Confessions of a Cookieholic 🍪

 It’s Christmas. Cookies are as much a part of the holiday as trees and snowmen and Santa for me. After all, Santa is a cookieholic, too. Think of all the plates of cookies he gets every Christmas Eve.

As for the confession, it all started last December. When someone is taken from you so quickly, you realize how short life is. My mantra? Life is short. Eat the cookie. And with all the Christmas cookies to choose from... well, that was only the beginning. Then, 2020 hit. Who knew? 

Hi. My name is Karla, and I'm a cookieholic.

Which brings us to today. Cookie baking season. I'm back on the wagon again.

This will be the first year I don’t make several batches of cookies. In fact, one of the only years I don’t make my signature cookie, because I spent too many days of 2020 “eating the cookies.” It isn't safe to give the cookies away this year because, well, 2020. And I certainly shouldn’t eat several more batches when its just the Big Guy and me. I’ve resolved to make one batch for him (he likes pecan fingers), because it isn’t Christmas without some Christmas cookies. 

For the rest of you, I’m sharing my recipe for pinwheels, my signature cookie, with hopes they bring you some holiday cheer!

What is your favorite Christmas cookie?

And now I have to get back to writing so you have that new Hillendale book in the spring! 

Pinwheels 

Tasty, and pretty on the plate
Yield: 8 dozen

1-¾ cup flour

1-½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup butter

¾ cup sugar

1 egg yolk

½ teaspoon vanilla

3 Tablespoons milk

1 square unsweetened chocolate, melted

Combine flour, soda and salt and set aside.  Cream butter, adding sugar gradually.  Blend in egg yolks and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and the milk.

Divide dough into equal portions.  Add chocolate to one portion.  Refrigerate dough until easy to handle.

Roll each portion separately 1/8 inch thick between sheets of waxed paper so that they are the same size. If the dough is still sticky, return to refrigerator until it peels easily off the wax paper.  Remove one layer of wax paper from each portion of the dough and lay the dough on top of the other portion.  Remove the top layer of wax paper and roll the dough together. Wrap the rolled dough in the bottom layer of wax paper and refrigerate overnight.

Bake on greased cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 8 minutes.

Find more cookies at www.karlabrandenburg.com/cookies

or www.pinterest.com/klblang/cookies

It's that time of year

Welcome to December.

Christmas is coming early for me this year, so I've been getting into the spirit by listening to Christmas carols and watching Christmas movies. Generally, I only get the "second-rate" Hallmark channels, the also-ran movies that are less interesting and trite and poorly acted... I've been very disappointed in most of those, but Hallmark, in it's holiday spirit, unblocks their channel for a couple of weeks every year at Christmas, so I've actually been seeing their "Gold" movies, and I have to say I've enjoyed the ones I've seen.

Christmas cookie baking day isn't for another week, but I'm already thumbing through my recipes looking for which ones I want to make, and I've decided to share my favorites - my goal is one a day on Facebook and on Twitter until Christmas, so if you need ideas, check it out. Or you can check out all my favorites on Pinterest.

A | BN | iB | K

But wait. There's more! I have a release date for Epitaph 4, THE ARCHITECT - January 2. This is Kathleen's story, and I had a ton of fun writing her. It is available for pre-order, so feel free to go ahead and buy it so you don't forget, and tell all your friends! Links to your favorite outlets are beneath the cover.

It's Christmas Cookie Time

I have a page on this blog dedicated to some of my favorite recipes, and more that I've scrounged on Pinterest. Why? Because I'm a cookie-holic. It's a trait handed down through the family.

Every year, my sister hosts a cookie baking party, which I have snobbishly snubbed several times in favor of my own private baking party with my kids. This year, however, my nest is empty and the kids are more difficult to round up, so the prodigal sister is joining in the fun.

My signature Christmas cookie is the pinwheel. It requires a lot of work, but they're pretty on the plate, and they taste out of this world. They lend themselves to several variations, including sprinkles on the edges, or a mint layer, but I tend to stick to the standard chocolate and vanilla. We also make tassies (mini pecan pies), toffee bars, the essential cut-out cookies and/or spritz cookies (which keep the next generation of little ones busy). I've recently (!) discovered that my DH loves shortbread. Now, I knew he liked the pecan fingers (which are shortbread in nature), but since I'm not a nut aficionado, I tend to shy away from those, although I make a token batch just for him. This year, I'm trying another shortbread recipe that looks pretty and festive. Maybe I'll throw some pecans in for him.

I'm cutting back on the cookies this year, mainly because of my inability NOT to eat them (and I need to pay attention to my weight), but cookie baking is part of the holidays--a longstanding tradition that I won't soon part with.

Do you have a favorite holiday cookie? I'd love to hear what you make, and if you don't have a favorite cookie, check out my Pinterest cookie page for some fun ideas, or my Pinterest Christmas page!

Don't forget - in case you haven't already read Touched by the Sun or Intimate Distance, both books are still $0.99! My Christmas present to you.