Holiday Baking... at last!

I have been home pretty sick all week long. Christmas continued to barrel closer despite my aching skin & hair, stuffed up nose, & high fever.
Instead of being at the store this week, helping customers pick out last minute gifts, I have been reading tweets & blog posts in between marathon nap sessions.  It seems like everyone on the internet has been talking non stop about making holiday cookies & showing off pictures of said cookies like they were newborn babies!

 

Tammy's Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
I dare you to click on the photo!

Around Wednesday the craving for peanut butter thumbprint cookies started twitching.  You know, the kind with the Hershey's Kiss on top.  Everyday I read about more holiday baking. Everyday I saw more cookie pictures.  My craving was growing. 

I went to bed last night excited to wake up & go to a dear friends home for Xmas pancake breakfast.  But I woke up feeling more congested & weak than the day before.  Determined to get some Xmas baking in...

I gathered up my strength & baked a batch.  Having no chocolate kisses in the house, I improvised with a few chocolate chips on top.  They didn't exactly come out thumbprint-y.  And they didn't end up with a uniform blob of chocolate in the middle.  They did however come out amazingly delicious! 

Pictured alongside my peanut butter darlings is one of my Orla Kiely mugs.  The styling of this photo was inspired by the delightful Caren of the Tea & Chickadees blog.

What's YOUR favorite cookie to make &/or eat during the holidays?

A very Merry Day to you all!

❤

-t

edit:
duh... it never occurred to me that people would want the recipe. I think it's a pretty standard recipe.  Although I grew up thinking it was my Grandma's special recipe... I see pretty much the same recipe everywhere.  It's funny...  I grew up eating these long before I even knew the word Gluten. haha 

Grandma's Gluten Free Peanut Butter Darlings

 (if making them for GF purposes be sure all ingredients are GF)

(Makes about 24 cookies)

1 Cup Chunky Peanut Butter (creamy works fine too)

1 Cup Packed Brown Sugar

1 Large Egg

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract

1 Cup mini chocolate chips (chocolate kisses on top work too)

Mix everythig but the chocolate w/ a mixer on medium speed. 

if using chocolate chips, stir them in last. (if using kisses you will add them after baking, as soon as they come out of the oven)

Using damp hands, roll dough into tablespoon-ish sized balls

Arrange on an ungreased baking sheet.  (Be sure to leave 2 inches between each cookie- they grow!) 

Bake 10 -12 minutes (depends on your oven)

& then the hard part: Let them cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before eating transferring them to rack to cool thoroughly. (they are very delicate when first out of oven. use a wide cookie spatula to transfer them)

To: Me, From: Me "Merry Xmas Tammy"

Isn't it lovely how well it suits my favorite winter cap?

My Xmas Gift to myself was this irresistible custom made cowl from My Girl Thursday! 

I met Thursday on Twitter.  I have no memory of how we came to be Twitter pals. But I do recall the very moment in time that I saw a scarf made from the above fabric in her Etsy shop. (Which is now closed for vacation. But be sure to sign up to be notified when she reopens in January)  

I recall thinking... "I knit, why in the hell would i buy a scarf made out of fabric".  But I couldn't stop stalking this scarf.  Then I remembered that i don't even like wearing long knit scarves. I am a cowl or triangular scarf type of gal.  I thought I had finally reasoned myself into NOT buying that scarf.

I begin tweeting a lot w/ @mygirlthursday & found her to be not only super friendly, but hilarious as well. That damned scarf in her shop kept haunting me. So I marched out on a limb & sent my new Twitter pal an Etsy convo.  Perhaps she'd have some of that dreamy vintage fabric left. And perhaps she'd be willing to make me cowl from it.  Of course she was a doll & asked me what details I'd like.  I was obnoxiously clear about what I wanted for my custom cowl; at least 4 buttons, a certain fit, lined with a coordinating fabric (as if she wouldn't have done that on her own), etc.   

I am in love with my new cowl. 

& I am grateful for the laughter & crafty friendship of @mygirlthursday.

What gift(s) have YOU given yourself this season?

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