Dear Santa, Enjoy the Cookies with a Cold Glass of Beer Love, Me

Cookies Clockwise: Caramel Apple Cookies, Raspberry Chocolate Cream & Junior Mint (looks the same), and Chocolate Gingerbread. Beer: St. Bernardus Christmas Ale (AKA: best Christmas Ale Ever) Letter: Nice way of saying enjoy your diabetes and liver disease. Don't drink and Drive.

I write this post fully aware that it is way past Christmas; however, since I was disguised as the Grinch this year I figured it would be much safer to write this post post-holiday. Grinch. Scrooge. Any character from the movie Mixed Nuts. You name it. I was it...with the exception of baking Christmas Cookies.

This has been an E. tradition since...well...my parents didn't really mind that we drank in front of them anymore. When the E. family kicks off the holidays with Christmas Cookie baking it isn't all sugar, flour, and lemon glaze. It is more like Christmas Ale chugging, sloppy stirring, first batch mishaps, and of course stuffing face after midnight. I have tried to tell Cody the beauty that is Christmas Cookie Baking, which is really codename for "Excuse to Buy Expensive Seasonal Beer and Getting Tipsy Before 5pm WHILE Making Yourself a Drunk Snack." It is almost as good of a concept as Kent's Insomnia Cookies: GENIUS!

As much as I love this tradition I almost didn't do it this year. I have nixed everything else, but I could not, would not, not bake. Especially since Cody constantly asked me why I wasn't baking him cookies. So here it is: Chocolate Gingerbread, Junior Mint, Chocolate Raspberry Cream, Caramel Apple Cookies, and Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti.

I would like to first point out that a KitchenAid is amazing. I have heard (with cringing jealousy) that it is a must have, but now I have no doubt. Not only does it thoroughly mix your cookie dough, it allows you you drink your beer instead of arm aching hand stirring. Deliciously lazy!  If you have a few extra hundred dollars I would highly suggest investing in one.

Recipe: Via Budget Bytes

 

Recipe: Six Sisters' Stuff (Notes: I like to warm these up in the microwave for a *couple* seconds to warm up the caramels)

Recipe: Sugar Hero (Note: For the Raspberry Chocolate Cream Cookies just switch out the peppermint extract with vanilla and the Junior Mint with a Raspberry Creme)

I have burnt white chocolate to a black crisp in the microwave before. Slowly melt the white chocolate on low heat in a double boiler and then dip a fork into the chocolatey goodness and go Jackson Pollock on your cookies. Think light, quick wrist flicking motions. 

Recipe: FoodNetwork

With an afternoon/evening of baking complete with five cookies cooling on the counter and empty St. Bernardus beers by the sink it was a successful Christmas Cookie Baking. Wish you were there, Teach.