December 4th is National Cookie Day, and it’s also the time when happy bakers are whipping up dozens of Christmas cookies. Here’s a roundup of some of our favorite recipes, below. But first…
 
 
THE HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS COOKIES

Modern Christmas cookies can trace their history to recipes from medieval northern European biscuits (cookies), when many “modern” ingredients became available for the first time: almonds, black pepper, cinnamon, clove, ginger, mace, molasses, and nutmeg, along with dried fruits from southern climates, such as apricots, citron, and dates.

These ingredients were still costly, and only for Christmas would many families be able to afford to bake with them. This led to special Christmas cookies. Unlike pies or cakes, cookies had a long shelf life and could be easily given as gifts to friends and neighbors.

This led to the creation of spiced butter cookies as well as gingerbread, krumkake, lebkuchen, pepparkakor, pfeffernüsse, and springerle.

Decorating the cookies with icing began in the 1600s, when bakers used a mixture of sugar and egg whites to top the cookies. The cooled frosting looked like ice.

While gingerbread cookies existed, the first gingerbread men were created in the royal kitchens of Queen Elizabeth I of England (1533-1603), who had the cookie molded into the shapes of her favorite courtiers.

Christmas Cookies In The U.S.

The earliest examples of Christmas cookies in the U.S. were brought by German settlers in Pennsylvania (the “Pennsylvania Dutch” in the 1700s. But it wasn’t until the period between 1871 and 1906 that import laws made cookie cutters from Germany widely available, including those with holiday images that were designed to hang on Christmas trees [source].

While holiday cookies are often cut into the shape of angels, candy canes, Christmas trees, holly leaves, reindeer, stars, and other seasonal themes, some are conventional round cookies or bars in holiday flavors (eggnog, cardamom-spice, gingerbread, peppermint, etc.).
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF COOKIES

> THE 8 DIFFERRENT TYPES OF COOKIES
 
> A GLOSSARY OF COOKIES
 
 
CHRISTMAS COOKIE RECIPES

Not all of these are shaped like stars or spiced like gingerbread, but they represent holiday traditions in the U.S. Check out:

 
 
Happy Baking!

[1] Christmas tree brownies. Here’s the recipe (photo © Orange Glad | Facebook).

[2] Stacked snowman cookie. Here’s the recipe (photo © Lila Loa).

[ ] Chocolate mint Christmas cookies. Here’s the recipe (photo © Wisconsin Dairy)

[ ] Peanut butter cup Christmas tree. Here’s the recipe (photo © Delish).

[ ] Iced peppermint butter cookies. Here’s the recipe (photo © Wisconsin Dairy).

[1] Creamy eggnog pie. The recipe is below (photo © Taste Of Home).

[2] Store-bought eggnog can be found in conventional versions as well as with plant milks (photo © Kemps).

[3] Eggnog French toast. Here’s the recipe (photo © Driscolls).

[4] Spiced eggnog cheesecake. Here’s the recipe (photo © Charlie Palmer Holidays).

[5] How about an eggnog Martini? Here’s the recipe (photo © Cedar Mill Liquor).

December 24th is National Eggnog Day, but we didn’t want to wait until then to share these eggnog recipes and many more below.

“Eggnog on a plate” is what Florence Shaw calls her creamy eggnog pie, the first recipe. It delivers the rich, wonderful flavor of a glass of eggnog.

And it’s so easy to make, especially if you purchase the eggnog and the pie crust. There is no alcohol in this recipe, just some rum extract.

Spell it egg nog or eggnog, whether you’re drinking it or enjoying this eggnog pie, eggnog cheesecake, eggnog fudge, eggnog French toast, or any of these recipes, you’re in for a treat.

> December 24th is National Eggnog Day.

> The history of eggnog.

> There are more eggnog drinks and desserts recipes below.
 
 
RECIPE: EGGNOG PIE
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. SPRINKLE the gelatin over the water in a small bowl; let stand 1 minute.

2. COMBINE in a saucepan, the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in the eggnog until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the gelatin until dissolved.

3. REMOVE from the heat and cool to room temperature. Stir in the extracts; fold in the whipped cream. Pour into the crust.

4. REFRIGERATE until firm. If desired, dust the pie with cinnamon or nutmeg.
 

MORE EGGNOG RECIPES

 
 
EGGNOG-FLAVORED FOOD RECIPES

Tea has grown in popularity, and you may come across a number of tea-of-the-month subscriptions. But none will deliver better tea than this sone from In Pursuit Of Tea, an acclaimed purveyor of fine tea.

But a benefit with this subscription is: The fine tea is available in tea bags. (With other tea-of-the-month clubs, it’s loose tea, which not everyone wants to deal with.)

Each month, a box of the finest teabags—12 bags—will arrive. The 12 months of tea highlight the flavors, fragrances, and leaf types that make each type of tea unique:

 
Whether for yourself or as a gift, these teas will bring delight, cup after cup.

Sign up for your subscription here.
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF TEA
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF TEA BAGS
 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF TEA

[1] Gourmet tea for people who prefer tea bags to loose tea (photos © In Pursuit Of Tea).

[2] Each month, a box of 12 tea bags arrives.

[1] A book for anyone who wants to paint food (photos #1, #3, #4 © Rocky Nook).

[2] Create lovely watercolors of your favorite foods (photo Pinterest).

Here’s an interesting gift for a food lover who’s artistic, or who wants to try being so. Watercolor Snacks: Inspiring Lessons for Sketching and Painting Your Favorite Foods, says it all.

Author Volta Voloshin-Smith has a large fan base of students who take her watercolor painting classes online and in person.

The first-ever watercolor food guide, this book makes it easy to create watercolor paintings of your favorite foods.

It’s for food lovers, beginning artists, experienced painters ready to explore a fun new subject (food!), and anyone who wants to explore the world of watercolors through easy exercises.

Here are comments from a fan who purchased the book:

“Painting can be a bit intimidating, but this book makes it fun! Great for a beginner or any artist—the step-by-step instructions have you painted pancakes and pizzas with confidence.

“The book features detailed tutorials on many popular foods, including boba tea, avocado Toast, ramen, donuts, croissants, and popcorn.

“The tutorials include fully illustrated steps and a key to the needed paint colors.

“(Also love that the food tutorials are organized by meals!)”

[Source: Amazon]

There are how-to lessons for 30 foods from breakfast to dessert.

Are you ready to create beautiful, delicious-looking paintings?

Get the book here.

How about some whole-grain, fiber-filled snacking for the holidays? Sure, there are chocolate and sugar involved; but Cookie Pop and Candy Pop are not empty calories like many holiday treats. They’re based on popcorn, a whole-grain food with these benefits. But yes, they are a sugary snack. We love them!

We can’t stop munching away on:

 
 
BEYOND MUNCHING: RECIPES!

The GMO popcorn can also be use in recipes such as:

 
Sound good? Check out the recipes.
 
 
A CHARITABLE CAUSE

The manufacturer of the snacks, SNAX-sational Brands, has an annual holiday campaign to raise funds for the Ryan Seacrest Foundation.

A portion of the proceeds of retail sales plus all proceeds of e-commrce sales go to the Ryan Seacrest Foundation, benefiting their Seacrest Studios within children’s hospitals across the United States.

The campaign runs through January 31st.
 
 
GET YOURS HERE

The limited-edition seasonal flavors are available at QFC, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, Dillons, King Soopers, Smiths, Ralphs, Roundy’s and other retailers.

Get them online from the SNAX-Sational.

A special holiday gift box, featuring 9-ounce bags of Candy Pop Popcorn Peppermint Hot Chocolate and regular Oreo Cookie Pop, are available exclusively at Sam’s Club nationwide, including Sam’s Club online.
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF POPCORN

[1] Candy Pop Peppermint Hot Chocolate, drizzled with minty chocolate, shown atop a mug of hot chocolate (photos #1 and #2 © SNAX-sational Brands).

[2] Iced Gingerbread popcorn atop a shake.

[3] Want to make your own? Here’s the recipe for this White Chocolate Peppermint Popcorn (photo © Popcorn Board).