And Onto the Christmas Cookie Baking!

Andrew, Willow, and I headed out to Asami's house today to get started on some Christmas baking and to celebrate her oldest son's 4th birthday. I made all my dough yesterday - I favour slice and bake dough for Christmas cookies because you don't have to do it all at once.

From left - right: Cherry Sugar Cookies, Apricot Cornmeal Sugar Cookies, and Brown Sugar Striped Christmas Cookies:



Close Up of the Cherry Sugar Cookies and Apricot Cornmeal Sugar Cookies:



The apricot cookies were a new one for me, and I changed the recipe I based it on by using almond extract rather than vanilla, and putting a 1/4c of almond meal into the dough. It made for a very fragrant and chewy cookie.

Close up of the Brown Sugar Slice and Bake Cookies:



I think I went a bit overboard with the food colouring on these ones. I used my Wilton's icing dye as that was what I had on hand, but the recipe doesn't specify how much to use. Last night Andrew and Willow ate the little bits I had cut off the ends when I made the layered cookie log (I baked the the ends to get an idea of what they would taste like) - cut to Willow brushing her teeth: "Mom! My tongue is blue!" Now, I had only eaten one small bit and my tongue wasn't all that discoloured. "Andrew! Come here!" He comes upstairs and I demanded he show me his tongue (which I am sure confused the hell out of him). His tongue was bright royal blue! I laughed and told him to go look at himself in the mirror. Don't ask me how - but Christmas red and kelly green dye somehow became royal blue on the tongue.

Ray had the coolest, most icing-laden cake I have seen in a long time - behold - the Dinosaur cake:



Despite a few knocked-together heads and disagreements over who got to play with the ball, a great time was had by all - and I didn't even have time to bake my last batch of cookies. The Ginger Molasses Crinkle Cookies will just have to wait until tomorrow!