Meme: on a ariety of topics

[pensnest]

Today's request: Your favourite holiday cookies/biscuits to bake (and why! Especially tasty? Family history?) from fleurrochard

I think this might be a very short response. Okay, knowing me, that seems unlikely, but, well, I don't bake cookies, or biscuits, for holidays or any other days.

I do, it is true, have a yen to do so. I actually bought suitable food colourings with the intention of making Unicorn Poop Cookies. It is possible I shall be the only person who will *eat* Unicorn Poop Cookies, though, that said, Bun is pretty open-minded and Beast will eat anything. And yet...

I like the American custom of producing delicious cookies for Christmas. I remember with great pleasure the charming little box of delicious treats that quiet000001 gave me several years ago. But I never actually seem to have time to get it done. Possibly this year I shall set Bun to the task, as she and Boy are planning (I think) to be home on the Saturday before Christmas, and they will need to be kept occupied. Not that Boy will undertake such domestic usefulness without prodding, I fear, and obviously I shall have to intervene at some point during the Unicorn Poop Cookie construction process, but still.

The thing is, it's never been cookies, here. It's mince pies. I think I have probably made mince pies, in the dim and distant past. I have vague memories of customising mincemeat from a purchased jar (not that it tasted particularly better, or indeed, different). I have very fond memories of eating the mince pies my Grandma made—as I've certainly rhapsodised before, her pastry was *awesome*. My father in law had a tendency to make his pastry with brown flour (after his diabetes diagnosis, anyway), and it was not, actually, very nice, so his mince pies just weren't much of a pleasure to eat. Anyway, Grandma's gone and Grandpa is in Australia, so any mince pies eaten in this house are likely to have been bought from Sainsburys or the local baker (though apparently we have a new Aldi supermarket in town, which I must certainly try). With sufficient brandy-infused cream, mince pies are pretty reasonable eating.

Yeah, I thought that'd be short. Sorry, Fleur!

Comments

[fleurrochard]

Not a problem at all!
I hadn't known that baking cookies for Christmas is an American custom, but not an English one! (It is certainly a German custom - I refer to my babble about cookies today. *g*)
But we don't have mince pies (never ate one. Never seen one, actually!) and they sound delicious!

[pensnest]

Mince pies are not bad... we could probably arrange to bake a few at Camp, although it will not involve me making pastry. If no noble volunteer can be found who is good at pastry, we'll buy some!

I do think cookies are a nicer choice, although to reveal the whole truth, I'm not so keen on Lebkuchen and other gingerbread-y treats. I don't understand why not!

[fleurrochard]

There are people waxing poetry about mince pies on my Twitter feed - right now I'm pretty convinced they have to be just heavenly. ;)

I pretty much love one kind of Lebkuchen and it's not one I or my mom bakes - we buy those. Otherwise, not Lebkuchen or gingerbread at our house. (I'm not keen on ginger in sweet things anyway. Savoury - YES! Sweet - no.)

[pensnest]

In all honesty I'm not sure mince pies are *that* great. But since they're seasonal, it's nice to eat them when they are around.

[turlough]

I like mincepies. You can't get them in Sweden though so I haven't had any in ages. There was a period when I visited London in late autumn and I always tried to remember and buy jars of mincemeat so I could make them myself.

[rikes]

I don't know how I've never realised this before, but are mince pies actually sweet and not savoury??? HOW AND WHY?

[pensnest]

Right, we definitely have to make some at Camp next year!

I think originally that 'mincemeat' was actual meat, chopped finely and preserved with the mixture of fruits. Gradually, for some reason, the meat got left out, and only the mix of dried fruit, sugar and... er, possibly brandy? took over.

I shall purchase a jar and put it into the Camp Comestibles box.

[msktrnanny.livejournal.com]

I like mincemeat pie and it never happens over here. Might have to make some this year. The cookie bonanza... nothing beats a plate of beautifully decorated cookies, hunh? They can take time. When I was a kid Mom and I would bake all day on weekends to make all those cookies. I love that they're still a tradition for so many, despite all the admonishments about not eating sugar, etc.

[pensnest]

I know there's going to be more than enough food over the holiday without providing more just for the pleasure of eating it, but I am tempted by the idea of cookies. Very tempted.

Maybe we should produce some mince pies at Camp this year - are you likely to be able to make it?

[nopseud]

I guess the American tradition comes from the Germanic European tradition of making Christmas biscuits. A German woman I worked with used to make them every year, because it wasn't really Christmas without them.

[pensnest]

That sounds very probable, although I think the actual cookies have metamorphosed somewhat. I'm not that fond of German biscuits, sadly.

[starturtle0977.livejournal.com]

Any Christmas cakes or plum puddings?

[pensnest]

I only buy a teeny tiny one-person Christmas cake, because my brother-in-law is the only one here at Christmas who actually likes it. Happily, there are cute little cakes around, so he can be indulged with a fruit cake without having to feel guilty.

We do have Christmas pudding, and it's good stuff, but in all honesty, I can think of many nicer puddings! Beast and I often have a small pudding between us for supper before (and, if I can get hold of them, after) Christmas, but on the day I may well make something more splendid, like mincemeat-streaked cheesecake, or a fruit tart, or even jam roly poly.

[starturtle0977.livejournal.com]

Aww, the teeny tiny one-person Christmas cakes sound lovely! I've only developed a taste for Christmas cake as I've gotten older and think it tastes best with a smidgen of brandy sauce from the plum pudding.

I would make Christmas plum pudding with my grandmother every summer (she was from England) so I assumed it was a UK tradition of sorts. I still make it with my Mum but not every year. I've never been a huge fan of mincemeat but might have to give it a try again this year ;)