Christmas Cookies

Susan over at Food Blogga is hosting a Christmas Cookies extravaganza. I had to bring some cookies to our annual cookie exchange party and figured I would kill two birds with one stone so to say. I normally bake up a storm during the holidays but time has just slipped away and this year, this will probably be it! Do enjoy!

I made some of our favorites around here, the traditional French Macarons. I decided to use Helen's recipe minus the peanuts. I did tweak it a bit, see my version here. I normally use a much more complex recipe and I have to say, I really liked how this one turned out. (mums, the word) I may be switching!

I filled them with a traditional Italian buttercream - one filling was a very dark chocolate and the other was flavored with crushed candy canes.

The Three Macarons

Labors of Love ....... Verbena with a basil buttercream filling Lavender with a honey buttercream filling Hibiscus with a strawberry rhubarb filling

Super Woman ....

Not sure who I think I am today ~ maybe all of your inspirations have done this to me! Baking Portuguese masa, French macarons (3 flavors), Hummus, making homemade yogurt (which is really easy & super tasty) and baking some Zucchini bread (old family recipe)...all in this 20 Sq. Ft. kitchen! As well as the usual living stuff: errands, house-work, laundry, my job, yard work, breathing ...... Stay tuned!

Macarons

Okay ... I am in love with Macarons. Not the coconut ones (or as my sweet 6 year old friend M. calls them ... "the American ones"), instead the actual French ones! I am trying to master the recipe for M.'s sister's tea party next week & as you will see from this photo .. I have a lot of work ahead of me. Mine actually look like Driedels! Let me tell you, looks are deceiving as these babies - ROCKED and they received more compliments from my astounding taste panel than I have ever had! I used three recipes for them & varied them a bit: The actual cookie part - I used the Basic Macaron Recipe and flavored with almond extract. AS well I ground my own almonds. The filling, I used two different ones: a Blood Orange Curd & an Italian Buttercream (flavored with Vanilla Beans). A BIG THANK YOU to those of you who inspired me!!!