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I’m really excited about this sweet little giveaway. Perhaps that’s because I baked some cookies from the book today!
Cookie Craft Christmas by Valerie Peterson and Janice Fryer contains many new Christmas cookie designs and some festive New Year’s cookies too. It’s 169 pages of inspiration, instruction and full-page, close-up photographs.
The book gives you three basic cookie recipes: rolled sugar cookies, rolled chocolate cookies and rolled gingerbread cookies with tips on using cookie slats for uniform thickness. Some of the tips offered are simple, like putting food coloring in sugar cookie dough or more complex, like flooding and piping royal icing. Yes, icing recipes are included as well.
I received a comp copy of the book to review. I’ve never been a very patient cookie decorator, so I started with one of the easy recipes. I made the rolled sugar cookies, adding green food coloring when blending. Then, I created a branch effect by using a paring knife on the dough before baking. It’s not as pretty as the cookies with elaborate icing on the cover, but it’s still festive! And I never would have thought about the branch effect without the help of this book. I neglected to check on my cookies before the end of the recommended bake time, so the edges were slightly brown. Yet, they tasted great. It was a trial batch, and I’m planning on making some with royal icing later.
The cookies in this book may be as simple as round cookies with flooded and piped icing, or as complex as a stand-up sleigh you can actually put other cookies inside, or a beautiful Christmas tree centerpiece. There are plenty of options, and a resource in the back tells you where to find some of the cookie cutters used in the book.
If you can’t wait for the contest to be over, Cookie Craft Christmas is available at all the usual online retailers like amazon, Powell’s and Barnes & Noble. If you’re browsing Barnes & Noble, I saw it at my local store recently displayed on a holiday books table. If you’re not a baker yourself, this cute book would make an excellent gift for anyone with a winter birthday, or it can be tucked away in a stocking for a sweet surprise.
Enter the giveaway for a free copy of Cookie Craft Christmas.
You must have a US mailing address and leave a comment on this post by 11 pm CST on Monday, November 16. In the comment, please tell us about your favorite type of holiday cookie. The randomly selected winner will have five days to respond to my request for a mailing address before another winner is chosen. Please check your spam filter.
UPDATE: Congrats to the winner, Barbara W!
(Image via Storey Publishing)
898 days ago
[...] face it. Pretzels look rather boring, but Christmas is the perfect time to dress them up! You can get the recipe and tools needed for these Sweet Gifts [...]
I loved my very first cookbook. I dreamt about the cookies with the silver balls and other sprinkles. I think it brings joy to friends and teachers….I hope to use this book and be creative, I want to win it for sure….My daughter will enjoy it too…xo Susan
susanvedel@aol.com
I love gingerbread men and molasses cookies.
Soft sugar cookies :)
sugar cookies that the kids help make and decorate.
I love shortbreads.
I loved making spritz cookies – and of course I added food coloring to make them cuter!
Thanks for the giveaway!
Spritz!
Sugar Cookies. I have a receipe using powered sugar instead of white sugar that is absolutely fabulous.
My fave Christmas Cookie has to be the basic sugar cookie. We had a blast when we were younger cutting them out, eating dough & then decorating them.
I love oatmeal raisin cookies – even if they aren’t specifically Christmas-oriented. The kids don’t like them, so I only make them at Christmastime when relatives are coming.
I love Spritz, thanks!
I love buttercream-iced sugar cookies.
ginger bread cookies that my mom made when I was a kid
Sugar cookies are just the perfect snack for the holidays
Sounds like a great book!
My daughter and I love making cookies. Matter of fact just made sugar cookies this afternoon. My favorite kind to make is no bake yum.
This sounds like a neat book.
peanut butter balls.i miss making those
I love any cookie that i make with my mom. I love her fudge the most but i think cookie wise, i like the peanut butter cookies with the chocolate kisses in the middle.