Share Your Sweet Side with Peppermint Cookie Trays

     While baking Christmas cookies is always a tradition around our house, the kind of cookies that we bake is not.  Every year something new comes out of the oven, and this year is no different.  Not surprisingly, this year’s inspiration came from Pinterest and a post from the blog, Joy the Baker, forwarded by my dear friend who had also forwarded on the letter from the Newtown PTA about the Sandy Hook snowflakes.

     When the flour and powdered sugar dust had settled over the weekend, we had Peppermint Trays filled with these:

Peppermint Meltaways

Rosemary Clementine Thumbprints

Blueberry Banana Mini-Muffins

Red Velvet Black & White Cookies

A few filled trays were gifts to neighbor students studying for exams.  The rest of the cookies are being inhaled right here at home.

     The Black & Whites are definitely this year’s favorite, no doubt because they are the most time-consuming to make. I really like the grown-up, not-so-sweet flavor of the Thumbprints. The Meltaways were super-simple and are egg-free, while the mini-muffins are an old Southern Living recipe that I have been making in a variety of sizes for years.

     Next up on the baking agenda:  Christmas Morning Scones.  In addition to Cheddar and Canadian Bacon Scones, I’ll be trying Cranberry Pumpkin Scones using the basic scone recipe but substituting ½ cup pumpkin for the sour cream.  What are you baking this Christmas?

P.S.  The Rosemary Clementine Thumbprints and the Red Velvet Black & White Cookies were prepared for a blogger cookie swap with Ina Garten for Better Homes and Gardens.  Can you imagine being one of those lucky bloggers?  What a Christmas gift!