"graham" > wrote in message
...
> So far I've made for gifts:
> 8 dozen almond tarts
> 3 dozen choc chip cookies
> 3 dozen crispy cornflake cookies
> 1.5 dozen canelés de Bordeaux
> 4 dozen financiers
> 3 dozen pink peppercorn madeleines
> and there's a batch of the NY Times choc chip dough in the fridge, sans
> white sugar.
>
> Last night I made a batch of Bouchon Bakery oatmeal cookies (for my d-i-l)
> substituting dried blueberries for raisins (which she hates). I cut back
> the sugar significantly and the cinnamon by a third. The cookies look fine
> but they are still repulsively sweet and that masks the flavour of the
> blueberries. I would have thought that such an esteemed patisserie would
> have been more conservative in its use of sugar, particularly as the head
> patissier, at that time, was French.
>
> Tomorrow I will bake the NYT cookies and also make a batch of chocolate
> crunch (a British school lunch treat) for each of my sons. When she
> retired, the head cook at my school gave my mother the recipe along with a
> pan that she used and which I now have.
>
> Many years ago I used to make mince pies but people will nibble on one to
> remind themselves that they don't particularly like them, so I don't
> bother now. I was going to make some macadamia cookies and Parisian
> macarons but I think that I've contributed more than enough calories to
> the season.
> Graham

I just baked some of those premade cookies. Trees and reindeer. We're just
not into sweets here but husband seems to like those. I bought some
pizelles. He is the only one who likes those and I have no iron. And some
kind of tiny Italian cake. Not sure what it is. No fruit in it.

I used to go all out on the baking and candy making. But no more. None of
us need that stuff.