2020 Christmas

[Cat Herder]

Recipes? Activities? Gift Ideas? Gifts received?

All things Christmas 2020.... and go!!

[Annalee]

Recipes? Activities? Gift Ideas? Gifts received?

All things Christmas 2020.... and go!!

Simple; making candy, games with $15 gift cards, watch football, eat, then eat, then eat some more; very simple;

[Cat Herder]

Christmas Red Velvet Sugar Cookies Recipe

Ingredients

For Red Velvet Cookies:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar + ½ cup for rolling
2 eggs
Pinch of salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon red food coloring
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

For cream cheese frosting:
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups powdered sugar

For Garnish:
Red, green and white sprinkles, optional

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees prepare a baking pan with parchment paper

To make Red Velvet cookies:
1. In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, unsweetened cocoa powder and salt, set aside
2. In a medium bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy
3. Add eggs one at the time, vanilla extract, white vinegar and red food coloring, mix until combined
4. Slowly add dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix until the dough is fully combined
5. Scoop cookie dough by the tablespoon full and roll into a ball, about 1-inch balls
6. Add granulated sugar to a small bowl for rolling
7. Roll each ball of cookie dough into sugar and place onto baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart
8. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges of the cookies being to crisp
9. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes then remove to cooling rack and let cool completely

To make cream cheese frosting:
1. In a medium bowl, mix together butter and cream cheese until fully combined, add vanilla extract and powdered
sugar until combined
2. Spread cream cheese frosting on each cooled cookie and sprinkle with red, white and green sprinkles

[Blackcat31]

Christmas Red Velvet Sugar Cookies Recipe

So you'll be sending me a dozen right? ::

[Gemma]

My Christmas will be as always just hubby and the kids
We open presents, play games, we chat and laugh a lot probably eat too many cookies and I recently discovered the pleasure of hot cocoa, it's gonna be a great Christmas!

Thanks for this thread CH, we needed a happy thread!

[Annalee]

those sound wonderful. My red velvet cake consists of the bought cake mix and the bought cream cheese frosting::

[Gemma]

So you'll be sending me a dozen right? ::

Are you doing the secret Santa this year?

[Cat Herder]

So you'll be sending me a dozen right? ::

Sure will if you want. I have to admit my husbands chocolate butter toffee with almond slivers is better. ::

Thanks for this thread CH, we needed a happy thread!

It was actually Victory who suggested it on another thread. I felt it was a great idea and acted on it.

[Annalee]

Yep, this thread is a great idea.

I put my tree up during my Thanksgiving quarantine and didn't really want to get started. But before I was finished I was happy. I had forgotten about all the christmas decorations I had gotten from my mamaw that passed this year. When we cleaned her house we found some totes with tons of Christmas things. So between tears, I was smiling really BIG!lovethis

[Cat Herder]

Chocolate-Almond Toffee

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
¼ cup water
4 tablespoons butter, softened
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Dash of salt
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
½ cup chopped whole almonds, toasted (we use slivered)

Directions

Combine first 3 ingredients in a small, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring just until combined; bring to a boil. Cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer registers 325° or until syrup begins to caramelize. Stir in vanilla and salt. Working carefully and quickly, pour sugar mixture onto a baking sheet covered with parchment paper; spread to desired thickness. Let toffee stand 5 minutes. Sprinkle chocolate over warm toffee; let stand 5 minutes. Spread melted chocolate in a thin, even layer over toffee; immediately sprinkle with chopped almonds. Let stand 1 hour or until completely cool. Break toffee into pieces.

[Gemma]

Do any of you hang those scented sticks on the tree?

I put up all the decorations and it really looked nice but something was missing and I couldn't figure out what it was...it was the "Christmas scent" , had to send hubby out to get some sticks right away

[Cat Herder]

Do any of you hang those scented sticks on the tree?

I put up all the decorations and it really looked nice but something was missing and I couldn't figure out what it was...it was the "Christmas scent" , had to send hubby out to get some sticks right away

I have two on my tree right now. :: They work well.

[Alwaysgreener]

Do any of you hang those scented sticks on the tree?

I put up all the decorations and it really looked nice but something was missing and I couldn't figure out what it was...it was the "Christmas scent" , had to send hubby out to get some sticks right away

What is a scented stick?

[VictoryCare]

Can you use any icing on red velvet cookies?

[VictoryCare]

Maybe we can share pics of our Christmas trees?