Christmas 2006 Cookie List

With the holidays behind us, I wanted to post some feedback on my Christmas 2006 Cookie Bake-a-thon.

1. Sugared Cranberries (from Cooking Light)
A-maz-ing. Simple, delicious, pretty much guilt-free and great for gift-giving. Definitely making these again next year.

2. Spiced Maple Pecans
Also great for gift-giving and SO addictive. We could not stop eating those.

3. Cookie Dough Truffles
Very tasty, although quite rich. Coating them in chocolate is a pretty time consuming (albeit easy) process. Don't know if I would make these again--unless I really crave them next year. I would give it a solid B.

4. Death by Chocolate Cookies
Total chocolate overload. So, so, so good. Definitely making these again, although they did not feel very Christmasy... Maybe I will add some dried cranberries or cherries next time. Funny enough, these are now called chocolate bliss cookies, which is true, but they are deadly, so I like the original title better.

5. Pecan Date Bars (from Cooking Light)
Quite tasty, reminded us a lot of the pecan pie. Very sticky and messy to eat, so these would not be good for gift-giving. Will probably make again though. How often do you get to use dates?

6. Oatmeal Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies (from Cooking Light)
These were a bit of a disappointment. They were very chewy (which is good), but just didn't wow me at all. They looked nothing like the picture on the Web site, so I am wondering if I used a wrong kind of oats. I feel like I should try these again--they sound so good in theory...

7. Coconut Biscotti (from Cooking Light)
A solid, tasty biscotti recipe, particularly enhanced by coating half of the biscotti in chocolate. Glad I tried it and will probably try it again. However, this recipe does not beat my 2005 favorite, chocolate cherry biscotti.

8. Pumpkin Walnut Loaf (from Cooking Light)
Definitely a winner. Will most definitely be making it again. Perfect for gift-giving. Note to self: triple the recipe next time so that you have enough to give away.

There were two items that I didn't have a chance to make even though they were on my list. I simply ran out of time.

1. Kringla
This Scandinavian cookie is not one of my favorites, but Husband loves it for sentimental reasons, so I will continue making it.

2. Apricot Cream Cheese Thumbprints
These are awesome. Great pasty texture. Love the tart taste of the jam. Must put these on top of the list in 2007.