick batch for the family.

However, in a few weeks I know my family will all get involved to make quite a few batches of kolaches. We make ours with nuts instead of fruit and they are absolutely delicious!


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Butter tarts, the way my mother made them with lemon juice added. The raw filling has to be tasted to get the proper sweet with a touch of tartness.


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## Jessabel (Mar 19, 2009)

Cute!

My favorite thing ever is gluten-free Black Forest cake with dark chocolate glaze.  I might make one for my coworkers this year.

And of course, the classic chewy chocolate chip cookies. Can't go wrong with those. Such sinful, chocolatey decadence. :wink:


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## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

Those are so cute! I make fudge & layer candy, cookies & a tea ring for Christmas morning breakfast. 

Here's what my kiddo made yesterday, she spent the afternoon with grandma


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

Mochachino said:


> Shortbread with icing and sprinkles and chocolate hay stacks. Yum! But I'm the only one in my family with a sweet tooth, so I have to give away a lot of it, or I'd end up eating it all.


What are haystacks? Apart from the obvious of course.

I will make shortbread, lots of mince pies, and not much more this year, got to get in shape to compete next year.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

I make fudge like Lockwood does. you got to time it right. But, it's way yummy.

we also make sugar cookies and gingerbread men and decorate 'em.
With the sugar cookies, we frost them with a thin icing (powdered sugar with lemon juice and vanilla, mostly) and when it dries, we "paint" the cookies with food coloring , very slightly watered down.


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## Shropshirerosie (Jan 24, 2012)

Saddlebag said:


> Butter tarts, the way my mother made them with lemon juice added. The raw filling has to be tasted to get the proper sweet with a touch of tartness.


Recipe please please pretty please?


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## Shropshirerosie (Jan 24, 2012)

mtngrl7500 said:


> The only thing that I make batch after batch of is peanut butter chewies. No one knows what they are where I live now and it just blows their minds! It's so simple though, so it equally blows my mind that people love it so much, lol. I normally also make a cake called Adam's Downfall that is beyond awesome.


Please share your recipes  for both these. I've never heard of Adam's Downfall..... Does it contain Apples, or is it a different Adam?!


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## Lockwood (Nov 8, 2011)

Love the chicken cookie Tiny!
And yeah...fudge...OMG good, but tempermental! Especially fresh goat milk fudge.
And I second what SSrosie says.... recipes???


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

i don't have any great cookie recipes. They are pretty fundamental and found in any cook book.

I am curious about teh "Adam's Downfall" thingy.


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## Missy May (Feb 18, 2012)

Yeah, I would like to see the recipes, too...especially for the peanut chewies. I just make the plain old fantasy fudge from the marshmellow creme jar..anything beyond that level of expertise is out of my league. But, since I haven't baked a thing yet, all these pretty pictures are making me nervous....tic toc.


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## QOS (Dec 8, 2008)

I don't normally do much holiday baking-lol I am too lazy. Since I do that for a living I am not inclined to do it when I don't have to. This is year I was actually going to make some cake balls, cupcakes and candies for certain people on my Santa list. 

I make a killer rotisserie chicken and a confetti rice dish. I used to get glass platters from Bed Bath and Beyond, make the chicken and rice, place it on the platter and tie it up in cellophane and a ribbon and deliver with loaf of bread to my sisters and my bff and a few other choice folks. Hubby told me that was a dumb gift...LOL .. My sisters and bff told him to shut the hell up!!


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

QOS

I LOVE Rotisserie chicken. hint, hint . . . hint.


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## FlyGap (Sep 25, 2011)

Tap, tap.... Waiting for your notes Gluten Free Guru!! I want that sweet potato recipe!

I don't make anything too healthy when baking for Christmas! I have a cookie recipe from my mom that is sugar free, loaded with fruit and veggies, and AWESOME... But I just have her make them. LOL!

All my stuff has cream cheese, lotsa sugar, crumbles, and just some goopy goodness! I'll get photos ONCE I GET ON IT!!

Anyone else use a cookie press? I love those things!


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

Great pics of goodies, everyone!

I'm lazy, so I usually order a cake in my local bakery...  (we do cook lots of other, non-baked, things though)


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## Lockwood (Nov 8, 2011)

FlyGap said:


> Tap, tap.... Waiting for your notes Gluten Free Guru!! I want that sweet potato recipe!
> 
> I don't make anything too healthy when baking for Christmas! I have a cookie recipe from my mom that is sugar free, loaded with fruit and veggies, and AWESOME... But I just have her make them. LOL!
> 
> ...


*looks around behind her*
Who, me?
I didn’t think anyone could possibly want a gluten free recipe, except perhaps another deprived person like myself.
I think Jassabel had something about Black forest Cake…mmmmm now that sounds good!

Ok, sweet potato bread…
Well um since I‘m sure you don‘t have the wonky flours that I have to use on hand, find your favorite banana bread recipe-

1. Instead of mashed bananas, use mashed sweet potatoes. 
Fresh baked are best, but canned work ok too. Add water or molasses (see below) for the right “mashed” consistency.
2. Whatever the sugar amount calls for, use half of that in white sugar and half of that in light brown sugar or slenda brown sugar.
3. Add an extra glob of molasses for golden richness. Tablespoon or two is good if not already used in potatoes. 
4. Add in some apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice for a tiny bit of zip, or just some cinnamon and nutmeg to your tastes, and bake according to banana bread directions.
(I know, I know… very difficult with all the precise measurements and such. :lol: ) 

We also really like pumpkin or sweet potato pancakes too. Healthy for kiddo but still rich and yummy like banana bread.
The fudge on the other hand, well it is part of my livelihood and folks pay me ridiculous amounts of money for it, so that recipe is in the vault. :wink:

QOS- I think the chicken platter ideas is the bomb!


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## FlyGap (Sep 25, 2011)

Ha Ha HA!! *some*!!! LOL!! You give recipes like I give directions!
That's good because I can decipher!!

We use buckwheat, spelt, and some other ones from the Amish store every once in a while. What kind do you use? My Grandpa is a celiac, I have tendencies, for us it crops out around 50. Thank you thank you!! Going to try it for him!

But until then I'll sacrifice my.... Ummm you know, for some yummy goodness!!!


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## Lockwood (Nov 8, 2011)

My go to flour for cookies and sweet muffins, breads, or pancakes is:

2 cups Brown Rice flour
2/3 cup Potato starch
1/3 cup Tapioca starch

I make it in large batches to have on hand - 6 cups, 2 cups, + 1cup. 
Whatever you bake with it, just be sure to add the right amount of Xantham gum per the recipe to replicate the right texture.

For yeast breads/baked goods it’s a little different:

2 cups Millet flour 
1 cup Sorghum flour
1 cup Cornstarch
1 cup Potato starch
1 cup Tapioca starch

I have tried all the flour mixtures in my many many GF cookbooks, and I find the textures in theses two are the best.
While I really like buying Bob’s Red Mill pre-made mixes and there are some great free recipes on the site, they are generally too expensive to order or even find locally.
I do have to order the straight millet flour and sometimes the sorghum, just depends on what I can find at the Amish/Mennonite stores here.


I’ll dig up an actual GF recipe for the bread/muffins and post it.


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## Missy May (Feb 18, 2012)

I'm going to try the water food color sugar cookie idea ^, clever and it looks fun. I watched a how to "paint" cookies w different color icing youtube video. It looked simple enough, and the cookies in the video looked so happy and pretty...my DD and I had a blast doing it, basically b/c it went south in a hurry, was a mess and a half, and our results were so bad that they were funny ...needless to say, ours didn't look like _theirs_. 

I forgot I also make buttermilk chocolate cake and icing from scratch. There are some crowds, that would say, "really? From _scratch_?" I lean more toward _that_ crowd.


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## FlyGap (Sep 25, 2011)

Lockwood those flour mixtures are going in my repertoire! Thank you, Thank you!!
Super stoked to try the bread!

It's such a struggle baking for my Papa, we normally do cobblers and pies without the crust because the mixes are either nasty, doughy, or gritty. I don't allow myself much wheat, white processed flour is bad bad bad. Birthday cake, pasta, and pizza... Well nobody wants those kinda details! LOL!!

I can't wait to give those a shot! (But may have mom try them first, can't bake bread to save my life!)

Missy I hear you! That is so sweet!!

Years ago I was trying desperately to duplicate my grandmothers sugar cookies. I think I made 20 batches before I threw in the towel. I had a pile of them sitting on the counter when the 500Lb. neighbors sow got out, yet again. She was hanging out on my front porch (big gone with the wind type of house, sweeping white staircase, columns, you get it) and people were taking pictures from the road! The police finally showed up, they lead her down the road with a fresh batch of cookies. The officer apologized and asked if I had any bread or anything, nope, take the nasty things! Good Gawd I wish I had thought to take pictures of that!


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## Brittney917 (Jul 13, 2012)

tinyliny said:


> I make fudge like Lockwood does. you got to time it right. But, it's way yummy.
> 
> we also make sugar cookies and gingerbread men and decorate 'em.
> With the sugar cookies, we frost them with a thin icing (powdered sugar with lemon juice and vanilla, mostly) and when it dries, we "paint" the cookies with food coloring , very slightly watered down.
> ...



I love your cookies! I made some sugar cookies last Christmas for a charity event and it was so much fun!


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## FlyGap (Sep 25, 2011)

Brittney those are adorable!! Love the balls and candy cane on the trees!!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Brittney917 (Jul 13, 2012)

If anyone is interested in an extremely easy fudge recipe:

Ingredients
-1 can of chocolate frosting
-1 bag of chocolate chips

In a microwavable bowl melt the chips then stir in the frosting. Mix until smooth then pour into a lined pan and refrigerate . I personally love the way my mom makes fudge (on the stove) but this recipe is great if you need a fast dessert. You can mix it up by using any flavor of frosting or chips. Duncan Hines has a line of flavor packets for their new Frosting Creations product that could easily be added to the melted mixture. Their holiday flavors are gingerbread and peppermint stick.


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## Brittney917 (Jul 13, 2012)

FlyGap said:


> Brittney those are adorable!! Love the balls and candy cane on the trees!!
> _Posted via Mobile Device_




Thank you! I tend to stray away from decorating sugar cookies because I always feel that my icing doesn't look *perfect* but I actually really enjoyed how those came out!


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## QOS (Dec 8, 2008)

Tiny Liny if you were close a chicken rotiss platter would be on your way!

Thanks Lockwood. My sisters weren't much into cooking and my BFF worked long hours so it was a welcome treat so they didn't have to cook. Hahahahahha they were horrified that Barry said it was a dumb gift and I should get something else. I use one of those Showtime Rotisseries. Those things are MAGIC!


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## Missy May (Feb 18, 2012)

Okay, no one likes a show off, _Brittney_!
kidding!

Very beautiful!


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## Lockwood (Nov 8, 2011)

Brittney917 said:


> If anyone is interested in an extremely easy fudge recipe:
> 
> Ingredients
> -1 can of chocolate frosting
> ...


Shhhhh
*lockwood slaps tape over Brittney's mouth before a fudge customer can hear her*


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## Lockwood (Nov 8, 2011)

Ok Fly... ready to copy and paste?
(I have plenty more where these came from, if you ever want to know, PM me and I will be only too happy to share some really good GF books!)

The brown rice flour mix above can be used cup per cup for many all purpose regular flour recipes-
For those who may not know, to replicate the “gluten” feel and rise Xanthum Gum is needed, which is usually sold where GF fours are found.

Xantham Gum generally follows these rules if you don‘t have a recipe:
Cookies: ¼ tsp per cup of flour
Cakes and Pancakes: ½ tsp per cup of flour
Quick breads and Muffins: ¾ tsp per cup of flour
Breads and pizza crust: 1 to 1 ½ tsp per cup of flour

*Note: I’m assuming most of us know the basics of baking or cooking, so the instructions are bare bones here because I‘m too lazy to type all of it out and GF stuff isn’t that fussy.


Ok, apparently I made up the sweet potato based off the pumpkin bread because I don’t actually have a sweet potato bread, which sounds just like me.
So, here are 2 recipes for actual GF muffins, which can be baked in two smaller loaf pans, mini loaf pans, an 8x10 cake pan, in a bread machine cake cycle, as well as muffins.

Pumpkin Muffins (I use sweet potato)
1 ¾ cups Brown Rice Flour blend (mentioned in previous post)\
2 ¼ tsp pumpkin pie spice (or apple pie spice)
1 tsp baking soda
¾ tsp xantham gum
¾ tsp baking powder (Gluten free)
¾ tsp salt
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree (or masked sweet potato)
½ cup veg. oil 
¼ cup milk (regular, soy, rice, almond.. doesn’t matter)
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp vanilla extract (gluten free)

In large bowl, whisk dry ingredients together.
In another bowl whisk wet ingredients together.
Add wet ingredients to dry and mix well.
Bake in greased or lined muffin pans 20 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees.
You can also modify this for banana bread- omit spices and change pumpkin for mashed bananas. Bake in mini loaf pans or I have made it in an 8x10 cake pan too. 

Apple Cinnamon Muffins with cinn. sugar topping.
-I make up the batter and cook it as a quick bread/cake cycle in the bread machine. Turns out great!! It can also be made with peaches and ginger instead of apples and cinnamon.

2 cups brown rice flour mix
2/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder (gf)
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup peeled chopped apple (Eh, I use two regular sized shredded apples)
½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
½ cup milk
½ cup canola oil
2 large eggs
Cinnamon sugar (or your favorite streusel topping)
In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients.
In another bowl mix wet ingredients.
Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until just blended.
Fill muffin pans 2/3 full and sprinkle with topping.
Bake at 375 for 18 to 25 minutes.

For bread machine- mix ingredients, put into loaf pan, when machine begins bake cycle sprinkle generously with cinn. sugar mix.
(and just try and keepm your fingers off of it while it cools!)

Both of these recipes are pretty forgiving and you can substitute the pumpkin or apples with just about anything of the same consistency and add nuts, raisins, and what not.
GF batters in general are a little denser than regular flour batters, but sometimes they are too heavy, so I will add watery applesauce or more milk to tone down the gloppies. (technical term.)

ETA: I tried to space these out for easier reading, but the edit thingy won't leave the spaces, sorry.


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## secuono (Jul 6, 2011)

I made pumpkin pie and cookies from our Halloween pumpkins! Made banana cookies today!


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## FlyGap (Sep 25, 2011)

Copy n pastin ASAP! 

You are sooo nice for typing that all out! Thank you!
You know, I could try 100 recipes out of books before I found the ones, at least I know these are tried and true!
Really appreciate it!
First attempt this weekend, keep an eye out for desperate pleading I need your guruiest help PM's!!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## FlyGap (Sep 25, 2011)

Well, didn't get as much baking done this weekend as I'd have liked. But I got these done! Yummy, took them to a party and they got annihilated!










One "cousin" "stole" a baggy full mid-party. Woo hoo! Nothin makes you feel better than a compliment and theft!

Be prepared for some awesome gingerbread and Christmas tree muffin photos... Brittney917 I'm stealing your decorating ideas! :hide:


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## Lockwood (Nov 8, 2011)

*licks screen*
YUM!
Bars with fruit and creamyness are my favorites!
Is creamyness even a word?


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## Brittney917 (Jul 13, 2012)

FlyGap said:


> Well, didn't get as much baking done this weekend as I'd have liked. But I got these done! Yummy, took them to a party and they got annihilated!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Go for it  I haven't baked much since my snowmen but the other night on Pinterest I found a peanut butter fudge recipe so I made it however I did a really poor job cutting it into pieces so with the leftover mess I rolled balls and dipped them in chocolate and added some chocolate sprinkles! Not very festive but still good.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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