Christmas Cookies All Year Round

Being the mini Martha Stewart that I am, I baked a lot during the holidays and tried quite a few new recipes. One of my favourites I attempted was the Chewy Molasses Spice Cookie by Martha Stewart.One word: DELICIOUS! This recipe was uber simple to make and takes no time at all. Although the recipe says it takes 1 hour and 30 minutes, that includes the time to let the cookies cool.... but of course I shortened that time significantly. I realize that it's a seasonal recipe but these are so good that I'll probably make them all the time. It's the epitome of all things Christmas and deliciousness and who doesn't need that in their life 24/7?!  Here's how they turned out! (is it obvious I'm not over Christmas yet?)

Release your inner granny

How fun is this little notebook for recipes?

I seriously love to bake and whenever I get the chance to snatch some recipes from more experienced bakers, I take it. Last year during Thanksgiving/Christmas I went a little nuts with the cooking and baking so I had tons of leftover cookies and treats. One day I decided to go across the street and share some with an elderly woman across the street. She always sent over cookies so I thought I'd return the favour. She was super sweet and sat down for a while so we could chat about different recipes. It was such a cool experience and I thought I'd share two recipes she shared with me.

I'm not like most people who love pumpkin anything during the fall season but her pumpkin cookies were absolutely delicious. They were just sweet enough and the few chocolate chips in them were a perfect balance! These are great cookies to make for non-pumpkin lovers and you never know, this may be what converts them. I think next weekend I'll have to make these cookies again because they are ideal for this weather!

The second recipe is very much inspired by my neighbours Italian background! Anyone who knows me knows that I love cannolis A LOT. These cookies have the same feel because they have the same ricotta taste but they have the nicest burst of freshness from the lemon accents found in the dough and the glaze. They aren't too heavy and are great cookies to make for other people as a gift. You could either bake them and put them in a decorative jar or you could roll the dough into balls and freeze them that way the person receiving the gift can bake them whenever they fancy. 

Give these recipes a try and let me know how they turn out! Have fun being a granny and baking! Happy Saturday :)

Glorious Peonies.