Last Minute Holiday Cookie Package

 

'Tis the season to be baking, my friends.  Have you been keeping your oven warm and your loved ones off their diet?  As for me, oh sure, I had visions of snowflake-shaped speculoos, chocolate florentines, and pistachio nougats dancing in my head.  But with less than a week until Christmas and not a cup of butter creamed, not a chocolate block chopped, nor icing piped, I needed to get real.  Fast.

I ended up making shortbread cookies.  I remembered a recipe off the top of my head: 1 part icing sugar, 2 parts butter, 3 parts pastry flour.  Ive made this recipe nearly a half dozen times.  I'm always slightly disappointed in how it turns out, but that part I always seem to forget.  Sigh.

I still gave these not-so-stellar cookies the full gifting treatment, packing them pretty in brown paper coffee bags.  These ingenious bags are quite sturdy and lined with plastic, perfect for carrying and storing cookies.  And hey, if you're slick, they are freely available in the grind-your-own coffee beans section of the grocery store.  Tie on a generous-sized ribbon with a gift tag, and ahoy!  These lovely package of homemade sweets are ready for giving.

Wishing you all a festive holiday season!  See you in 2014!