Swedish Strips

I am such a bad blogger. It has been a month since Christmas (wow that long?) and I still haven't completed posting my Christmas recipes. If the reason were that I had baked such an incredible amount of food that it was impossible to record, it might be acceptable; but as you can see, it has been weeks since my last post, so we both know what really happened *eye-roll*

The recipe today is one that I have been searching for for a long while. A few years ago my mother told me about a jam cookie with walnuts that she was in love when she was younger, and that my grandmother loved too. Unfortunately the exact recipe had been lost over time though my mother swore it was called "Swedish Something." I had been looking for it ever since, but the only recipes I found were closer to thumbprint cookies than what she was describing. Then, a few days before Christmas, my mother drops "Swedish Strips" on me, and a couple of minutes later I had a recipe and a plan.

Crispy Coconut White Chocolate Chip Cookies

I really don't bake "Christmas" recipes, well except snickerdoodle blondies, and I guess gingerbread now; in general the things I like for Christmas are the same things I like the rest of the year. This is a good thing because it would make me sad to only make these cookies once a year. Everyone was absolutely ecstatic with how they turned out (even coconut naysayers), I mean my brother went as far as to say that they "won Christmas" which is a pretty bold and flattering statement (that kid eats a lot). I honestly wasn't expecting that much out of the cookies and was amazed at how they turned out myself.

Eggnog Bread

This is one of those recipes that I wanted to make as soon as I saw it. Oddly enough I've enjoyed eggnog since I was a kid, and it has always been one of my favourite things at Christmas. The fact that you can only get it once a year makes it even more appealing (I remember when Pumpkin Pie was that way too). It's probably also responsible for my long standing love affair with nutmeg.

The problem with eggnog of course is that it is so rich, which is reflected in that little nutrition guide on the side of the carton; especially the eggnog that I like. This usually means that when I buy some, it doesn't get finished, which makes this recipe perfect for all that eggnog leftover after Christmas celebrations.

Gingerbread Men and Ladies

This recipe comes from my cousin, who makes the best Gingerbread cookies I've ever had. The recipe apparently originated from the Betty Crocker cookbook, but I'm going to pretend that she came up with it herself :).

Before this past weekend I had never made gingerbread cookies before. Never. I just kind of expect them to be around during Christmas and so never think to make them (until it's too late) and though I would still enjoy them in June, I'm not sure others would.

Here's another confession, I don't think I have ever used molasses in anything, and as a result, don't know a thing about it. This recipe called for "dark molasses," which does not exist at my grocery store. In fact, I'm not entirely sure what it is. Some quick googling couldn't resolve my issue either. It seems that no company makes any product called "dark molasses." So, as I was staring at Fancy and Cooking Molasses in the baking aisle, I figured that the recipe must be leaning towards the cooking molasses. After all, it has a "more robust flavour." I should also note that I bought these ingredients the week before I actually made the cookies and never actually checked if I had made the right decision (that's just how I roll).

Simple Pear Pie

During my disappearance into the deep recesses of life (not unlike Batman) what little baking I did included pie. In fact it contained three pies: Pumpkin, Oatmeal and what you see here, pear pie. I've never tasted a pear pie before, I don't even think I have ever seen one. I suppose when it comes to pie, it's an oft overlooked fruit. I mean sandwiched between apples, blueberries, and cherry pies, I can see why people might overlook the pear. But pears are my second favourite fruit (next to apples), bosc pears specifically, and it was time to add them to my pie pantheon.

The nice thing about pies of this type is that they really are no brainers, the most difficult and time consuming part is the peeling of the pears. Especially since I'm awful at using paring knives. This time though, I finally figured out how to use a vegetable peeler to peel fruit. The key, apparently, is to peel towards you *eye-roll.*