Holiday Cookie Exchange #1 - Join In!

Welcome to Holiday Cookie Exchange #1!

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hannukah, or another holiday, there is sure to be a place for cookies!

Please join in today (and I will keep updating the post through the weekend, so late joiners, feel free to jump in anytime) and for the next two Fridays as we bake, eat and share our favorite cookies.

Simply post your cookie entry on your blog and come back here and enter a comment with the permalink. I'll add listings periodically so you can check out the great recipes with a simple *click*!

Gingerbread Cookies
Here is my first attempt ever at making gingerbread. I tried this recipe out around Halloween, but got so frustrated with the quickly softening dough's tendency to stick that I rolled up the dough and tossed it in the freezer. Here is the recipe for Gingerbread Skeletons from Baking Sheet. The original recipe is from Epicurious. They were so cute as skeletons, but somehow, it just wasn't appropriate for Christmas!

Here are a few tips I learned along the way for using gingerbread dough:
1. It freezes very well. Just move to the refrigerator the night before you plan to use it.
2. It makes a very sturdy dough - don't overcook them unless you are making gingerbread bricks. Mmmm - bricks - yum.
3. To avoid sticking dough, put down wax paper, then sprinkle it with flour, you can roll/cut your dough on it and then, simply slide the cookies off the paper (be sure to use enough flour...it won't show, it will be on the bottom). If you have to, you can flip the paper over and catch the cookie in your hand and place on a cookie sheet.
4. If you get excess flour on your lovely brown cookies, it will either absorb while baking or still be there after you've pulled them out of the oven. If you can still see flour, use a pastry brush and lightly brush it off after the cookies have cooled.
5. The dough makes wonderful sliced cookies. I sliced and then rolled slightly to get a consistent thickness.
6. Don't eat them plain. You should definitely ice these cookies because you need some sweet to balance out the complex ginger taste.

Here is where you'll find the links to everyone else's goodies! Check them out...you might find a new favorite!

So far these are looking very yummy!!!

Check out the Earl Grey Tea Cookies that Michelle made at The Accidental Scientist!

Melissa at The Panama Gourmet is going to add her post (hopefully tomorrow), but she ran into a little trouble...good luck and we'll wait for you!

Vickie at The Moveable Feast made this very cute Christmas Tree Cookie Tower!

Mebeth at Hold the Raisins contributed some delicious looking chocolate chip cookies...always a staple at my house!

Good job everyone...let's see what we try next week! I'll keep adding any new posts over the weekend.

PS...Vickie at The Moveable Feast sent me a package - you don't even know how excited I was to see it...I'll post pics and info after I get into it! I can't wait!