C is for Cookie; that's good enough for me!

The boys needed cookies for an exchange at their teen holiday party, so I baked oatmeal chocolate chippers (bottom of photo) and, one of my favorites, Chocolate Almond Bites (top):

I know you are lusting after those cookies, even with my lousy photo, so here's the recipe:

Chocolate-Almond Bites

2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 C unsweetened cocoa
2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature (2 sticks = 1 C = 1/2 lb)
1/2 C granulated sugar
1 t vanilla extract
1/4 t salt
1 C toasted almonds, finely chopped

1) Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease a baking sheet.  On to a sheet of wax paper, sift flour with cocoa.  In a large bowl, with electric mixer on high beat butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt until pale and creamy.  Beat in flour mixture, then almonds.

2) Shape heaping teaspoonfuls of dough into balls and arrange on baking sheet.  Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until firm.  Cool briefly on the sheet before transferring to a rack.  Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

One thing I like about this recipe is that it's not very sweet; I don't have to half the sugar like I normally do for recipes.  I think this freezes reasonably well in case you want to make it a couple of weeks before you need them. 

Good as that cookie is, some of you are actually waiting for the following: stollen!

I'm following in my friends' footsteps and making stollen every year now. If you missed it previously, here's my tutorial from last year.

Hope you'll try making the cookie or stollen. :)

I am going to be taking a blogging break for a bit.  I've signed up for a writing class again this January/February, and that will eat up any spare minutes I have left in the day.  See you back here sometime mid to late February...unless I have some fabulous news I want to share.  LOL!

Wishing all my dear blogging friends a wonderful holiday season with your loved ones!

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be." ~ Douglas Adams