who put the cookies in the cookie jar?

Julie has thrown down the gauntlet and started the discussion of the holiday baking. Never one to let a challenge, even a totally imagined one, go unmet, I offer these lists:

already in the freezer:

• spiced chocolate drops with dried cranberries*


• cornmeal hearts with dried cherries


• peanut butter delights (think pb cookie in a mini muffin tin with a pb cup smushed in)


• iced lemon shortbread squares


• lemon poppy drops


• espresso bites*


• cinnamon diamonds*


• peppermint candy canes (oh, the cuteness of these!)

still to come, all or some of the following, based on mood, free time, and the price of butter:

• coconut macadamia crescents


• linzer cookies


• maple leaves


• Grandma Vertino's cuccidati


• citrus slices


• gingersnaps


• rugalach


• puff pastry snowflakes

I'm planning a trip to Big Lots in the coming weeks for a couple of dozen plates to put them on, as I give them to the teachers, garbage men, etc. Between family, friends, and holiday thank you gifts, I've got a list of about two dozen names.

Really, this could end up anywhere. Watch for photos and more lists in the weeks to come...

*These all seem just so-so. Fine to the average palate...not perfect to mine. We'll see if they make the final cut. This is as much about trying new recipes as anything, I figure.