Final baking report for Christmas 2016

Some of our kitchen gifts ready to go.

I'll share the actual 2016 baking list (as opposed to the tentative list) tomorrow, but for now I will just share about the baking for Christmas 2016, which I finished up on Christmas Eve day.

I don't have a lot of counter space (and I often need it for other things I'm doing in the kitchen) but I do have a large table, so that is often my cooling and decorating surface for cookies.  I lay down sheets of newspaper topped with waxed paper to protect my table/tablecloth/place mats, then place wire racks atop that.

The eggnog logs had been baked previously, but now I frosted and garnished them.

 The eggnog logs were frosted and then a fork run through the icing to resemble tree bark.  Then they are sprinkled with nutmeg.

Below you see the little apricot cakes (mentioned in an earlier post) all wrapped up.  I used regular and green foil to package the ones you see here, plus a festive tie of ribbon, metallic trim, or bakers twine in red/green. 

 The cookies below and above are jam-filled shortbread thumbprints.  Raspberry jam is what's called for (I use the all-fruit type), but I ran out and used apricot in some.  These are waiting to have the icing added.

 Below you see part of a batch of chocolate spritz to the right.  We were about to run out so I had to bake some more!

 And below are the shortbread thumbprints with the glaze added.  I got it a bit too thin so it soaked in more than I like.   Still pretty, though ... and absolutely delicious!

So there you have it.  There is still one item I have not done -- the chocolate-dipped orange slices -- but I will still make those because people at church love them and they go well on the cookie and fudge trays I'll bring for Sunday potluck lunches for as long as the frozen goodies hold out.