Cookie Monster

Today is the first official day of my Christmas/Summer holiday and I will be spending it in the kitchen baking all kinds of (hopefully) yummy cookies for tonight's milk and cookies get together hosted by my gorgeous friend J. I think the whole milk and cookies idea is brilliant - traditional enough, but a lot less stressful than a full roast dinner. Goes well with our snow free (and very warm) Christmas season weather and it is the perfect excuse to get high on sugary things while having fun with great people.

We will each bring a plate of cookies (home-baked or store-bought), arrive wearing our compulsory Christmas hats (no entry into the party without them), listen to Christmas carols and then zone out to a Christmas movie. Sounds perfect to me.

So what am I baking?

I am thinking of keeping it simple with some plain chocolate chip cookies, and if I start to feel adventurous, I might try my hand at some fancy stained glass cookies. Of course I would love to make bakerella inspired treats (thanks to J  for sharing the link with me), but I don't think I am quite there yet... maybe next year... (or the year after).

 

I have a really awesome choc chip cookie recipe. Can share here if anyone is interested. (pic source)

These stained glass cookies are beautiful... and they can double up as Christmas decorations... bonus!

And now for a whole new 'breed' of cookies....

 Introducing bakerella's cake pops! 

Cake pops are beautifully decorated mini cakes on a stick. Sounds simple right? If only...

Santa hat pops

Snowmen with Oreo hats...

... and pipes - how charming!!

No party is complete without Santa's reindeer...

...and some Christmas trees too of course

Read the basic cake pop tutorial here. This step-by-step guide will show you how to make the basic round cake pops (like the reindeer).

And if bakerella isn't already a goddess in your books, look at these beautiful cookies she made and decorated... (using one cookie cutter to make three very different cookies).

First up we have ice cream cookies. Very cute, but maybe not 'Christmassy' enough for you...

Maybe some Christmas elves then? No?... Still not enough?

What about Santa Claus then? :)

There you have it! Three very different cookies. One cookie cutter. Are you impressed? I know I am!

Ok enough obsessing over cake pops and cookies. Time to get baking! If things go according to plan I will try and post some pictures tomorrow afternoon.

(I have also recently tried the whole 'cake thing'... watch this space for pics).