Recipes of the week: Holiday Gifts, Part 1

I spent all weekend in the kitchen preparing tasty holiday treats. It has even spilled over into tonight. Whew, lots of time and energy. But, it makes for a great personal gift that I had an enjoyable time making. Much better than those lousy mass-produced gifts you can get anywhere. There's just one little problem with all of this. I am a lousy baker. It's true. I don't know how the baking gene passed over me, my sister is a great baker! So, I went into this with an open mind and prepared to have some misses but hopefully also some hits. And I think it is mostly the latter. Here are the goodies I made (if you are a friend or family member, you may want to stop reading right about now).

I have several friends and family members who are diabetic, so I tried to find some diabetic-friendly recipes.

First I made Sweet Potato Raisin Cookies. For some reason I had way more dry ingredients than seemed necessary, so I ended up not using them all. The cookies themselves came out okay, not the most exciting thing I've tasted. They were a little bland. But the raisins, nuts and bran added some much needed flavor. Not for those with a sweet tooth.

Another diabetic recipe I made was for Apricot Oat Treats. These were much better. I even had to fluff egg whites, which I have never done before. I was so excited to do it, but then it was a little bit of a let down.

Very much not a diabetic treat - I made a Paula Deen recipe for Cookie Dough Truffles. Very decadent and no baking required! I probably would make them smaller next time.

Lastly I made an oldie but a goodie - Chocolate Chip Cookies. (See my snazzy new apron in the pic!)

And of course, all this baking requires a play list. Here are some songs that helped get through the holiday baking.

Alison Krauss and Robert Plant make for good listening when you are deep in the throes of measuring and mixing. Here's my pick.

Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us ...

Here's a good one for getting into the holiday cheer. Van Morrison, you saucy boy, look how you've brought my spirits up.

Glad Tidings - Van Morrison

Finally, this is a great song to dance to while waiting for cookies in the oven. It's okay, no one's watching ;) (It's better if you don't actually listen to the words.)

Take Me As I Am - Wyclef Jean ...

I will soon post a part two, which will showcase the non-cookie treats. It was a busy weekend...