cookies continued

I've been baking a lot in preparation for Christmas and pondering the role of cookies in our Christmas traditions and have come up with a parable of my own.

When we bake cookies we take the best ingredients we have to offer and put them together with much care and love and time to give to others, to bring others joy. On a much grander scale Christ was given to the world as the best God had, to bring joy and gladness and redemption to the world. 

I can see the Hallmark card of beautiful cookies and the thought inside...I'm not photographer and I'm exhausted from baking all these cookies. I wish I could give a plate to each of you and say Merry Christmas! This is it, all I'm baking this year;

1. Andes mint Chocolate cookies-done and delicious
2. Russian tea cakes-done and great!
3. Linzer with hazelnuts and raspberry jam-done but too crumbly and a lot of work!
4. Stained glass cookies-made by Andrew and almost all eaten by Andrew
5. Date pinwheels-one roll baked and as delicious as they were last year when Lynn made them.
6. Cheery ribbons-so good and a bit different
7. Peppermint Candy Canes-half baked but did not turn out as pretty as the book.
8. Fruitcake layered cookies-done and great!
9. Gingery Maple thins-done and wonderful but a little different
10. Cornmeal-Orange Cookies-baked 4 of them, very good, I'll bake the rest ...later
11. Toasted Coconut Butter Cookies-done, very good
12. Thousand layer chocolate chip-done, delicious, recipe here.
13. Cinnamon not star cookies mentioned in the link below, which are gluten free.
14. Chocolate egg white cookies-(gluten free) done and as delicious as they were here.

Now I get to go and share these with some of the important people in my life; 6 of my 8 grandchildren!

Here is Andrew with his own stained glass cookie. Do you see the characteristic pose of a Bittern head there?

*edited We are leaving in the morning and instead of sleeping I'm baking more cookies...I know, I know but I had a doll jacket to gather stuff for to finish in the car..and the gluten free brownie mix was calling me from downstairs....how long can it take to make brownies from a mix?   then since the mixer is already dirty I might as well make the gluten free chocolate chip cookies...and while they are baking I could make sugar plums which are also gluten free...So that is 15, 16, and 17.

And I finished the little kimono jacket for the doll.

of course I was up until 1:30A.M.