Christmas cookies

 shortbread decorated snowflake

 shortbread decorated snowmen and mittens

(oops these weren't quite done...missing the fuzz on the bottom) 

 shortbread decorated polar bear

 shortbread decorated snowman

 gingerbread man

mini gingerbread girls and boys

Every year my sister and aunt get together and have a Christmas cookie baking weekend.  Here are some pics from our cookie baking bananza.  We make 10 different kinds of cookies (see "Merry Christmas!" post for a pic of all the cookies on a platter).  These cookies include shortbread decorated cookies, gingerbread men/girls/boys, chocolate krinkles, butterballs, toasted fingers, almond refrigerator cookies, coconut macaroons, rhonda rolls, gingerbread biscotti, and dolly bars.

For the shortbread cookies we make:

• Snowflakes - white icing base with docorative white piping, sanding sugar and a silver peril in the middle
• Snowmen - white base for the body, red or green scarves, green "x" buttons and a black hat with a holly on it (we used holly shaped sprinkles instead of piping)
• Red mittens - red base with white piped decorative snowflake and using a grass tip we piped a white fuzzy bottom (sorry I forgot to get a picture of the mittens when we were done piping the fuzzy bottom part)
• Polar bears - white base, docorative white piped snowflakes, sanding sugar and a holly/maile lei around his neck 

For the gingerbread people we make:

• Gingerbread men - white icing for the face and hair, green scarf using a basket weave piping tip, dipped the feet in chocolate and then green, red and white peril sprinkles
• Gingerbread boys/girls - white icing for the face and hair, piped a little red heart on the chest, dipped the feet/dress bottom in chocolate and then green, red and white peril sprinkles

Every year I look forward to our annual Christmas baking tradition. Over the years it has gotten harder for us all to get together as I moved farther away and my sister had my little niece...but I'm glad we make time, during this special time of the year, to spend together baking beautiful treats to give to our family, friends and co-workers.