Holiday Baking

I am thinking about some baking I want to do over the holidays and at the top of my list is my mom's famous cheesecake. 

I would love to share the recipe with you but I've been forbidden. 

Yes, forbidden. 

It's mom's recipe that she got from a very dear friend of hers many, many years ago and heaven help anyone who shares it. 

It's that good. 

Really and truly. 

So let's talk about some of the other things I'll be making, shall we?

Williams Sonoma - The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

You can't bake a bucket-load of cookies without including classic chocolate chip. Obvi. 

I made this recipe for Thanksgiving to bring to my sister's house. And those folks at Williams Sonoma surely know what they are doing - these truly are the perfect chocolate chip cookies. 

Of course I couldn't stop with the basic recipe. I used chocolate chunks and butterscotch chips instead of chocolate chips. 

They didn't last a full 24 hours. Oops. 

Mexican Wedding Cookies

No holiday baking extravaganza would be complete without Mexican Wedding Cookies. 

They look like tiny little snowballs when they are done and they absolutely melt in your mouth. 

Warning - there is no way under the sun you will be able to eat just one. 

Don't say I didn't tell you. 

Chewy Coconut Cookies

I made these Chewy Coconut Cookies for Thanksgiving also - they were a huge hit. A little less sweet than the butterscotch chocolate chunk but just the right amount of sweetness from the coconut to satisfy that after dinner craving. 

My sister was asking me for the recipe - well, here it is, sissy!! 

Amish Cinnamon Bread

Sheila from My Kentucky Living posted a recipe for Amish Cinnamon Bread recently At The Women's Room - that caught my attention for sure!

I need to make a batch of this for Christmas morning - the perfect thing to snack on with coffee while opening presents!  Thanks, Sheila!

Three Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

What about these Three Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies? They look just far too easy NOT to make.

I mean, come on - seriously? I could make these in 15 minutes before work in the morning!! 

Hey, wait - that's a little scary!!

The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe Ever

One more cookie recipe that I will have to try this holiday season was posted by Carol at The Red Painted Cottage - I just spotted this recipe today and had to add it to this list!

Carol swears by these cookies and we're going to add them to our baking list this season for sure - thanks, Carol, for sharing your treasured recipe with us!!

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Let's face it, though - sometimes you just need a little cake. A simple, buttery, moist cake. 

Elizabeth's Edible Experience has just the thing to satisfy that craving - this recipe for an incredible Cream Cheese Pound Cake - buttery, rich, delicious, smooth, sweet,just a hint of cream cheese.....mmmmmmm!

Chocolate Cream Pie with Vanilla Whipped Cream

But if it's chocolate you're craving  you need to try this amazing Chocolate Cream Pie with Vanilla Whipped Cream from How Sweet Eats. 

Her blog totally blows me away - her recipes are just sinfully amazing. 

Step away from the pie. 

Bread and Butter Pudding with Salted Caramel Whiskey Butter Sauce

This Bread and Butter Pudding recipe caught my eye when leafing through a magazine one day while traveling - I have never made bread pudding but I know my parents like it so it's been bookmarked to try out. I think I'll have to give it a trial run around the holidays and see how it turns out. 

Bread pudding is a big Irish dessert - perhaps my brother in law will be the perfect guinea pig for this recipe?

Crack Pie

And then there's this. The last hurrah. The final countdown. The fat lady has sung. 

This recipe scares the bejeezus out of me. 

It's very labor intensive and will take me at least three hours in the kitchen to make. 

And then there's a very good possibility it won't make it to the table at all....I will just eat every last crumb by myself. Averie over at Averie Cooks calls it Crack Pie for a reason. 

I'm scared. 

But it might have to happen. 

Hopefully I'll live to tell about it.