Insane with Christmas Baking

Okay so yesterday morning I finished up Christmas cards and then the afternoon I started baking. After dinner, I did some more baking -- more like mixing. I just mixed up several recipes of cookies and got them in the fridge so I could bake them today. By the time I went to bed last night I had a batch of peppermint bark, maple fudge and then dough for jelly cookies, cardamom butter cookies and molasses cookies.

Then today I made chocolate fudge, chocolate caramels (really this is Michael as he does all the stirring for it -- and they require constant stirring), festive bark (almond bark with m&m's and pretzels), mint thins and then I baked jelly cookies, molasses cookies, peanut butter blossoms, and cc peppermint cookies.

Tomorrow I am rolling out the cardamom cookies and also doing sour cream cookies. And making a crab dip for a party that we are going to tomorrow night.

I really don't like living in high altitudes at times. This year my molasses cookies turned out more like ginger snaps. And then cc peppermint cookies turned out tasting good but I always get them mounded high.....and this year nope flatter. (last year pictures and this year below)

Do you have something you make that you don't want to admit what the ingredients are in it? Like I really like homemade mac-n-cheese with Velveeta but I don't like to admit I use Velveeta. Even just sitting here typing the word out makes me cringe. I hate touching it and can't eat it straight. But I like how it makes mac-n-cheese taste.

Okay so I am always on the look out for things with mint in them as Michael really like mint. So in years past I have tried bars and cookies but never found something that was really good. Well in November I got my holiday issue of Kraft Food Magazine and they had mint thins. I looked at the recipe and though okay easy but umm RITZ crackers ewww no. No I don't have anything against Ritz with a veggie dip or some sliced cheese but Ritz in a cookie made me cringe. But it had mint and it was easy. SO yes I made them! (photo below) And....well I am surprised how well they taste. They do taste almost like a girl scout thin mint cookie. I actually will probably be making another batch as I think Michael's family will like them. And they are actually kind of pretty too so will look good on the trays I am making. But it is going to be one of those recipes that when someone asks me how to make them I am going to cringe and say Ritz crackers. I know probably very silly of me to worry about.

Last years CC Peppermint Cookies

This years

Mint Thins

Other cookies I made today...

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Jelly Slices

Molasses Cookies (more like ginger snaps this year though -- again altitude)