The Bake goes on...

I couldn't help myself. 

I felt like these cookies were begging to be made.

Like they would not fulfill their Christmas destiny if they weren't delivered to my neighbors.

Remember when I talked about the Vault?

Well...

Every year I make the same Christmas cookies.

Orange Butter Madelienes
White Chocolate Macadamia nut
Double Chocolate Triple nut Dipped Cookies
Peanut Butter Cookies
Snickerdoodles
and plain old Chocolate Chip

Here is a sample of the plates that went out last year

All of these recipes are in my Vault.

The only person who has the key to the vault
 is this person

Gram.
(this picture is from Christmas 2008 when I was pregnant with Madeline and Gram was trying to teach me how to make her famous lemon pie. She's not going to be very happy with this picture...But I LOVE IT.  So there. )

Saturday nigh during my Lasagna extravaganza, I had every intention of baking all of these cookies the same night.  As I was mixing the dough I was blogging in my head.  I was going to tell you that I only make these cookies once a year, because I feel it's unfair to the other cookies.  They really should only be competition during the Holiday season..... I laughed in my head and was having a great night.

I had my Ipod on

I had to turn off Christmas music....
I needed some Michael to keep me going...

The ONLY difference between this years baking extravaganza and other years is that I always, always, always, bake at Grams.  She has double ovens, and will clean up after me, and Pop will chop whatever we need...We really are quite the team.  But this year, Gram and I have been so busy, I didn't have a whole Sunday to dedicate to baking like I have in years past.  So I attempted it alone.

What a mistake.

My first batch was a total flop.  I called her at 9:00 at night after I pulled them out.  I had the wrong spatula, her pans were better, my oven was off, I had burned my arm....it was all wrong.

Gram of course completely understood.

So she told me to come over and she would immediately start pre-heating her oven.

So that's what I did.

There is just something about this cookie sheet

She's had it since 1955.
It's magical.
Seriously.

Kinda like her...
:)

After the first batch was done she cleaned up for me

(she is going to crown me when she sees these pictures...in fact, I'm pretty sure those are the exact words  she will use....)

She also fixed up my burn.
*side note*
(if you ever, ever burn yourself, immediately put baking soda on it and let it dry, and keep repeating that process, you won't blister or scar.  I promise...and so does Gram.  It takes the heat out. And it even works on sunburns!)

Here are my *saved* cookies

 I didn't have time to dip the chocolate ones, and I don't think I will this year.

I'm so glad Gram saved the day.
It worked out perfectly, we had not had a chance to visit in a couple of days, and we just sat and talked while the cookies baked to perfection.

I love nights like that with her.
 Just Me
 and Gram
 and the kitchen.
(Man, if that granite could talk.....)

Tonight I decided to have another go at it.

 No magic cookie sheet. No wise woman to show me the way.

I braved it alone.

And made these

And these....

And these...

And finally...

because I didn't have a chance to dip the Chocolate triple nut cookies...

Regular old Brownies.

So needless to say my Christmas cookie plate this year is not as exciting as most years, but I figure...the Lasagnas were the icing on my gift of goodies this year.

I think it was the baking gods trying to teach me that all cookies should be created equal

Lesson Learned.
(until next year... )
;)