Christmas Cookies and Gifts

Here is a link to a lot of easy no-bake cookies http://www.cooksrecipes.com/cookies/no-bake-cookie-recipe...

We love making the following recipe

Ingredients:
Pretzel Rounds (Jewel Brand is easiest to find)
Vanilla Almond Bark (Found at Jewel in the baking aisle)
Holiday M&M's (milk chocolate flavor)
wax paper

Spread out some pretzels on wax paper in a single layer.
Melt the Almond Bark. Don't get it too hot.
Spoon teaspoon fulls into the pretzel circles.
Place an M&M in the center of each one before they harden.

Once hard, they look beautiful in glass jars. I buy small mason jars from Wal-mart and fill them with the pretzels. Caution, people may start begging you to make them every year ( :

If you don't want to go to all the above trouble, dip long pretzels into melted vanilla almond bark instead. Much easier and people really like them.

Make Peanut Butter with Christmas Star Cookies! It's easy, you just make a basic peanut butter cookie and when they are warm out of the oven you push chocolate stars in to the centers. I think Brach's makes the stars, you'll see with with other baking stuff. Or you can just use Kisses instead but they aren't quite as pretty :)
I think making cookies is a nice idea. If her father isn't helping at all, everyone should know you are having trouble. I do hope you are persuing support from him.
Good Luck! And happy cookie baking:)

I have a great idea. Most people love getting things from kids.
Take a black and white drawing that they do and have Kinkos can make it into a note pad. Everyone makes lists and is always looking for paper. I had my daughter draw her grandparents cat, it was so cute. It think it cost $6 for a couple of pads. Throw in some new sharpened pencils and tie with a pretty ribbon. Good Luck

I have a website that has a ton of cookie recipes.
www.northpole.com/kitchen.

Here is a simple cookie that my 2 year old girl and I make together (she LOVES wearing a little apron - isn't it fun!?) :)

Cake Cookies
1 cake mix, any flavor
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegtable oil

Combine all ingredients, mix well. Drop by TEASPOON onto ungreased cookie sheet (or a melon ball scoop works well too). Bake at 350 for 8 minutes. Remove from sheet and cool.

They are the cutest little shape when the come out. Our favorite is strawberry cake mix - taste great, plus they come out a fun pink color. Last year at Christmas I used white cake mix and added green food coloring! My husbands favorite is to use the cake mix with sprinkles in it - great for birthday parties!

I think homemade goodies that come from the heart of you and your two year old is a wonderful gift!!! We do the same here in our house. Instead of using tins to put them in, I like to use Tupperware that the person can then reuse all year round as opposed to a Christmas tin that gets throwed into a box. And, I just happen to know where you can get some great Tupperware!!....wink wink, I am a Tupperware consultant and would love to help you out if you ever need any. :) An outline of your little girls hand makes the perfect gift tag to hang on the side and then Grandma/Aunt or whoever you give it to can use it for a tree ornament!

Enjoy the Holidays with your two year old - we sure are...it is getting to be so much fun!!!

My girls and I love to make these (luckily Daddy loves to eat them). Just have your daughter roll the balls in the cinnamon & sugar and put them on the cookie sheets.

Snickerdoodles

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Cream together butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, the eggs and the vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls.
Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Remove immediately from baking sheets.

Those are great ideas and I dont think they are hokey at all. I would think that is a very thoughtful loving gift. I do have another cheaper suggestion for you that I am going to do this year I think. At Walmart, you can have anything made into something using pictures. And also at Walgreens too. One year, I bought those snow globes at walmart that only cost about 4 each and I put the kids Christmas pictures in them. They were a big hit too. I am sure they will have them this year. But what I was talking about is in the Electronics Dept right by the Digital Cameras and camcorders. I just thought I would suggest it. You could probably do it online too. But, I do think youe idea is a great one too.

S. Bailey CLD
Aurora
www.tendermomentsdoula.com

Food is ALWAYS a good gift in my book! You could make fudge, I am sure you can find easy cookie recipes, and my favorite (I do this with my DS every year) Dip the top of a pretzel rod in white chocolate and have him sprinkle with Christmas sprinkles all over it. Wrap in colored saran wrap...looks very festive.
I also have him fingerpaint and I "frame" it offset on construction paper with his name, year, and Merry Christmas.
Oh, and DS's cooking class made "reindeer droppings" which were really easy...can't remember exactly how to do it, but it has crushed oreos and cream cheese or something they are YUMMY!

I definitely thinking some homemade goodies are appropriate gifts. If you send me your email I can forward you this GREAT email I received with TONS of cookie recipes. Or you can try nestle.com or google and probably get hits to allrecipes.com /etc.

Happy holidays.

There has been a couple of years past that I just didn't have enough money to go around for the aunts, uncles, and 3 sets of grandparents and godparents. That's a lot of gifts! So baking was very easy, fairly inexpensive way to take care of that.

And if you wanted to do something a little more special for maybe your parents, you could always go to Wal-Mart and buy a canvas, give Elli some paints and let her go crazy. Frames are expensive but you can check out a craft store, like Michaels, and find all sorts of ideas that could make for a very inexpensive border and have Elli add her "personal touch". I love stuff like that!

For my dad's birthday this last year I went to JoAnne Fabrics and bought 2 stepping stone kits, they are $14 each, you just make the mix and pour it into the mold, and you can have Elli personalize it. My dad added my son's and nephews to the stepping stones that border the sidewalk going up to his house, it's really cute, and the boys had a ton of fun making them. For a couple bucks you can purchase extra colored ceramic pieces and make the stone look like a mosaic, Elli can decorate however she wants. Again, if you want to do something special maybe, or even a thought for later special dates! But really I think baking is great, I do that all the time.

Hi A., I don't think it's hokey or ridiculus. We are also having a tight Christmas. I am making bookmarks from Sammi for everyone. I am going to put her picture on them & then let her put her fingerprints on them by coloring them with washable marker or paint. Sammi is only 18 months & I hope everyone would like them. I have always believed it's the thought that counts.

Baking cookies for your relatives sounds like a really sweet idea. First check to see if the family members receiving the gifts are diabetics or might have any other medical conditions that wouldn't let them enjoy your baking masterpieces. The other idea to go with the cookies might be a painted plate that holds the cookies. I go to the dollar store and buy a plain white (for the holidays maybe a solid green or red)plate and then use a paint pen on the rim. I write "Party with the _____ 's"(i fill in the hostess's last name for the blank.) and bring my desserts in it. The hostess gets to keep the plate as a thank you. Why don't you buy a cheap plate, or bowl and write something on the edge? Your daughter could even draw something in the middle of the plate for a little personalization just from her! Have fun!

I think that's a great idea. They have been at least a part of her life so I don't think there's any reason to think they wouldn't want something she's helped produced. An added thought, we made halloween cookies with our son and took some pictures of him during this effort (covered in flour and 'helping') and they turned out really cute. If you had time to also take a pic and add it to the gift that might personalize it even more.

I think that's a lovely idea, and how nice for you and your daughter that her paternal grandmother and aunt seem to care about her (and you) so much. I unfortunately don't have any cookie recipes (I am a terrible baker) but I've seen really cute Christmas tins at Dollar Tree, which are obviously a dollar, so if money's tight that might be helpful. And, if you don't want an involved cookie, maybe consider chocolate covered pretzels, cookie bars, quick breads, etc. That's usually what I end up making because they're harder to screw up than cookies.

Good luck and Merry Christmas!

Dear A.,
Homemade gifts in my opinion are the very best kind.. they are from the heart and show you have put time and love into them. I'm a teacher and any sort of baked homemade treat is always appreciated by our staff. And breads are easy to make and affordable too such as banana or pumpkin. You can get cute tins and also those clear cellophane bags with holiday designs on them at the dollar store.

And what a wonderful gift that you are also sharing with your daughter too.. spending time with her!
happy holidays..

Hi A.,

No... I don't think giving cookies is hokey. There are so many delicious recipes out there for cookies, fudge, and sweet breads/muffins. The website called Family Fun and maybe even Better Homes and Gardens probably has some recipes to make with your daughter.

Other gifts that I can think of for relatives that are inexpensive but still fun to give are calendars with personalized monthly photos on the calendars. You can go to Walmart, Sam's Club, etc... or you can upload pictures online at Snapfish.com. (Great online photo co.) These calendars are about 20-25 dollars. You can also have personalized photos on t-shirts, mugs, plates, etc... also at reasonable prices. Or.. check crafts stores like JoAnn's and Michaels for photo frames and other things to decorate.

I just bought Christmas plates and tins from the store called Dollar Tree. Their stuff is so reasonable.... the cute plates I bought were square and divided into 4 small squares. I am going to put 4 different types of cookies/fudge in them and wrap with colorful saran wrap to give to my kids' art teacher, P.E. teacher, etc... (The special teachers get forgotten sometimes during the holidays!) These plates look definitely more than a dollar!

Well have fun with your daughter during this wonderful holiday season.

J.

Dear A.,

I wanted to let you know that my two kids and I give baked goods and homemade cards for christmas. I can't afford a lot and it seems that everyone enjoys the items the kids made. Last year we made cupcakes and after they cooled down and before the iceing was put on I let the kids poke a couple of holes in them and then we took liquid jello and poured it over the holes, we then frosted and them and put some sprinkles on some and left others empty. We also made muffins for the people who don't like cookies and cupcakes. We also made home made christmas cards. We took card stock paper and folded them in half then I used paint and painted a christmas tree. Then we took elbow noodles and glued them on as ornaments. In the past we have made candy canes from pipe cleaners and attatched them to the package of goodies. To do candy canes just pick what ever two colors you want and them cut the pipe cleaners in half and then start twisting them and then bend it over to look like candy canes.

For the goodies we do anything from choc chip cookies (the receipe is on the back of the bag of choc chips), made fudge (receipe is on the back of the marshmellow fluff container), muffins which we just by the packs of muffins that the only requires you add milk, we have also made choc covered pretzels which my kids love to make.

If you need any more ideas for christmas gifts that are homemade such as arts and crafts please feel free to ask me. I wish you a great Christmas with your daughter and enjoy the fun of makeing the cookies.
B.

PSSH! Ask any neighbor, teacher, friend that has gotten a gift from a loving child how they felt and you will have your answer! It is sweet and a great idea. =) Krustez makes a gingerbread mix that you can either make bread or cookies from. I haven't tried it before (a box is sitting on my counter as we speak!) but I have tried their other products and they are awesome. If you want to make them from scratch there are alot of resources on-line for recipes. Also, Target has cookie kits in their bakery section, you don't even have to think about what to buy, it is all there, you just put it together.
Homemade gifts are the best because they are made with LOVE! Sadly enough not many people take the time or the effort to make gifts any more. You are teaching your child a wonderful lesson! GOOD FOR YOU! *HUG*

Honey, it's unfortunate that we have to worry so much about whether gifts are appropriate or not. I think the cookies are a great idea especially if money is tight. I would much rather someone give me something they can afford rather than go into debt for that "perfect" gift. Plus, doing something together gives you a chance to talk to your kiddo about being generous!

Good luck!
K.

At this moment I can not think of a simple recipe, however, as a first time grandmother I would like to tell you that anyting made by a child and created with love is the best gift one can receive. As to the appropriateness of gift giving for grandma and auntie; if you have good relationship with them I would certainly nurture them. The greatest gift you can give a child is the gift of love and family. If grandma and auntie want to be part of Elli's life try to make holidays with them as special as possible.
We have always prioritized family at the holidays and now everyone travels to be together at the holidays!
I do have a couple of cute ideas if you can wait until I get back to IN. I will mail them to you by Dec. 16. One is for home made baking dough. Many years ago I made this, put my childrens hand pring on it, dated, punched a hole for fancy ribbon and baked. After baking and cooling we would paint it and make a hanger with Christmas ribbon. Another very nice looking idea is cookies in a jar. Save your emply miracle whip of mayo jars, you layer all the dry in gredients (which is fun for a little one to do) place a piece of christmas paper or fabric over the lid and tie with ribbon while attaching the directions for baking. This looks very nice and can be made whenever, you can even set a date where Elli visits and bakes the goodies with grandma.
Have a very Merry Christmas,
H. (temporarily in California to spend time with that first grandaughter, other children in St. Louis and Milwaukee with home being in Indiana)

I make cookies and give them to everyone - neighbors to friends and family to the bus driver - its a good in expensive gift - what about having her draw some artwork to with maybe a picture of her - lots of my kids relatives say they like that the best.

I think that baking the cookies with El is a terrific idea! And I think the effort that it will take to tackle this task with a 2 year old will speak louder than words to the recipients. I also think that people know when money is tight and don't expect "shopping mall gifts". This is a great way to show that YOU and El care and that you find it important to include them in El's holidays. I have a two year old girl as well. So I must say, I am with you in spirit while you are baking those cookies, supporting your motherly efforts to connect with your daughter without losing your sense of humor! Enjoy the moment, the kids grow and change quickly. (I have a 19 year old, 12 and 7 year old as well.) You'll never have "this" 2 year old at Christmas again. Next year you'll have a "3 year old" El, and so on and so on. Live in the moment.
p.s. ignore the ignorant....the sister cannot change DNA

I dont think there is anything wrong with the cookies. They will be happy with anything your daughter helps make. You can also make them an ornament with her pic. and the year on it or a a wreath made out of her handprints. Grandmas love that kind of stuff and are in no way picky about what they recieve. Happy Holidays!!!

First off, giving food is always a plus in my book. Make sure when you tell your relatives that your daughter washed her hands first and didn't blow boogers into the batter. haha... but really some people are REALLY weird when it comes to kids and it might help the cookies be more appetizing that way. It also makes your daughter feel proud of herself especially when everyone is saying oh you helped with these, oh they taste so good. She'll be beaming from ear to ear. Secondly, I have an absolutely wonderful recipe for sugar cookies. I'll email it to you privately so I don't take up half this page. Have fun making whatever you choose and being messy. My daughter helped make these and had a blast.
J.

I think that is a great idea! It's cheap but yet very thoughtful. I don't think expect anything from you for Christmas considering you're a single mom. I think they would love it and your daughter would feel very special because she helped make the cookies. You can get really cute inexpensive tins at Hobby Lobby!!

Happy Holidays!