Christmas baking

I didn't feel up to decorating too much this year, but I did do some Christmas baking (which is unusual). I was trying to make as many Christmas presents as I could this year to save money. Part of my husband's present was to make him toffee. He isn't a fan of candy in general, but loves toffee. It didn't turn out. I cooked it too long, the chocolate didn't melt so I put it under the broiler to help and it didn't, an my husband said that it was too sweet. I'm not sure that I'll be making toffee again. If I do, it will be from a different recipe.

I searched my cookbooks for a different toffee recipe and came across a toffee bar recipe in Nana's cookbook. I decided to try them and see if Dave would like them because I felt bad about ruining his toffee. They turned out well. The dough was more of a crust, where you add chocolate and almonds on top. I didn't have any almonds left after making the toffee, so I broke up the toffee and topped the toffee bars with that. That worked okay.

I tried making caramels. Again, they cooked too long, but when I poured it into my pan, it looked really good. Maybe it will work, I thought. The next morning when I went to cut them, it was too hard. I was mad because I thought they didn't turn out. I cut and wrapped them anyway because I had to have something to give my neighbors and primary kids. After cutting several, I got up the courage to try one. A little hard at first, but still chewy and didn't stick to my teeth after chewing it. They did work! This recipe I may use again.

This is my new toy. When I was a child, I once had a cookie that was light and crispy and looked like a mini waffle. This year I found out what they were called: pizzelles. They are an Italian cookie with a flower pattern on one side and a basket pattern on the other. My recipe worked and made just over 100 cookies. There is little butter and sugar, compared the caramels, and they feel almost guilt-free. I can feel good about giving my kids a couple to satisfy their sweet tooth. I made two batches to give to neighbors and a third batch where I added peppermint extract instead of vanilla.

Every year I used to make a candy cane cake to take to parties. This year we were only invited to one party where I brought a veggie tray, so I never made my cake. I tried candy cane cookies instead. My first attempt at refrigerator cookies. The dough was so sticky. It was better after freezing for an hour. If I make them again, I'll add more flour.