I enjoyed sharing my Christmas baking efforts last year, so I'll share again in 2021, although only a few new faces this year. Recipes are at the end of this post.
The two additions this year are the topmost cookies - Butter Pecan and Peppermint Bark.
Butter Pecan
I can't recall how I happened don this one - I think a hint somewhere got me looking at recipes. Or maybe it was the spare pecans - I usually add them to my Chocolate Chip cookies but forgot to this year so I had extras pecans lying around.
These ended up being a tasty cookie. Strangely enough, they taste better the next day after they have crisped up a bit. Once crunchy, you can taste the nutty flavour. The nutty flavour comes more from the cooking than the pecans - the pecans are roasted in butter before baking, and the butter is browned before adding to the recipe. Both of those activities left the kitchen smelling wonderful. The only change I might make would be to add more pecans during baking. I mixed it well, but some cookies didn't have enough pecan for my tastes. Perhaps my personal taste. Recipe suggested some salt on them, which I forgot - that can add a bit of flavour...
Peppermint Bark
I made these bars on a lark. Someone on a FB Cookie Group has posted a photo of her bark cookies as part of her Xmas baking and it intrigued me. Also intriguing was how easy these are to make - basically melt chocolate and pour. Came out pretty good, given my first attempt. Will have to try better chocolate next year. And maybe some white white chocolate :) The green and red candy canes were a nice find. All that aside they are super tasty, and I'll be giving them a shot next year!
