Virtual Christmas Cookie Exchange

Welcome to Christmas 2025, and Carol's  Cookie Exchange blog hop. 

 December is a month of celebrations, whether you observe Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, or other special times within your culture, It is a time of sharing with friends and family. Today I want to share two recipes that are regulars at our table at Christmas, but also throughout the year. 

My husband has been advised that he must make some lifestyle changes, so our house will have fewer rich treats, and more snacks with a higher nutritional content. That doesn't exclude all the wonderful goodies we love, but moderation will be our guide. One snack we welcome at any time is my grandmother's recipe for cinnamon loaf. Whether you are wanting a glass of milk, or a cup of tea, it will satisfy. I always make two of them because one is never enough. Also they freeze well, if you are fortunate enough to have some to put aside.

Cinnamon Loaf

Heat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix together and set aside: 3 tbsp brown sugar (yellow or golden)

                                            1 tbsp cinnamon (generous)

Combine: 1/4 cup butter,   1 cup white sugar  2 eggs , 2 tsp vanilla ext., 1 cup sour milk

Next:  sift together  2 cups white flour, 1 tsp baking powder ,1/2 tsp baking soda,  After sifting, add to wet ingredients.

Place 1/3 of the batter in a greased loaf pan, spread some of the cinnamon and brown sugar mixture over the layer. Repeat this with another 1/3 of the batter and the rest of the cinnamon / brown sugar mixture, and top with the remaining batter.

Bake for about 1 hour.Let it rest in the pan for about 10 minutes before turning out on a rack..

I hope you enjoy this easy and delicious snack

Deciding what to choose for my second recipe was difficult. I come from a family of bakers, and there are so many wonderful recipes.Considering the time constraints many homemakers have these days, I thought this recipe might be a good choice. Scandinavian Almond bars are delicious and the prep is straightforward with an easy cleanup. We like ours crispy, so I probably bake them a bit longer than is necessary. 

Scandinavian Almond Bars

Mix together and set aside: 1 3/4 cups AP flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/3 tsp salt. 

In a large mixing bowl, beat until softened: 1/2 cup butter or margarine. Add 1 cup white sugar and beat until fluffy..To this mixture add 1 large egg and 1 tsp almond extract. Beat all of this together.

At this point it's time to combine the dry ingredients you have set aside. Combine them well.Your resulting dough will be easily managed. Divide the dough into 4 equal parts, and form each of the portions into a 12 inch roll. ( The kids might want to participate at this point.) Place 2 of the rolls 4-5 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten dough so that it is about 3 inches wide. Repeat this with the other 2 rolls. I tried putting the four rolls on one cookie sheet. That's not such a good idea, there was crowding.

Brush with milk, sprinkle  with sliced almonds, 

Bake at 325 degrees F for 12-14 minutes. Edges should be slightly brown. Cut into 1 inch diagonal strips while bars are still warm.Cool and then drizzle with almond icing. This recipe makes about 48 bars

Almond Icing: 

1 cup sifted powdered sugar. 1/4 tsp almond extract, 3-4 tsp milk

Stir together powdered sugar, and almond extract. Add milk to make a thin consistency, and drizzle over the bars.

Every year I enjoy making my ornament of the year. This year is no exception. Mine are not elaborate, usually made from what I have in my surroundings, and destined to share with those I love. The idea for this little ornament came from an old Thimbleberries Club handout. The idea was to use scraps to make a little heart name tag, but of course a sweet little ornament for the tree is an easy variation. I used many of my very small scraps, and some fibrefill batting. I skipped identifying the year, but may add it with Micron pen, not sure yet.

And that is where I am at this point in time. There was a light snowfall during the night, so this morning a light layer of snow tips the branches of all of the trees surrounding us. This surely is winter, and our Christmas season feels closer. From our house to yours, we wish you a season filled with warmth, health and joy. May all of your sewing dreams have a good year ahead,. Perhaps, like mine, some will even become realities. Be sure to visit all of the bloggers this week, and share in their seasonal delights. 

Sending you all Christmas hugs

Lynn 💗

DECEMBER 1^st

Just Let Me Quilt

Hill Valley Quilter

Karrin’s Crazy World

Lynn's Blog

Quilted Delights

Quilt Schmilt

Selina Quilts

 

DECEMBER 2^nd

A Quiltery

Ms P Designs USA

Bumbleberry Stitches

Texas Quilt Gal

Beaquilter

Quilted Snail

 

DECEMBER 3^rd

Just Because Quilts

Just Sew Quilter

Kathleen McMusing

Songbird Designs

Quilting Between The Rails

Words & Stitches

 

DECEMBER 4^TH

MooseStashQuilting

Scrapdash

Sew Many Yarns

Happy Cottage Quilter

Days Filled With Joy

That Fabric Feeling