Shannon Traditions are a vital part of the holidays and there is one tradition that my mom and I have managed to check off each year for… more years than I can actually remember.
The bake-a-thon.
This magical event takes up the better part of a weekend day and includes festive outfits, music and of course, LOADS of cookie baking.
I mentally begin preparing about a week ahead, digging out my absolute favorite cookie recipes that are specifically reserved for the Christmas season. The day before includes a massive grocery trip and I cover my countertops in all the delicious ingredients we’ll need for our epic day of baking.
This year was the first in our new house and the first in a long time where we had ample counter space in our larger kitchen (Hooray!). We used every inch.
The morning of our big day, I light all my holiday candles…
Pop on a holiday record and light up every light garland and tree in the house…
And spend a few extra minutes with some festive hair and makeup.
(This look used the limited edition Becca + Jaclyn Hill Shimmer Palette along with a bright red lipstick.)
(Definitely embracing the whole strobing trend!)
Once Mom arrives, the drinks are poured, the aprons donned and the boys clear out of the house as we take over, and crack down to bake.
We usually start with our favorite, Holiday Cherry Squares, which are similar to Magic Bars but with cherries and marshmallows instead of chocolate chips.
My favorite part is the final step where you pour the sinfully tasty sweetened condense milk all over the top before popping it into the oven.
The finished product is pretty difficult to stay away from.
Next we made some Rum Balls, which are a real delight for the senses with their rummy, no-cook dough. It’s basically just some whirling together of a few ingredients…
Adding some rum, and then rolling. They end in the fridge, where they proof (yes, proof) for several hours. Thus, we didn’t get a finished snap.
Continuing the race of cookie recipes, we continued mixing…
And sampling…
Followed by more mixing…
And even more sampling, believe it or not…
In what seemed like a whirl of flour and butter and a splash of vanilla, we were working on our favorite peanut butter cookies…
And topping each with a kiss…
Of chocolate, that is!
These are some of my all time favorite cookies and so easy to make! Use your own favorite soft peanut butter cookie recipe and then just top with a chocolate drop as soon as they come out of the oven.
The chocolate kiss will melt into the cookie as they cool, and they form the perfect delicious balanced bite of chocolate and peanut butter.
For the grand finale, we rounded out our collection of baked delights with two shortbread based cookies, our take on a Mexican Wedding Cookie and some Jam Thumbprint Cookies.
Using what felt like a million pounds of butter, both of these recipes are a breeze to create, and even easier to devour.
We did need to make some more room by spilling our cookie baking space into the dining room, so careful relocations were conducted.
No cookie was wasted.
The last two batches filled the entire house with the irresistible smell of vanilla and had us glued to the oven, practically watching the cookies turn golden brown.
When the last buttery ball was coated and cooled…
We cut divided them up, enjoying the occasional sample where needed…
And packaged them up with a flourish, filling tin after tin and even a couple baking dishes, with our day’s hard work.
Some went to office kitchens, dinner parties and were even delivered as gifts to neighbors and friends.
We each kept a special stash to be savored at home, however, as a reward for our six-hour effort.
What holiday season would be complete without such a tradition? I dough not know! (And I don’t want to find out.)
