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You might also like:
Holiday Cookies 101 on Cook’s Country
Holiday Baking on Cook’s Illustrated
- Holiday Cookie Emergency Guide on Curious Shortcuts
- Secrets to Rustic Italian Bread on Bake It Better
- Showstopper Desserts on Holiday Handbook
Enjoy our recipe for Black and White Cookies — because we like you, that’s why.
COOKBOOK GIVEAWAY
What are you baking for the holidays? Comment with your answer before noon EST, Wednesday December 21, for a chance to win a copy of Baking Illustrated; one winner will be chosen at random.
About the Author: Mari Levine
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OOOh, Biscotti is on my holiday baking list. Also – This is AMAZING. I want it as a poster for my kitchen!
I am baking a lot of rustic loaves of bread.
I am going to try making some mini pies to give away as gifts. I’m not sure what kids of pies just yet though. I’m going to have to look through some of your recipes!
My baking marathon starts tonight with cookies for the office cookie exchange. My kids are home from college and they will consume mass quantities of cookies, cake, pie, bread – anything baked. My daughter specially requested a butter braid – rich buttery bread filled with preserves and braided on top.
I’m experimenting with a stuffed cookie recipe called mint surprise. The base recipe I find is too tough, and I want to create a more tender crumb.
Also plenty of bread.
Cinnamon rolls! Its a Christmas tradition to wake up and have warm rolls for breakfast
Biscotti and molasses cookies.
We are baking & making everything! Breads, cookies, fudge, nutbaskets, rocky road, peanut butter cups, no bake cookies, toffee, honeycomb, this year we are trying to make our own caramels & chocolate covered cherries. My sons get involved in making/baking and my husband (along with ‘taste testing’) helps to put together the platters and delivers many of them for me.
Jelly doughnuts may make an appearance, but otherwise I am working through a wide array of chocolate chip cookie recipes.
I’ll be baking several types of cookies, a few loaves of bread, lasagna and cheese cake.
I’m baking melomakarona (Greek cookies drenched in honey syrup), peppermint bark, cranberry shortbread bars, and decorated sugar cookies!
Mexican Wedding cakes, oatmeal raisin cookies, some breads. We haven’t had time to really go all out as we have in the past!
Holiday themed sugar cookies!
sugar cookie cutouts..a whole bunch of them!!
I made a batch of miniature oatmeal pies for a holiday potluck this afternoon!
I just made some gingerbread MaccaBears and some sugar snowflake cookies. Ready for decorating! Now on to sufganiot…
Sugar cookies, crusty bread and mini-apple pies…
Cranberry Walnut Bars, Fudge Puddles, Classic Fudge (not technically baking, but…) and Raspberry Dream Bars.
My daughter and I are baking tons of cookies! We love sharing with friends and family!
Several kinds of cookies, can’t wait!
Christmas cupcakes from Nigella Lawson!
I’m not a great baker, so just no-fail choc chip cookies from Cooks Illustrated “The Best Recipes” and lime-cornmeal cookies from Flour Cookbook.
Baking my cranberry nut breads and cookies/ Would love this cookbook!
Cook’s Illustrated’s Rustic dinner rolls for sure. Hopefully, the Cook’s croissants. Ideally, Jacques Pepin’s simple yet elegant pear tart with apricot jam. And whatever cake my daughter chooses for her birthday. My home’s modal birthday cake is the super chocolatey yet light and balanced Cook’s Illustrated CLASSIC DEVIL’S FOOD LAYER CAKE WITH WHIPPED CREAM. And if I really get inspired…Cook’s Paris-Brest. THIS looks amazing! Oh yeah and possibly pretzels.
Not “baking” technically. Making caramels, almond joys, and buckeyes!
Christmas morning will be Cinnamon Rolls – I’ll roll them out the afternoon before and let them rise overnight I think in the fridge since it will be a longer rise?!
yesterday i made peppermint brownies, white chocolate rice krispy treats, and lime sugar cookie bars for my mom’s christmas party at work. next week i’ve got a lot cut out for me because i’m going to bake a lot of christmas presents this year.
i’m making a white chocolate raspberry cheesecake, mini loaves of cinnamon bread and a cheesy white bread, assorted truffles, some fun reindeer cookies for the kids, and going to make my first attempt at homemade marshmallows to pair with some hot cocoa mix. it’s so much more fun to bake presents than to buy them!
I did my cookie baking last week: peanut butter blossoms, russian/mexican wedding/teacakes, chocolate candy cookies, and chocolate blossoms. Next week, I will be baking banana bread, carrot cake, and some sugar cookie cutouts. Yum!
I’m baking cranberry white chocolate oatmeal cookies and decorating sugar cookies!
cut out sugar cookies with icing for myself and family. Also probably chocolate chip cookies for a charity food drive.
Moravian coffee cakes….mmmmmm….butter!
I am going to try to recreate a chocolate cookie and whipped cream roll I remember my grandmother making in the 40′s. This will be a 1st for me and really hope it works out. This is kind of cheating, as the cookies are made by Nabisco, but as a beginner at all this, I’m hoping this will be a success. Hope I win the book. I could really use it.
cookies & hearty breads are at the top of my holiday baking list!
Fruit cake with a twist. Will be pureeing the fruits and using lots of Jamaican Appleton rum. Tis the season to be jolly!
Chocolate Babka bread! My SIL actually requested it back at Thanksgiving. I modified my recipe and added almonds. Fingers crossed! My other go-to this year has been snack mix made from Quaker Oatmeal Squares. Yum.
Classics like pumpkin and apple pies. Might also make the crescent rolls again since they were such a hit at Thanksgiving.
I’m baking more raisin cookies today and glazing some sugar cookies. Maybe some peanut butter blossoms later. I’m working with a different oven in a slightly different climate and things are sometimes not working as well as years past. Or it could be the sinus infection I have battled for a week.
I’ll be baking a lot of scones! Hoping to get them on my food blog, http://www.theyummybits.com before Christmas! Good luck to everyone entering to win the book!
My baking this year is all new…gluten-free. I am doing naturally gluten-free items like chocolate truffles, mounds balls, peppermint bar.
I can’t bake anything because we are toward the end of a big remodel so I don’t have an oven right now. I did, however, make your homemade sriracha sauce and it is incredible!
Cranberry shortbread…always a hit!
Chocolate Ginger Banana Bread for starters.
i always make these delicious (and cute!) cutout cookies with my family for christmas!
Cranberry Cheesecake! My cheesecake was requested this year – so I thought I would make a fresh cranberry sauce to go with it.
Gingerbread Cookies. English Muffins
I’ve already baked 136 dozen cookies for this holiday season, of nine different varieties (I had help, it wasn’t solo). I still need to bake fruitcake and panettone.
cookies, way too many cookies! giving 90% of them away instead of baking a bunch of desserts and then having too many leftovers.
i made meltaways yesterday….mexican wedding cookies today…..cinnamon rolls, Wed……come candy (Undecided) over the weekend
Baking some old standbys like sugar cookies. chocolate biscotti and tiramisu but also trying some fun new stuff – reindeer cake pops for the kids (well maybe adults too!) and Italian Rainbow cookies, they were my favorite growing up in NY and I want to introduce my kids to them so I’m giving it a shot tomorrow!
Pumpkin Cheesecake from the episode with Bridget. Ever since I learned to take the temp of the cheesecake, I now know exactly when it is done thanks to ATK!
The kitchen has been busy since Saturday: snickerdoodle cookies, 2 batches of rustic dinner rolls for Christmas dinner, rocky road candy, fudge and chocolate chip cookies. And, starting today: chocolate pound cakes for gifts, steamed brown bread for Dad, upsidedown apple cake for an office party, cinnamon rolls and pumpkin, pecan and apple pies for Christmas day. Whew!
ooh, add black and white cookies to the list too, just saw your recipe for it – YUM!!
This year I made Snickerdoodles, Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti, Cream Cheese Brownie Bites (everyone’s fave), Coconut Lime Sugar Cookies (which have become the kids’ new fave), and Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars (made with 3 types of chips + craisins). All in, I think I made 300+ cookies!
This looks like a great book! I struggle with my cakes where I now live… at 5700 ft. above sea level. Never had a problem when I lived “down below”. Cookies and breads seem to be fine. Loved baking my Cardamom Christmas Breads yesterday. Yumm. Now I just have to not eat them
Planning on making Sugar Cookies, Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Plain Chocolate Chip Cookies. Maybe some brownies too
Parker House Rolls!
Making my list of Christmas cookies right now. Plan to start baking this afternoon.
I’m baking artisan bread as gifts for my friends.
I haven’t decided yet. I’m pulling out my copies of the past two years of ATK Holiday issues today to figure it out.
) So excited!
So far, I have made pizelles, madeleines, and Calabrian biscotti. I hope to make some sugar cookies and struffolli. Of course, I can not forget pizza frites.
Love this infographic so much. As a designer, I’m always drawn to them, and this combines my love of baking & design!
Cookies and cupcakes are always popular. Hopefully none will fail. Good that America’s Test Kitchen’s recipes has a high success rate for me! (am still a novice to baking.)
Sugar cookies. They seem to be a hit with the family. For my nana I usually bake gingersnaps which she enjoys with her morning coffee.
Eggnog cookies and pear cranberry crumble
i plan to make cookies for my close friends instead of sending the generic Christmas cards
This Christmas I have made caramels, Krumkake, Peanut cookies, Date swirl cookies and will be baking my grandmothers raisin filled cookies. YUM! I’ll be giving away a lot of it though.
I hope to make Chocolate Macaroons too.
Sugar cookies with icing!
Shortbread cookies, almond biscotti dipped in chocolate, and gingersnaps.
i’m baking a traditional family sweet bread recipe that has been passed down for years and years. we are having a bake-off this year to see which baker reigns supreme.
COOKIES!! Lots and lots of cookies! Sugar cookies, chewy chocolate cookies, chocolate chip cookies, lime-glazed coconut snowballs, jam sandwiches, chocolate-hazelnut diamonds, peanut butter cookies, cinnamon swirls, brown sugar cookies, and jam thumbprints. Plus, cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning. Good thing I’m a teacher and have time off…I need to start baking!!
Biscotti and gingerbread!
I am making Egg Nog!
I’m making a couple cookies passed down from my grandma, lemon sugar cookies and cakey orange walnut cookies with an orange glaze, as well as some almond spritz cookies.
I’ll be making some home-made bagels for the holidays. My dad loves “lox-n-bagels,” so I’ll be making the bagels and he’ll provide the lox!
I’m going to bake some thumbprint cookies. And then for Christmas I think I’ll make prime rib with some Yorkshire pudding! Yum.
I made your recipe for Sables and they were a huge hit!
I will be baking a Pineapple Upside-Down Cake. This is one of my father-in-law’s favorite, and with his failing health, I knew this was the cake to bake as we celebrate Christmas with him.
Homemade peppermint marshmallows!
boxed brownies….I don’t know how to bake anything–I could use this book
“dirty snow” bars- substitute crushed oreos for the rice krispies in the treat recipe, and voila! also, lots of candied nuts and other confections.
My daughter and I are baking two types of biscotti. One will be lemon flavored with cranberries in it and the other will be Chocolate with white chocolate chips. I also will be baking chocolate chip cookies because they are my father’s favorite cookie. All three are going to be put together with a mug, a package of hot cocoa, and a little baggy of marshmallows as Christmas presents for my family since times are rough and I wish to give them all a little something.
I’m making chocolate pull-apart rolls, biscuits, chocolate crackle cookies and maybe chrusciki. And maybe a pumpkin roll. Somebody stop me!
I’m making lots and lots of butter tarts this year. And hoping to try making some fresh bread to serve with Christmas lunch.
I’m only giving gifts this year that are consumable and tasty! Coconut macaroons, banana bread, truffles and classic holiday cookies. Getting started on Friday and wrapping everything in treat bags with ornaments. It’s going to be a delicious weekend.
I made 40 gingersnaps yesterday for a Christmas party. Lots of other people brought other yummy sweets. Needless to say, competition was stiff. 2 hours later, however, there were only 4 gingersnaps left. Thank you, ATK!
WQell, besides all the cookies, I will be baking an eggnog punpkin pie with a gingersnap crust for Christmas dessert!!
Making chocolate covered pretzels, cheesecake bars, and peanut butter blossoms!
Sugar Cookies
Pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting.
My famous cinnamon swirl bread…haven’t made it in years, but I am feeling inspired!!!
Making lemon crinkle cookies, chocolate chip cookies, sea foam candy, and soft ginger cookies. Too bad I have to share.
I’ve already baked you’d fabulous chocolate chip cookies, made peppermint ice cream and will be baking a chocolate souffle to accompany it.
Cookies, cinnamon rolls & pies
Brownie-Chunk Cookies! The cookies are made with chunks of fudge brownies instead of chocolate chips.
Wacky cake with chocolate buttercream frosting, my mom’s raised rolls, Cape Breton Oatcakes, Cathedral Cookies, ginger shortbread… love to bake!
I’ve already made my Mom’s recipe for iced sugar cookies and I’m baking snickerdoodles and ginger snaps on Wednesday!
candy cane pinwheel cookies, my daughters favorite!
Biscotti, lemon meringue pie, cinnamon rolls and sweet potato rolls
Cheesecake, rolls, whoopie pies, banana bread, and some pies, no doubt. LOVE this time year!
What am I not baking?
Lots of cookies, biscotti, cranberry nut bread, vanilla cupcakes with peppermint cheesecake filling, red velvet cupcakes, to name a few.
I’ve made 25 dozen pizzelle cookies so far….
As the family baker I’ve inherited responsibility for my fiancée’s family Christmas cookie recipes (which go back at least three generations) so I’ll be muddling through recipes without quantities listed for some ingredients and other key ingredients (like, say, salt) just omitted entirely.
Grandmother’s rolls (white and wheat), apple-cranberry pie, and something figgy.
My traditional cutout cookies I’ve made since high school. Also my friend gave me her great-grandmother Noel Squares recipe. It’s over a 100 years old. They are so good and very refreshing, you use candied citron and orange peel. Going to be my family tradition from now on.
Peanut blossom cookies! I’ve wanted a good Black and White recipe – one of my dear friends loves these!
I’m not the world’sbest baker, so I stick with breads and cheesecakes for the most part.
This year I’ve whipped up a dozen mini-loaves of pumpkin orange bread (with orange butter), three small batches of gingerbread cake (one of which is a ginger-bread cake with cheesecake center), and one cheesecake with homemade lemon curd topping and a raspberry glaze drizzle.
The last thing I will make for Xmas morning is cranberry-candied walnut scones.
I plan to bake Christmas cookies
We make a family recipe for lace cookies that go over very, very well in both our home and the office. Mmm!
We will be making gingerbread cookies and possibly a house (depends on time) and a chocolate flan cake. Mmmm…Maybe more, we’ll see.
Candy cane cookies, gingerbread girls, peanut blossoms with Rolo candies instead of Hershey kisses, pumpkin bread, rolled cut outs, and peanut brittle. Whew! And pies.
Tarte tatin for quick breakfasts. Spice cookies as gifts.
I don’t usually bake at all, but this year we have made sugar cookies that we will be decorating on Saturday. And your recipe for Blue Berry Scones is in the oven as I speak. This is the second time we’ve made scones. My 13 year old son requested it for the Holiday baking. He did the majority of the work himself.
My husband will be making his first pumpkin pie, while teaching the three older kids how to. I will be on site with a fire extinguisher to make sure nothing goes wrong. I’ll be making a few different cookies, mint chocolate sandwich, gingerbread boys, and my fave gingersnaps. Also might make rice pudding. Tis the season. My kids love your cooking show. And we rush to the store to make what you have shown us. <3 test kitchen!!!
This year I went for the chocolate bourbon balls and ginger rum balls. Really looking forward to sharing those around!
Baking a spicy cajeta brownie recipe I developed for paternal family, salted caramel cake for maternal family, and truffles for gifts.
I wanted to try something new: sugar cookies with holiday decorations but that will have to wait ’til next year; probably one of my standards: chocolate chip cookies or brownies to bring to our family gathering! …if I feel up for a challenge, maybe a new recipe from my ATK cookbook
I’ve been eyeing the sable cookies!
I’m making Pumpkin pie (using fresh ginger… really makes a BIG difference) and chocolate cookies for the kids. Next year I plan on using my new Baking Illustrated cookbook for some more creative recipes!
Happy Holidays all!
I recently learned an easy scone recipe. I’ll be making it for Christmas morning with coffee. My favorite flavor has been dark chocolate with orange zest.
Break between cookies batches. Whew! Love your recipes and cookbooks! Now, on to the brownies. (My daughter is pregnant; brownies are a must.)
I’ve baked lots of Italian cookies: wine biscuits, pepper biscuits,amaretti, chocolate biscotti and papparatti(molasses cookies)!
I will bake some cookies that my kids can have fun decorating (with icing and sprinkles), and something else that us parents want to eat (with chocolate).
pies, pies, pies.
I am baking a delicious apple crumb pie with the Cook’s Illustrated pie crust with vodka.
I am baking a quiche lorraine with ATK’s fool proof crust!
I am baking several cookies out of the 2010 America’s Test Kitchen “Holiday Cookie” book. I am making:
Orange Gingerbread Cookies with Rum Glaze
Cinnamon Swirls
Marvelous Chocolate Mint Cookies
Crunchy Spiced Rum Balls
Washboards
Macadamia/Eggnog Creams (My fiance’s favorite!)
Molasses Spiced Lemon Cookies
Russian Tea Cakes
Pecan Toffee Shortbread Stars (My favorite!!)
Banana nut cake, Christmas cookies and cinnamon rolls
I’ll be making soda cracker toffee, popcorn balls, salted caramel and oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips.
Molasses Spice Cookies (from BI), Jam Thumbprints (Barefoot Contessa), Gingerbread men, Black Gold Cookies, Chocolate Chip Cookies, my Grandma’s Christmas Cookies (like fruitcake, but a cookie) Stollen, Panettone…
All the cookies (30 dozen!) are done, now I’m on to the breads.
Cookies! Chocolate Crinkles, Datenut Pinwheels, Peanut Butter Blossoms, Chocolate Chips, Christmas Pinwheels, and Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies – so far.
Cookies!
Classic Swedish Spritz cookies made with an antique cookie press that my Grandparents brought from Sweden. Lots of memories in that press!
I’ll be baking no-knead bread and the amazing apple/cranberry pie for Christmas, YUM!
Cookies, yule logs, breads and anything else that comes up in the line duty (kitchen duty that is)
Baking Toffee Crunch Cookies as Christmas gifts . They have a hint taste of coffee in them…love anything coffee.
We have a full day of baking tomorrow with sugar cookies, English Toffee Cookies, annual Spritzers with an old fashioned press to look like wreaths, Russian Tea Cakes, Lemon Bars, Razzleberry pie, Carmelitas, Caramel Pops, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Plum Bread, and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread. Whew! I hope it all turns out and tastes yummy! Merry Christmas!
Macarons. Haven’t made a successful batch with a nice foot yet but will keep trying. If they don’t turn out again I’ll just rename them (and I’m sure they’ll taste just as nice).
I’m trying a new poppy seed bread recipe in hopes of finding the one my grandmother made.
I am baking a few pies and some cookies
vmkids3 at msn dot com
chocolate rugelach!
Yankee Feather Bed Potato Rolls! Deeeeeeeeeeeeeeelicious!!
Chocolate-covered toffee with sea salt
Brownies
Chocolate crostata (simple pie dough, chocolate ganache…)
Pizza (working on a high-hydration sicilian-style crust)
Bread (trying to pick a favorite rustic loaf for everyday use)
Going to be baking some holiday sugar cookies. This is my first year baking cookies during Christmas.
I am trying my hand at my great grandmother’s coconut pie!
Pies and cupcakes with lots of chocolate!
I’m making ATK’s sugar cookies, chocolate mint fudge cookies, pear crisps or muffins, possibly buttermilk cornbread…oh myyyyy
An unusual quick bread that I’ve made in the past: tea brack (bread) made with brewed tea-either constant comment or Earl Grey tea. Gingerbread. Molasses Crinkles. That’s about it!
Piña Colada Zucchini Bread, Snickerdoodles, Sour Cream Cookies (frosted), cake pops, Bonbon Balls and Biscotti. Half are already done – whew!!!
Crazy gingerbread, my Grandma’s recipe. Super easy and it makes soft, cake-y gingerbread instead of hard.
I made pannetone, macaroons, date nut squares, sugar cookies and a butterscotch nut torte.
Spicy Oatmeal cookies, and gingerbread
Sugar cookies, two types of blond brownies, fudgey brownies, lemon cookies and chocolae mint cookies are in my freezer ready for Santa!
I made peppermint white chocolate fudge! Very easy!
You all sound like very busy bakers this season! A happy holiday to you and yours. And congrats to fedward (p.s. good luck with the heirloom cookie recipes) — our random winner of this cookbook giveaway. Everyone, be sure to check out our newest giveaways at http://americastestkitchenfeed.com/topics/giveaway/