the twelve days of Christmas: day twelve

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my baker gave to me...

Our infamous family Christmas stollen, made by the Majewski/Fry baking team featured above. Delicious down to the last raisin.

Gifts FOR the baker included my highly sought after ice cream maker (YAY!), fun new recipe books, an adorable apron and a very cool present from my husband that I can't wait to hang in our kitchen. The letter pictures are all from various places around Indy, including one from my favorite bakery.

Merry Christmas!


Stay tuned for many more baking adventures in 2012...
 

the twelve days of Christmas: day eleven

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my baker gave to me...

The best frosted sugar cookies ever made. (According to my parents - who have to say that.)

The cookies above are a tribute to Greg and I's first Christmas together as a married couple. We celebrated by eating them immediately. Then there are the traditional bell, star and tree shaped varieties. Here they are sans frosting.

We made a few fun additional shapes as well. Bears, for instance:

And Emma, of course:

And now for a picture that needs no words. My mother inhaling cookies as soon as we walked in the door yesterday. What else would you expect?

Merry Christmas Eve to all, and to all a good cookie.  

the twelve days of Christmas: day ten

On the tenth day of Christmas, my baker gave to me...

Many Christmas gift tins filled with delicious cookies made by yours truly.

 After a few test runs, I am happy to say that I have perfected my peanut butter cookies topped with ganache and my double chocolate peppermint cookies. And the best (and happiest) news is: I was paid for my hard work! Yes, it was my first official sale and it felt great. But don't worry, I'll still have plenty of free samples around for my loyal readers.



Here are a few more enticing looks:

 

Spread the word: order forms will be available soon.  

the twelve days of Christmas: day nine

On the ninth day of Christmas, my baker gave to me...

Heart-shaped lemon poppy seed muffins.

These are for you, Dad. They're making the journey to Fort Wayne tomorrow. And they were made with love.

Also, now we don't have to eat mom's store bought donuts for breakfast.

the twelve days of Christmas: day eight

On the eighth day of Christmas, my baker gave to me...

Mexican wedding rings. (Or whatever you call them - this is the name I learned for them growing up.) 

Flour, butter, sugar and pecans have never tasted so good. The extra coating of sugar on the outside makes this statement a fact.

As you may have guessed, my cookies are a bit on the large size...

So it's a good thing we're eating these rings and not wearing them on our fingers.

the twelve days of Christmas: day seven

On the seventh day of Christmas, my baker gave to me....

Peanut butter cookies decorated with chocolate ganache.

This was a test batch for an upcoming project. Stay tuned for the final product when we get closer to Christmas.

Now let's move on to what you've all been waiting for. Why does my husband continue to amaze me everyday? Is it because...


1) He designed a cookie with a chocolate drawn Emma?

or b) he managed to get covered in chocolate after helping me decorate cookies?

You decide. I pick both reasons. :)

the twelve days of Christmas: day six

On the sixth day of Christmas, my baker gave to me...

Eggplant parmesan with a side of pasta.

Another delicious dish made by my husband, who never ceases to amaze me. Just wait till you see what happens on day seven...

the twelve days of Christmas: day five

FIVE GOLDEN RINGS!!!

 

Sorry, not from this Christmas countdown. Although belting out this day's tune was always my favorite (in a deep, boisterous voice of course.)

On the fifth day of Christmas, my baker gave to me...

Five peppermint baked meringues.

That's right, more peppermint spritz. Tis the season after all. This was my first time baking meringue and I may have over-pepperminted the things a bit, but they are the perfect after dinner mint.

Here's what they looked like before two hours in the oven.

 

p.s. I stole the present under the plate of meringues from under our tree, and it has my name on it... Any guesses on what it could be??

the twelve days of Christmas: day four

On the fourth day of Christmas, my baker gave to me...

Double chocolate peppermint cookies.

Mmmm... This is a recipe that I sort of invented. It's definitely a must for chocolate lovers. And the hint of peppermint gives it a nice spritz of holiday spirit. 

See? Spritz. Another batch of these cookies will be made soon. Stay tuned to find out why.

the twelve days of Christmas: day three

On the third day of Christmas, my baker gave to me...

Three stuffed peppers covered in melted cheese.

This one is courtesy of my chef-in-the-making husband. And they were delicious. 

Happiness note: No French hens were harmed in the making of these peppers.

the twelve days of Christmas: day two

On the second day of Christmas, my baker gave to me...

A homemade cookie with two scoops of ice cream. 

And chocolate syrup. And sprinkles. I hate to add that because I think it almost rhymes without the toppings. But let's be honest about what we're eating, okay? Do I hear a New Year's resolution in the making? Also, I resolve to put homemade ice cream on my cookies next year. IF Santa comes through with that ice cream maker next week...

the twelve days of Christmas: day one

There seems to be a debate over when the official "Twelve Days of Christmas" start and end; however, it makes me most happy to start them today, with the final and twelfth day ending on Christmas. Henceforth, I will be providing you with a baker's gift each day for the next twelve days as a Merry Christmas gift. And mostly just to update you on what I've been up to over the last month. Some might call it a Christmas miracle!

On the first day of Christmas, my baker gave to me....

Soft rolls with poppy seeds on a pear tree.

Errr, no pear tree. Just yeast. And yes, the rolls actually puffed up fairly well in our cold house.

 

And they tasted as good as they look.

I'd send you one if I could. But Greg ate them all.