Christmas Bakery!

WELCOME!

I've been busy as a Christmas elf making gingerbread cookies in

I used this Betty Crocker recipe, substituting 1/2 cup of golden syrup for a 1/2 cup of molasses. My dear friend Morwenna brought me a beautiful can of golden syrup all the way from Hampshire! The gingerbread comes out of the oven filling your entire home with a deliciously spicy fragrance. Wonderful!

Once the gingerbread cookies had cooled, I mixed up a batch of Susan Branch's Royal Icing. Recipe: 1 large egg white at room temperature, whipped for 10 minutes together with 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes before using. This icing hardens when it cools, making it very practical for cookies you want to pack in boxes or hang on the tree.

I love to add sparkle and elegance to my Christmas cookies with these nonpareilles, shiny sugar pearls waiting to be sprinkled over fresh icing.

Look what a difference icing and pearls make for these cookies! It was a joy decorating them. The sweet gingerbread scent was heavy as I swirled, dotted, and striped my hearts, stars, and men.

I made sure to poke holes in the cookies I wanted to hang from our Christmas tree before baking them. Once the icing was dry I pushed golden thread through the holes and hung them delicately all around the tree. I love how they look...so old-fashioned!

The remaining cookies were placed on plates or put into little baggies tied with ribbon for gifts.

It was a gingerbread adventure!

For me, Christmas is a time where I let my creativity flow through baking and decorating. I love to peruse magazines and blogs for inspiration. Here are a few pictures of desserts and displays which I find beautiful and inspiring:

So many glorious tempations. So sparkly, playful, and elegant! What makes your mouth water, I wonder?

Below you see a gorgeous cake which was featured in the magazine Southern Living.

Would you like the recipe? Me too.

You can find it right here!

With all of this sweet endulgence, you need something to wash it all down. Here, cook up a big pot of this for you and your loved ones. Not only does it taste wonderful, but it will fill your home with the fragrance of the winter season, courtesy of the spectacular Susan Branch:

You can read her heart-warming words about honoring your inner child this holiday season here.

illustrations by susan branch

I hope you've enjoyed your little visit here to May All Seasons Be Sweet To Thee! This place has become a second home for me, where I meet lovely people and share heartaches and happiness.

Christmas is so much fun when you remember to experience it through joyful childlike eyes, and to spread that joy around everywhere you go.

And look; it snowed all night and we awoke to a magnificent winter wonderland!

Enjoy the party, and come again soon!

xoxoxo country girl