C is for Christmas Cookie, Candy and Clementines

The letter of the season is C.
C is for Christmas, Cookie, Candy and Clementines.

Yes, Clementines.  As in tangerines...that start with a C.  I could have gone with Citrus or Cutie. 

I give gifts of food at Christmas.  I'm a better Cooker than a shopper by far. 

With Citrus in season, I am adding Tangerine Marmalade to my gift giving and personal stash.  My family LOVES tangerines.  We easily go through 15-20 lbs a month.  As I type this and think about the math do I realize I need to add 'plant a tangerine tree' to my to do list!

Giving marmalade is new for Christmas.  Our tradition is to give cookie plates with a variety of cookies and candies.  Typically we make 12 different types of cookies.  This year, I can't seem to shorten the list lower than 14.  To be fair, 12 cookies, 2 candies. We give around 20 plates of cookies every year.

I'm going to use this recipe for my marmalade, looks good, sounds easy:
http://dorisandjillycook.com/2009/12/16/tangerine-marmalade/

The cookie list is made. The shopping list is ready to go.  I need to get busy.

The cookie list:

Chocolate Marshmallow Clouds (Mrs. Fields recipe, the boys love these)
Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread (Martha Stewart recipe, my favorite)
Sugar Cookies (Martha Stewart recipe, the best sugar cookie recipe, hands down)
Anise Almond Biscotti (Martha again)
Cinnamon Maple Rings (Mrs. Fields cookbook recipe, my daughter's favorite)
Peppermint Meringues (12/2011 cover of Bon Appetit recipe, my 7 year old loves meringues, when he saw the cover, we had to add these to the list)
Slice and Bake Lemon Cookies (another 12/11 Bon Appetit recipe, this looks easy - replacing the tried and true lemon bar)
Baklava (http://www.grouprecipes.com/2307/best-baklava.html but I remove the lemon and add rose water)
Cranberry Noels (Martha again, a new addition)
Gingerbread men (Martha again, I love gingerbread.  I decorate with lemon frosting....yummy)
Almond Crescents (Martha again, another newbie)
Hrostule - Croatian cookie - tastes like funnel cake - (Around our World, Around our Town San Pedro Cookbook, this is my husband's traditional holiday cookie.  Its tricky but worth it.)
Fudge (I'm an Alton Brown fan - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/chocolate-fudge-recipe/index.html)
Buckeyes - I'm from Ohio, hello.  My cousin Heather's recipe.

Here's the thing.  My mom sends us a box of cookies that she's baking so I can't make the same ones.  Luckily for my decision making process, she has made the same ones for years.  I like to change up my list.    We both make the sugar cut outs, we love to decorate them with sanding sugars.

My cookie list isn't randomly selected.  There is a balanced plan.  Fruit (cranberry and lemon), spice (2 gingerbread, cinnamon), chocolate (clouds, fudge, gingerbread, buckeyes), nuts (baklava, crescents), anise (biscotti), peppermint (meringues) and sugar (hrostule and cut outs).  A little heavy on the chocolate, I realize.  No complaints here.

Can you tell I'm a Martha Stewart fan?  Her recipes, though labor intensive sometimes, are consistently great.  My kids love the Mrs. Fields cookbook that I have. A picture for every recipe.  They want them all. 
For a cookie to make the list is one thing, to remain on the list year after year, it has to be one special cookie.

I love giving and recieving food as gifts.  In my cul de sac, we receive homemade tamales, home grown oranges and lemons and hand rolled sushi from our neighbors!  The first year we recieved the sushi plate, the look on my boys faces was priceless!  You could read their minds - wait, I just gave up my cookies for fish and seaweed?  To their credit, they ate it and loved it!  Now the challenge is to make sure we all get our fair share!

Let the baking and gift giving begin!  Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from my kitchen to yours.