Holiday Cookie Challenge 2009

Holiday Time!

Ahh...December is here and with this time of year, we find ourselves amidst a sea of holiday madness: gift searching, shopping, cooking, traveling, card sending, and all that other fun stuff we do around the holidays. If you're like me, you also look forward to another holiday pastime: baking!

Holiday Baking

When the holidays arrive, I love to experiment with new recipes so I can bake up a storm and give my friends and family sweet treats to spread the holiday cheer and let them know I'm thinking of them.

This year, I've decided to challenge myself to try at least one new cookie recipe per weekend through Christmas. I thought this would be a fun way to make sure I don't procrastinate and actually do the baking I want to and will also give me the opportunity to try out some new recipes.

Now, what happens when you bake? You create batches and batches of sweets that you (and your family/SOs/etc) don't need to be eating all by your lonesome. Sometimes you bake with the intention of giving all or a portion of your baked goods to someone. Sometimes, you bake for yourself and don't know what to do with all the sweets you've created (which sometimes, sadly, end up going bad if you can't finish them yourself).

Spread the Cheer

Well, this year, why not spread the holiday cheer by vowing to gift some of your sweet treats to someone deserving? Save all or a portion of one of your weekend batches to give to that co-worker who did you a favor, your family member who is always there for you, the nice clerk at the store who is always so helpful, your veterinarian who always takes such good care of your pets...the possibilities are ENDLESS!

Holiday Cookie Challenge 2009

Who can play in the Holiday Cookie Challenge? Anyone! YOU can!

How do you play in the Holiday Cookie Challenge? Bake a new cookie recipe every weekend through Christmas (or just one time this season). Gift all or some of your cookies to someone to spread the holiday cheer. Leave me a comment with what you baked and who you gave some (or all) of your cookies to (and why you chose the person you did if you'd like to share). Links to blog posts with the details and photos work too. And if you don't have a blog but want to share a photo, you can email that to me at thechiclife at gmail dot com. Photos of what you baked and/or who you gave them to (if they permit their photo being published of course) would be awesome!

Yup, it's that easy!

I've even created this nifty badge in case you'd like to use it on your blog template or posts.

You can get the code here:

<a href="http://thechiclife.typepad.com/the_chic_life/2009/12/holiday-cookie-challenge-2009.html" target="_blank"> <img src="https://thechiclife.typepad.com/photos/sidebar/holidaycookiechallenge.jpg" border="0" /></a>

Entries

Here are the entries (don't see yours? Then, leave a comment with a link to your post or a description of what you baked and who you shared it with - you can also tweet what you baked, but remember to add the #cookiechallenge tag):

• All Vegged Out - Vegan Banana Chocolate Chunk Cookies
• Johnstone's Vin Blanc - Sugar Plums - shared with a GF friend
• The Chic Life - Martha's Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies - shared with zumba friends
• The Chic Life - Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies - shared with co-workers and zumba friends
• The Chic Life - Quick Chocolate Chip Cookies - shared with friends at a holiday movie marathon
• Then Heather Said takes the challenge to a new level with one cookie baked per day - you go girl!
• To Be the Whole Package - Martha Stewart Cookies
• Serendipity's Guide to Saving - Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Ideas

Here are some recipes submitted for the challenge via twitter:

• Nasoya - Peanut Butter Tofu Cookies
• Nasoya - Soft Oatmeal Cookies

So...

Who's In?! What's your favorite holiday cookie recipe? What's a recipe you'd like to try?

Food Challenge, Food Challenge

Comments

[Good Taste. Healthy Me]

OOO this is going to be so fun! I'm definitely in! I'll keep it posted on my blog!

[Lauren @ Eater not a runner]

Love this idea! I just made these for my boyfriend's family and they were all obsessed!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Snowballs-II/Detail.aspx

[Heather]

as you know, im attempting to make 25 different cookies in 25 days. one a day. starting dec 1st and lasting through christmas.

the whole point of my baking is not for me, but for giving! i plan to make nice little packages of cookies for a few of my favorite people - the ups man at my office, my landlord, my neighbor, and possibly even my favorite bartender ;)

i def. added the tag to my blog and will be updating with posts about all the different kinds i made :) xoxo i love how our hearts are alligned this season, dear!

[Jessica]

I am posting this on my blog thanks to Miss Heather. I think this is a great idea. I did it too!! I just didn't realize I wasn't the only one. Last weekend was Gingerbread Cookies. This weekend will be something yummy as well. :)

[Rebeca]

Mmm... I love this... I just delivered my first batch to my neighbors next door!

http://allveggedout.com/blog/2009/12/06/holiday-cookie-challenge-vegan-banana-chocolate-chunk-cookies/

[Katie]

How ironic that I just found this. I posted about three different kinds of cookies I made for gifts here:
http://makingfoodandotherstuff.wordpress.com/2009/12/04/ready-or-not-here-i-come/

And, I am going to post another one (with a recipe this time!) for the BEST EVER ginger cookies that I made for gifts.