Bringin' Home the Bakin'

To take the ache out of baking, I'm breaking up my holiday mixing and measuring. A couple of nights each week I will bake something yummy, pack and freeze it and then I can fill up huge platters with buttery, sugary treats and share them with my workmates.

These are cream cheese pound cakes. I tried using some of those silicon molds. I got them at Target. It looks like they need a little less heat. Most of these are fine, a few are a little dark for gift-giving. Oh, shoot, I guess we'll have to eat those! The sacrifices I make!

Chocolate shortbread. Need I say more? The perfume of butter wafted through the house bringing visions of sugar plums dancing in my head.

These two recipes came from Martha's little magazine, there are a couple more I want to try. Last year I didn't make any goodies and I'm still taking hits so I want to get a dozen or so different sweets to make up some super-duper platters. Don't want to let my peeps down again.

I even found some festive tins in the garage (a Christmas miracle in itself) so I may just package up a few tidbits for gifts. What are you folks baking this year?

Comments

[Darla]

YUM! Pass one of those cute cakes this way please.

Every year I MUST make Candy Cane Cookies or face a family revolt. My girls grew up hanging these on the tree instead of *candy* canes. They each get some cookies from me every year to continue the tradition.

After that batch I'm free to do whatever. Maybe I need to check Martha for a new recipe.

Darla

[Flea Market Queen]

Oh how I wish I was one of your workmates...
Priscilla

[Randi]

Mmmmm...everything looks divine! What will I be making? Well...being from Ohio, probably Buckeye Bars...I'm especially partial to a lemon bread that I make, although it's more of a cake than a bread...Cashew fudge, perhaps? And various cookies with vanilla icing made from my homemade vanilla extract! Slurp!!!

[Roxanne]

Everything just looks heavenly! I love the little snowflake cakes. I am planning to make lots of fancy bars and cut them into cute 1" pieces instead of having lots of cookies and stuff. I think it will still look & taste good, but a little less work.

[Leigh Ann]

The kids and I stick to the classics like brownies, choc. chip cookies, and maybe banana bread. For Christmas we always make a peppermint bark for teachers and such.

Cheers! LA

[Karen at Junking in Georgia]

Pecan pie, ambrosia - a Southern dish with fresh oranges, their juice, pecans, and coconut.. eaten chilled in bowls.. divinity .. I struggle with this... it is white fudge with pecans.. my Mother could make it and it looked and tasted like heaven sometimes mine looks like little white puddles and a few Christmas cookies.. come on Christmas

[lucy]

Last year I went to town, the freezer and refrigerator were so full--but a lot went to waste so I am dramatically cutting back this year. Sugar cookies, Amish Cashew crunch, fudge, oatmeal raisin cookies, a couple of breads and maybe one other candy. Doesn't sound like I'm cutting back but you should have seen me in previous years..LOL.

[Mary Ann]

This year's yummies include the annual buckeye candies and ranch snack crackers! I love a tasty blend of sweet and salty!

[jen]

My old standby, baklava!

[Jenny]

Oh, Vallen -- your snowflakey poundy cakies got all burned up and we'll have to eat them everyone... I'm such a good friend that I will help you with that. I admire your determination. I make liebkuchen from an authentic German recipe (we seriously had to translate it) and I am under orders to actually follow the recipe. In fact, I am watched so that I follow the recipe. Otherwise who knows what I might slip in there.

[Rosa]

I love those silicone thingies. I'll never go back, oh no, I'll never go back to metal. Gee, I just gave all my old tins away. I was sick of storing them and NEVER using them! Shoulda sent them to you!! Oy.

[Mrs. G.]

May I just say that your heroic willingness to eat those caramel brown cheesecakelets moves me. You are Mother Teresa-ish.

[Genevieve]

Wow!I should not have come to your blog first thing in the morning now I am really starving!
Everything looks delicious!Now that bowl of granola is going be so plain!!!!HAve a great week!

[Rebecca]

My yearly bake-a-thon is 12/7 and the creamcheese poundcakes are on the list. Did they come out yummy? Yours are too cute! I'm thinking some shortbread, too. I like anything who's main ingredient is butter LOL

[raesha]

OH yum!! I had planned all sorts of holiday baking and guess what decided to give up the ghost last night? My stinkin oven!! The repairman comes on Monday to check it, and check the non-working microwave and fix the recalled dishwasher. Apparantely 2000 was a humdinger of a year for GE appliances. I am going to be pissed if my GE fridge poops at too. We are surviving on a little $30 microwave we got at Target. So for Christmas I might be getting all new appliances:)