RAINBOW CHRISTMAS COOKIE BOX

Well, I've baked and eaten more than my fair share of cookies this week.  I was hoping to get this blog post out sooner so you could have even more cookie inspiration before Christmas, but alas, this is just how things go.  There are only so many hours in the day, and I kept adding recipes. 😆



After attending Christmas Camp Create back in November, I've wanted to rainbow all the things.  This is always a little true (see all the book rainbows in my living room), but definitely after visiting the most colorful house ever.  Which brings me to Christmas cookies.  Here is a selection of recipes that could help you make your own rainbow box, if you are up to the challenge.  As a bonus, you can sub out anything for something else, if it works better for you!

I book ended the rainbow with chocolate, because that seemed a good plan.  I made Hot Cocoa Sandwich cookies shaped like trees and added piping and dragees to dress them up a bit.  I will say that in the future, I would not use straight marshmallow cream as a center and would instead use a marshmallow frosting with a bit more stability.  These turned out to be pretty messy.  But they taste good!



The red are Red Velvet Thumbprint cookies - another recipe from the Food Network Holiday cookie magazine that I had a blast flipping through.  I added a fancy sprinkle mix to the top, again, because I like a little bling on everything.



I used this Candied Orange Recipe, and I will add that I dehydrated them for about an hour to dry them out, and in retrospect, I would have done even longer to crisp them up a bit more.  I also did dip some in dark chocolate and sprinkled sea salt, and those were unexpectedly tasty.



Last year, I loved these Poppyseed Linzer cookies so much that I made them again.  This time in the shape of stars and using the Lemon Curd recipe noted instead of the orange glaze from 2018.  I feel like they are super Christmasy, and the lemon adds a nice pop of yellow.



In keeping with an apparent citrus theme, the green cookies are Lime Spritz cookies.  It gave me a chance to use the cookie press that I've had for years and rarely pull out.  I sprinkled them with sugar to give them a little more sparkle.



I made meringues again this year as well.  They are becoming a cookie box standby for me, because they are so light and versatile.  They can be made any color or shape your heart desires, and you can add whatever sprinkles to dress them up.



The blue snowflakes are my very favorite, Classic Sugar Cookies.  Here is a blogpost from 2013 where I give all my recipes and basic tricks, and even in six years, I haven't changed any of those basics!  I still use two different kinds of frosting, because I feel like it makes for softer cookies.



I decided that I should try making truffles and landed on these Champagne Chocolate Truffles.  When I ordered edible gold leaf from Amazon, I imagined it coming in sheets the size of origami paper.  Imagine my shock when each one is about an inch square. 🤣  Now I know.  I also added sea salt to the top of these, because I feel like sea salt and chocolate are BFFs and deserve to be together.

Happy Holiday Baking!  For even more inspiration, here are some of the past Christmas Cookie Roundup Blog Posts I've done.

{2013} {2014} {2018}

CAMP CREATE CHRISTMAS

Spending time at the Whatever Craft House is always one of the most life-giving experiences.  This is my 3rd Camp Create - I went once as a camper 4 years ago, and one other time as a helper last year.  When Meg texted and asked if I wanted to teach cookie decorating at a Christmas themed Camp Create, I practically jumped out of my skin with excitement.  What could be better?!?

Seeing the house all done up for Christmas was pure delight.

The first night that we were all together, we did a Favorite Things exchange where everyone brought 3 of their favorite items and came home with 3 different gifts.  It was a great way to get to know people and really break the ice.

The rest of the weekend was full of crafting fun that included Laura of Pitter Patter Art teaching us all how to make a Kindness Advent of things to do as a family to serve others.  It is always amazing to see how differently everyone does the "same" craft.

(I still need to add my envelopes!)

Meg lead several crafts including wreaths, signs and bead garlands. It is really the coziest crafting.

Ashley came in for Saturday and taught us how to make beautiful gold-foiled ornaments.  After having read her blog for over 8 years, it was such a treat to meet her in person.

I taught cookie decorating to a rowdy group who learned the basics of cutting out cookies and the various types of frostings that I use.  (Here's a blog post I wrote years ago with my recipes if you are interested!) We flooded and piped and basically went nuts with sprinkles - a good evening in my books.

Apparently, I use weird facial expressions while teaching.
And when cutting the storied Rainbow Cake.

Jessica Thompson taught us from God's word about our worthiness and the Good News that is wrapped up in the Christmas story that was given to ordinary people while highlighting the women in particular.  She reminded us that we are not what others think of us.  We are loved, accepted and free in Christ.  He has done the work.  We are fully known and loved.  It was such a gift to have her words poured over us all.

The other thing we did a lot of was eat.  So much good food, because Kimberlee is a Food Jedi Master.  I am currently having to detox from the amount of sugar, and we ended with a breakfast bang where she laid out all of the leftovers including cheesecake, bread pudding and pasta shells.  Delish. They also let me make a charcuterie board to have out one evening.

As a special bonus this time, one of my dear friends from Little Rock got a spot and traveled to and from with me.  It was such a treat to share one of my favorite places with Nicole.

There aren't enough words for how grateful I am that Meg and Kimberlee include me in helping to host this experience.  They have become real friends, and spending time working alongside them is such a joy.  Plus we laugh and laugh and laugh.

And the other helpers also MADE this experience.  This group has a LOT of personality, but ultimately, I was amazed by the hearts of each woman and the ways they have each allowed the Lord to lead in their lives.  EVERYONE has hard stuff, but there is so much beautiful shining through. 

It is brave to come to a place where you know no one and show up hoping for the best, and this group totally did that.  There were some pre-established relationships, but I was amazed at how well everyone meshed and the joy that it was to be learning and crafting together.  These ladies each blessed me with their openness and enthusiasm and sincerity.



I never imagined that decorating sugar cookies could lead me to here.  The Lord works in mysterious ways, and I am SO glad he does.  Christmas did indeed come early, and my heart is jingling all the way.



If you are interested in attending a Camp Create someday, then make sure you are following Meg on Instagram - she always lets everyone know the dates and details there!

CHRISTMAS COOKIE ROUNDUP

I've basically done nothing but cookies during the days this week, which I honestly love.  Working in my bright new kitchen, creating cookie art is just about my favorite thing to do.  I tried to get everything done before the kids' break began, because it is infinitely more difficult to do with them also in the kitchen.  I finished teacher/neighbor boxes just in the nick of time!  Each box included a sampling of this collection:



As December moved along, I realized that I didn't have the energy needed to do a large offering of cookies to sell.  Though I love creating cookies, having a LOT of them that I HAVE to make can feel overwhelming.  So, I opted out of that madness, and though I missed bringing joy through cookies to a wider audience, I did not miss needing to make cookies every spare moment of the day and night during an already busy time.

After interviewing to be on Food Network earlier this year, I knew I wanted to try a wider variety of cookies this Christmas season.  I had so much fun creating a diverse box, and I thought I'd share some recipes in case you have any holiday baking left to do!

Here is my recipe for sugar cookies and frostings.  I wrote that post in 2013, so it is probably time to update it, but none of my methods have changed in all that time.  They will forever and always be my favorite thing to make.



I also made Lemon Pistachio Wreaths.  These didn't turn out as pretty as I had in my head, but they are delicious.  John said they have a trail mix vibe.  🤷🏻‍♀️🤣



When we traveled to Italy years ago, I fell in love with meringues.  I think I have made them, but if so, it has been years, and I was amazed at how simple they really are.  And - you can make them any color or flavor or shape - so many options!  I made these into Christmas trees with sprinkles - though my trees were more than a little wonky.



I tried my hand at gingerbread again and was reminded of just how Christmasy it feels to be making and eating gingerbread.  Yum.  Plus, these little houses were just the cutest things to have on hand!



And because nothing is complete without chocolate, I added Lilaloa's Chocolate Cutout cookies and dipped them in white chocolate and sprinkled candy canes on them.



I hope this gives you some good ideas to try!  Happy baking, and Merry almost Christmas - we are getting so close!

THAT TIME I DID NOT GET CAST ON FOOD NETWORK

It was a Monday afternoon in May when I got the email.  It claimed to be a casting agent from Food Network interested in talking with me about a cookie show.  My first thought was that it was not real.  I off-handedly mentioned it to my friends while we waited for our daughters to finish dance class and laughed.  As dance finished off, I re-read the email and found that there was also a DM for me on Instagram from the same person.  After a little research, it looked legit(ish).  I mean really, how was I supposed to know?

I emailed back, and he called me later that afternoon while I was in the middle of grocery pickup with the twins - a fantastic time to have a mini-interview with a casting person. 🤦🏻‍♀️ As it turns out, they were in the final weeks of casting for the Christmas Cookie Challenge (which films in the summer months), and he had come across my Willflowers Bake Shoppe Instagram and reached out to see if I would be interested in applying.

For me, it was a no-brainer.  I had recorded and watched the whole season last year, and though it never crossed my mind to apply, I certainly thought it had looked like fun to compete.  That night, I filled out the application and sent in pictures of my cookies and our life as were requested.  Then, I laid in bed dreaming of grandeur once I was finally a television star.  I kid, I kid.  Mostly. 😜

They scheduled me for a Skype interview the next week, and I became a teeny bit obsessed with baking shows and rewatched some of the Christmas Cookie Challenge from last year to know what I would be getting in to.  I thought I might actually get cast.  I am fun and talkative and fun.  Did I mention fun?  And good at making pretty cookies. (I also hung snow-flake bunting behind me to underline how much I like Christmas.  I considered wearing a crazy Christmas wig, because I have a couple on hand, but decided to go more normal.  Still not sure whether that was a good move or not. 🤷🏻‍♀️)

But, I also knew I might not get cast, which is what I mostly told people to manage all of our expectations.  Because there are a million amazing cookiers out there (I follow a LOT of them on Instagram and am regularly blown away by the talent on display), and I am a white lady baker which is the epitome of obvious.  The morning of the interview came, and John and I figured out where I should be and what I should wear and did a practice Skype call to make sure it worked.  The casting lady that I spoke with was super personable, and we had a great 25 minute chat about cookies and baking and life.  I think it went about as well as it could have.  After about two weeks, I got a depressing little form email stating that I would not be cast, but they would keep my info on file for future shows that I might be a good fit for.

Here's the deal.  My baking range up until now has been largely decorated sugar cookies and other random things that interest me in the moment.  At the end of the day, my understanding is that they needed people with a bit more cookie baking variety.  Or, maybe I just wasn't a good fit.  The form letter certainly didn't include the reasoning behind my rejection.

Because I am a naturally optimistic person, I pretty quickly re-framed the whole thing into a positive experience.  It felt good that they even reached out to me and interviewed me.  I am a little home baker with a little Instagram account, and it was nice to be noticed and applauded for my baking efforts.  It was a good learning experience to go through the process, and I am working to broaden my baking repertoire to increase my chances for next year.  It's also a good reminder that not all dreams become a reality.  Granted, I had not thought to dream of being on Food Network for more than about two weeks, but once I wanted it - I really did.  I wasn't devastated, but I was disappointed.

So, here's to dreams that come true and dreams that don't.  I'm gonna change some things up that might increase my chances, but ultimately, I can only be a better version of myself - not anyone else.  In the end, I do want to be a better version of my baking self and learn and grow and try new things and take my baking to new heights.  Maybe it will be next year, and maybe it will never be, but I do plan to throw my name in the ring again!