This year I think I'll do these pretty pretzels. http://www.countrykitchensa.com/ckideas/ckIdea.aspx?Occ1Id=&ideaId=191&idea=593&occasion=Christmas

I forgot to show my favorite-looking pretzel: http://www.countrykitchensa.com/ckideas/ckIdea.aspx?Occ1Id=&ideaId=191&idea=660&occasion=Christmas

I'm thinking of doing the same thing. Maybe oatmeal and peanut butter bars and then carrot and banana muffins. I'm so excited to start baking! When do you guys usually start? Cause there's the Christmas dinner to take care of.

I made the cookie bark for thanksgiving, for a friend & my sis in law, and they loved it! My kids got a tiny piece of it, and they loved it also! I used pb oreo's, and it even smells yummy! I put it in lil baggies with twist ties.

Hey Chass ! Thx. thats good to know because I plan to make it closer to Christmas !
Did you try any candy cane oreos in it yet ?

no, but I took out the pb & tried candy canes!! YUMMY!

I dipped the few pb oreo's I had left in choc (I dont have a choc mold), and omg they are sooooo good....I let the baby have 1, then I didnt share!!!

Does anyone know how far in advance I can do choc covered pretzels? My daughter will eat a huge bag herself, but each of my set of inlaws want some, I already have some cookies made & froze, but the pretzels literally took ALL day! (for one bag!)

I was just talking to my hubby at dinner tonight about this very topic!!! I'm glad I stumbled onto this thread! I was thinking about doing 5 cupcakes, and arranging them in a circle and decorating them like a wreath of holly leaves and red berries. I was going to make a little fondant bow to put at the bottom. Most everyone on my street has between 1-3 kids, so 5 cupcakes would cover everyone in the household. It would be fairly easy and inexpensive to do...

You all have submitted some fabulous ideas!

I've also done gourmet hot cocoa mix in a jar with the recipe and instructions attached. I put the decorative jar, a Christmas mug, and a box of Holiday Jingles cookies in a bag. If anyone is interested, I can post the ingredients...

I've been asked not to change remove any of my goodies I've had in the past because everyone wants what they got last year.

1. Chocolate covered marshmallows and white chocolate
2. coconut drops and white chocolate


this year, i have already made some hard candy of butterscotch, peppermint, cinnamon and cinnamon

i want to make cake balls, and caramel to add also

I was thinking of making two kinds of cakes and then maybe a dozen of cookies per goodie basket. can anyone suggest how to package the cookies? I will use aluminum pans for the cakes, well they're more of bread really, not cake.

I would love some packaging/wrapping suggestions from you guys. This is my first time to do food gifts and I'm so excited! TIA

oh wow
you guys totally read my mind.
I want to make goodie bags this year for everyone I want to thank and let them know I appreciate them without having to buy something.

I got these awesome snowflake silicone cupcake molds at target a few weeks ago, anyone have a great brownie recipe from scratch?? something kinda fudgy??

knel, I would love the recipe for the hot cocoa, thats an awesome idea.

knel.. I would love for you to post the recipes you talked about !
Thanks much!
I hope I can get back on to see them LOL!

I haven't read the whole thread yet, but have cocoa cones been posted? That's always a great gift!

last year i made little fruit breads in star shaped foil pans, chocolate covered spoons with cinnamon, caramel popcorn and hershey kiss pretzel grids. oh, and chocolate mice too! i'm not sure what i am doing this year since i am having christmas dinner at my house, i will be crazy busy! i am making lots of yummy cookies for dessert, though:

Russian Tea Cakes
Hidden Treasures
Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies
Shortbread
Brownie Chewies
Rosettes
Pignoli Cookies

last year for my gift for my co workers I did a gingercookie "bowl" and made 3 cookie types and made some popcorn carmel with nuts, and made rice crispie fireplaces ( in my photos) and threw in some holiday candies from the store . The gingercookie bowl was made by smoothing the dough over a upside down pryex dish and baked for about 15 minutes. Everyone raved over such a cute idea and it was all editable.

These all sound so delicious, any recipes that anyone is willing to share would be greatly appreciated. I have only learned cupcakes and cakes and would love to make up some of these goodies! If you don't want to post a PM would be fine too.

Thanks,
Kat

This is thread is so full of great ideas! Someone upthread asked for recipes for pancake mix and hot cocoa mix. I have made Alton Brown's recipes for both and recommend them HIGHLY:

Alton Brown's Instant Pancake Mix
Alton Brown's Hot Cocoa Mix

Last year Wal-Mart had these 2 packs of little buckets with lids and I bought a bunch on clearence in Jan..this year, I'm going to make choc covered pretzels, and take some Christmas m&m's and mix the 2 together inside these little tubs for my nieces & brother in law. I'm trying to figure out what to make my father in law. About 6 yrs ago I made him choc covered spoons for coffee, and he loved them! But I dont know what to put with it

As far as packaging goodies, I ordered foil containers with Christmas decorated tops in 2 different sizes from ABC Distributing. Not sure if I can post the name so if it doesn't come through PM me. There were about 25 each size for 4.95. Now I have to make something to put in them. Everyone has had such cute ideas. My grown kids always want my fudge plus any extras.

fiddlesticks.

Do you have a easy recipe for butter cookies? I bought some of the ones from wal-mart but would love to do my own to put in my goodies.

I'm so glad I found this thread!! You guys are so awesome with your ideas. I usually do chocolate stuff for gifts, like caramel and chocolate covered pretzel rods, but this year my daughter's teacher doesn't like chocolate (this is a strange concept to me)! She does drink coffee and as soon as I saw the idea about the gingerbread bowl, I started to wonder if I could do a mug. Not the traditional kind, but the more bowl shaped kind (like they used on Friends in the coffee shop). Then add some gourmet coffees or even a Starbucks gift card or something.

Ok, here's the land o' lakes recipe...

Cookie Ingredients:

1 cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Decorations Ingredients:

Decorator sugars

Combine 1 cup butter, sugar and egg in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add orange juice and vanilla; mix well. Reduce speed to low; add flour and baking powder. Beat until well mixed.

Divide dough into thirds; wrap in plastic food wrap. Refrigerate until firm (2 to 3 hours).

Heat oven to 400°F. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface, one-third at a time (keeping remaining dough refrigerated), to 1/8- to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with 3-inch cookie cutters. Place 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets; sprinkle with decorator sugar. Bake for 6 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool completely.
cmp24.... Heres a Melvira.. butter cookie recipe.She posted it for me because I was looking for a drop butter cookie and she says that you can also use this recipe that way to! So maybe drop ,then flatten with a glass dipped in sugar ( or not ) Ya know that kind of idea!

cmp24... Sorry, My reply to you kind of blended in with the recipe!
This is the only butter cookie recipe I have.

can someone post pics of your past christmas goodie bags? Where did you put it? I was thinking of a basket or a deep bowl or something.

just stumbled on to thread. great ideas. last year for my cousin i etched a jar that said fudge on one side and cookies on the other and filled it with different kinds of fudge. she was so excited she had never seen a fudge jar before and wanted to know where i got it. this year i am sending fudge to fill the jar. this year i am giving fruit cakes, cake balls, cookies , home made apple jelly and apple butter. haven't decided on how to package yet. keep the great ideas coming.

At Thanksgiving, I made mini carrot cakes with a crusting cream cheese butter cream (from the recipe here on CC). I used the mini muffin pans, made between 6-7 doz. Package in extra small hat boxes with tissue paper or saran.

My younger sister told me to be sure to make plenty of yummy stuff for "nibblies". After she ate the first 5 or 6 she said they were so cute and tiny she didn't feel guilty eating about a dozen of them. (NO JOKING!) Made me laugh. Big Hit and Easy To Do!

BTW, does anyone have a pic of the chocolate cones?