December 19, 2014

a christmas must-eat

At 5:15 today I will wish my students a Merry Christmas, pass out some candy canes (gotta keep my place in line for favorite teacher of the year, wink), and chasse out the door. As soon as my pointed toe hits the sidewalk I will officially be on Christmas break.

Christmas break! Christmas break! 2 weeks! 2 weeks! I love kids, but 2 weeks! Christmas break!
Sidebar: I should totally write a song like that, right? I'm sure teachers everywhere would sing it with me. 

I've thought a lot about what I need to do during these 2 weeks. Finish wrapping presents, finish buying presents so that I can finish wrapping said presents, listen to lots of Christmas music, look at lots of Christmas lights, clean the guest room so my family can fit inside the room and not just stand in the hallway and look at it, and...

bake.
Christmas baking is almost as necessary a task as wrapping presents. How can one have Christmas without oodles and bagoodles of sweet treats?! You can't. Santa eats cookies for a reason. And that reason is that they are mandatory on Christmas, for some reason. Since I'm the one hosting Christmas this year (I italicize hosting because I'm sure I won't be doing any of the cooking on Christmas Day and I'm also sure Santa is still delivering all the gifts...), I figured I needed to have the kitchen counter stocked up with all the Christmas goodies so that the instant my family walks in the door they can feast their eyes and bellies on the treats. 

For a hot second let's pretend that I am actually useful and talented in the kitchen. Got your imaginations working? Good. Here is what Baker Extraordinaire Emily will be baking next week:

Double Chocolate Dipped, Peanut Butter Stuffed Pretzels

What a freaking mouthful to type...and a mouthful to eat, I assume. A mouthful of deliciousness to eat, that is. These pretzels literally encompass everything in life that I think is the best: which is mostly just chocolate and peanut butter. Then you add words like double and stuffed and I'm completely smitten.

Monkey Bread

I've already asked Freddie like a million times if we can have monkey bread for breakfast on Christmas morning. For 2 reasons: 1) yum and 2) it's a good alternative from eating cookies for breakfast. So much healthier and all that. 

These Easy And Delicious Things You See All Over Pinterest

You knew what I was talking about before even looking at the picture, didn't you? In my opinion, this kind of baking is the best kind of baking. No mixing or measuring or stirring or whipping or spreading or cutting necessary. Place, press, cook, and eat. Eat some more. Eat even more. The End. 

These last two items are items I am hoping that either my mother will bake in all her free time and bring with her or we will bake together here because these two items are always present at our Christmases and...I wouldn't want to screw them up by making them myself. 

Cheese straws
You get no pictures because it's a top secret family recipe. Shhhhhh. That I don't even know. Shhhhh. 

Spice Cookies
via my mom's Instagram 

These are the cookies that we left for Santa every year. These are the cookies we made for the neighbors every year. These are the cookies that substitute as all of my family's meals during the month of December. These are The Cookies. 

What are you baking for the Holidays?
Happy Friday!

Linking up with Amanda and Karli!

6 comments:

Meg Taylor said...

Yum!! Those giant stuffed pretzels look amazing!! I've tried making those pretzel kiss things before, but used white chocolate kisses... boy, did I screw it up... too melted or not enough melted - I was a mess!! lol

Kayla MKOY said...

Thanks to you there is a pile of drool all over my desk now. OMG! Baking! Come over and we will bake together!! ;)

Erin LFF said...

Ummm... ditto what Kayla said ha! I mean everything looks delish, but I really just cannot get past that first one. O.M.G.

Anonymous said...

Stopping by from Friday link ups. Oh how I wish I had Christmas break! :) I am going away but still have to work. Thankfully I work from home and have the flexibility :) www.ladybug-blessings.com

Bailley said...

Stopping by from the link up! And now my mouth is watering...this all looks so good!! I make the pretzels candies almost every year!! Try them with rollos instead...soo good!! Merry almost Christmas!

Amanda Elizabeth - Meet @ the Barre said...

Ummmmmmmm those stuffed pretzels look insane!!!