Christmas Notebook

Christmas preparations are well underway. I am cranking out the cookies and truffles! During the past week, I’ve made the following…

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

I love to use this recipe for the peanut butter cookie dough. It tastes so good!   Honey Peanut Butter Cookies

Unwrapping the mini peanut butter cups takes more time than making the cookies, it seems!

In the back are Butterscotch Gingerbread Cookies (delicious!), with the Peanut Butter Cup Cookies in the front. I set the Peanut Butter Cup Cookies in the fridge for five or ten minutes so the chocolate would set. Then I packed them and put them in the freezer.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles

These truffles are dipped in chocolate and then, when the chocolate has set, they are dipped in white candy coating. I froze these as is. They will get the white candy coating and a sprinkle of colorful jimmies just before the open house.

Almond Cookies

I forgot to get a picture of these after baking. They are a delicious almond shortbread. I froze them after baking. Before serving, I will top them with toasted sliced almonds and then drizzle almond-flavored powdered sugar glaze over them.

Chocolate Brickle Truffles

For this recipe, I made chocolate truffles and added a bag of toffee bits to the dough. I haven’t made them before, so I am interested to see how they do after several weeks in the freezer.

I scooped them onto the cookie sheet. After the chocolate had set a bit, I rolled them into balls. I froze them at this point and will dip them in white candy coating and garnish them with a sprinkle of finely chopped almonds a day or two before the open house.

Ready for the freezer.

Minty Cream Cheese Truffles

I dipped them in white candy coating, then drizzled white candy coating that I had tinted pale green over the tops. Before the drizzle dried, I sprinkled them with pink sanding sugar.

Mocha Truffles

Dipped in chocolate, then drizzled with chocolate mixed with white candy coating. Then drizzled with white candy coating. Sort of like coffee and cream.

Our son and his wife and the twins were here on Saturday to help with pre-holiday cleaning. They cleaned the places where Christmas trees will be put up. The only tree that made it up, though, was the small “Snow Tree.” It goes on top the cupboard in the dining room. The snow is cotton batting placed over each branch. I had to tweak that a bit after the tree had been stored for a year. Didn’t take much to make it work, though. It is stored with the lights, snowflake garlands, and the cotton batting on it. This tree is about four feet tall.

Genny did more work on the chalkboard tree. It’s coming along! The amount of work she puts into this tree is amazing. The tree tells the story of coming home for Christmas, starting at the bottom, where you find the front gate and a lamp post. The sign on the lamp post says, “Where the love light gleams.”

There will be a string of chalked lights all around the edge of the chalkboard.

In this picture, you can see one of the branches she has started to chalk in, under the “putting up the Christmas lights” panel. The branches will be made of several kinds of greenery…pine, mistletoe, holly, etc. We are hoping there will be room to add popcorn and cranberry strings.

DH and Older Son carried down several trees. I’ll be working on those soon. We are expecting Older Son and family, as well as my sister Genny, back this Saturday to lend a hand again. More to come!

~~Rhonda