Visions of Sugar Plums...

 

I finally got around to baking a few cookies. 

I started with some easy ones, Hello Dolly Bars, using Penzy's recipe which spices them up a bit.

Then I made a few sugar cookies using a cookie cutter set I picked up on clearance at Ikea last year. They are a bit on the thick side. I like my cookies thin and crisp and these aren't either. I used Betty Crocker's recipe. I need a better one. 

Have a laugh at my icing skills. I don't have the right equipment so I tried just using a piping bag and it was a gloppy mess. I'm sure my icing consistency wasn't right either. I make cookies once a year so my skills are subpar at best. 

My jam thumbprints were a mess. I tried to cut the recipe in thirds and didn't get the ratio right. 

They might not be my best work but they do look pretty all plated on the table.

The mess wasn't too pretty. I practically destroyed the kitchen that I had just cleaned within an inch of its life the day before. 

And....do you want to see a sad sight? The Mister's Advent puzzle is almost finished which means Christmas is almost over. It's not like me at all to feel this way. I'm usually more than ready to pack it in but this has been the happiest Christmas that I can remember in ages and for no particular reason. The jolly is all me. It's so weird.