Not So Lazy Holiday Baking!

I realize getting this blog out Dec 31st is long past due of the Christmas holiday season of giving and sharing. A sure sign of being a bit too busy to work on my blog so I'll just jump right in as to what I've been up to.

The first half was spent traveling to Quebec City, Canada where we enjoyed snow and the amazing sights of the old city. If you've never been it's a must see city to add to your bucket list. A very european french city on this side of the Atlantic!

A view of Le Chateaux Frontenac up on the cliff and below the old French section. Which is abundant of bistros, antique stores and lots of boutique shopping!

Then comes the baking...yes my kitchen too smelled of vanilla and sugar for about a week.  I challenged myself in baking 'a few' batches of assorted cookies to take to holiday parties.

I loved baking this Holiday Biscotti sprinkled with holiday colored sugar flavored with lemon and almonds. I also did another version with dried cranberries and pistachios! 

English Toffee with chocolate and pistachios, YUM!

This year I tried something new, I added holiday themed wafer paper to my sugar cookies, a hit for all ages! A friend of mine has a business doing wonderful designs on wafter paper for cakes and cupcakes creating edible works of art. Check it out at http://ticings.com/ 

The best compliment I had at a party was a few folks thought I had purchased the cookies at a pastry shop!!  "Thank you!" I said, "But no, if you only knew..." (how easy it was!).

Placing wafer paper designs onto cookies is simply easy! Add a little icing to a baked cookie and place the wafer paper on top and voila, quick decoration for your cookie!  I put icing all over the cookie and sprinkled the edges with colored sugar. 

Speaking of sugar, gotta have sugar cookies!
I love this recipe, it's so easy to make and bakes to perfection every time.

Sugar Cookie recipe:
3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon milk
powdered sugar, for rolling out dough


Directions:
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Place butter and sugar in a large bowl of electric stand mixer and beat until light in color. Add egg and milk and beat to combine. Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough with powdered sugar. Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time, sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar, and roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick. Move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If dough has warmed during rolling, place cold cookie sheet on top for 10 minutes to chill. Cut into desired shape, place at least 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat, and bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookies sheet halfway through baking time. Let sit on baking sheets for 2 minutes after removal from oven and then move to complete cooling on wire rack. Serve as is or ice as desired. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week. Makes about 3 dozen.

 Happy 2012 Baking!