Lovin' from the Oven

What's a cookie artist to do at Christmas if not design cookies for her family and friends.  The problem I often have, is to narrow my focus to a limited number of designs.  Although more efficient and less time-consuming, it just isn't as fun!

I can look at a blank cookie canvas for quite some time before I finally get the nerve to apply any frosting.   But once I get started, I can get into a zone, and then my ideas exceed my energy levels.

Such was the case with my Christmas cookie gift project.  I planned to create some pine trees and snowflakes (the classic favorites), and then add some Christmas lights and winter mittens to the mix.

Then I remembered that I wanted to try a new technique for creating words from cookies.  So I added that to my list of designs, too.  Oh wait.  I have to get over my fear of making a new and improved gingerbread boy and girl.  So I added those to my list, too.  And I have had a moose and bear cookie cutter for over a year, and haven't tried them yet, so I better do those while I'm at it.  What's two more designs?!

I'll tell you what it is.... it's a whole lotta time.  In December.  When there is already a LOT to do.  But as I was creating the little gingerbread house for our realtor friend, Brian (add another design to the list), I couldn't keep myself from adding a little snow, and then some shutters, and pretty soon another hour had passed.

And I got over my fear of making a boring gingerbread man/girl duo!  I had SO much fun making these little creations - I might as well have been playing paper dolls.  It really is hard to stop, but when your three kids show up and wonder if Santa is ever going to get started on shopping for stocking stuffers, I knew I had to close up shop.   At least until the stores close for the last time before Christmas morning!

There's always tomorrow, right?  Technically, I have all day Christmas day to finish these up and deliver them. And that's exactly what I did.

Hoppy Holidays

This was a busy season for XOXO Cookies.  We had a very fun request from a colleague of mine.  She had the great idea to send cookies to all of her clients for the holidays.  She works as an Environmental Consultant and has many jobs where safety comes first.   

As a biologist she also helps look after sensitive wildlife like the California Red-legged Frog.  

We jumped at the chance to make these cute little red-legged frogs. Once they had eyes it felt like someone was always watching, and I was a little sad to see them go.

The hard hats and safety vests were a first for us but were soon to be one of our favorites.  They quickly came to life, Hi-Vis striping and all.

A few chocolate chip biscotti to add to the mix, and these little guys were ready to be delivered.  We had ordered decorative boxes, ribbon, and tissue paper from a new company for us.  Nashville Wraps has many eco friendly options to choose from, perfect for this eco delivery!

We hope everyone enjoyed these cookies as much as we enjoyed making them. Thank you Terra Verde for thinking of us! 

Let the sun shine

After a week straight of pouring rain on the central coast, it was nice to bring in a little sunshine.  Kristen, from Suntoucher, a boutique web application development company, wanted some personalized Christmas gifts for some of her clients.

So we took this Suntoucher logo and used the sun cutter to make these cute edible logo cookies.  

They were packaged with yummy chocolate chip biscotti and ready to be delivered.

Happy Holidays!  Thank you Suntoucher for thinking of us!



“We teachers are rather good at magic, you know.” – Professor McGonagall

My Dad's office is celebrating today.  Two of their student assistants will be graduating from college at the end of this Quarter.  In honor of their accomplishments, their co-workers wanted to give them some treats that were made especially for them.  One graduate is a huge Harry Potter fan - definitely my kind of girl! So it was totally appropriate to try a little magic of our own with these cake pops.

This pop IS pretty silly, and Dad made his share of comments about Harry's lightning bolt looking more like an earthquake fault, but hey, once you begin a cake pop, there's just no turning back.  So meet "Arry."  "Arry Potter!"

In J K Rowling's creative world, owls bridge the magical world with the muggle world.  The Snowy Owl named 'Hedwig' was Harry's messenger and feathered companion.  With Hedwig holding a warm place in my heart, we thought it only right to pay tribute to this loyal, winged creature. He turned out to be my very favorite.  I can't wait to make some more of these cuties. Check out his almond wings!

The other graduate loves Hello Kitty.  Btw, did you know that you can actually get a Bank of America Hello Kitty credit card?! Wow. Why there was never a Hello Doggie, I'll never understand.  Anyway, this kitty icon represents one of the most successful and long-lasting marketing strategies ever. And so we did a couple Hello Kitty Cake Pops, complete with wild rice whiskers!

(My mom has recurring nightmares about cats attacking her, so I don't foresee many Hello Kitty CP's in our future.)

Congratulations to you, Caitlan (Hello Kitty) and Megan (Harry Potter) on your graduation.  You have no doubt worked hard for your diplomas and we wish you much success in your future!

Oh the weather outside is frightful. . .

. . . but hot chocolate and cookies are so delightful!

It isn't snowing in this Coastal town, but it is raining and blowing something fierce!  We don't have our lights up yet, and the Christmas tree is still outside, soaking up water in our front yard pond.  I'm not known to hold back on decorations, but this year is off to a slow start.  I am jealous of Kimi, who already has her tree up, but I did manage to get a wreath hung.  I couldn't believe it when I found this wreath, complete with our business cards!  Hee, hee. Cute, eh?

Until the hubsters gets the boxes out of the attic, I am left to what I have on hand.  What can I say?  I was bored. 

As long as I am at it, I thought I'd post some pix of a couple Christmas cookies we've done. Our recent trip to Lake Tahoe was white, white, white!  These cookies take me back - minus the flapping chains on the tires. . .

I think the trees are my favorite winter cookie, hands down.

We will be posting pix of a few orders we have for Christmas gifts coming soon.  Wait until you see these unusual "holiday cookies!"

Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, She's finished with work, you know!

So many people have reason to celebrate!  My office just joined our Executive Director for dinner downtown to celebrate her last days of her working career.  What an accomplishment!  She is leaving some pretty big shoes to replace, and we will all miss her. But change is inevitable and Barbara is off to enjoy new adventures now ~ traveling, cooking and playing Grandma to her first grandchild expected within the next few weeks!

We made another champagne bucket arrangement and personalized the edible label with adjectives that described our fearless leader.

"Chateau Barbara... Sparkling Champagne with focused flavor and great balance.  Enjoy a major impression on all the senses."

I am happy to have worked under your direction for these last several years, and thank you for everything you've done to make our office a very pleasant place to call our home away from home.  A toast to you, Barbara.  May you enjoy many fun years of well-deserved retirement!

A Surprise for a Roommate

One of my daughter's college roommates is celebrating Chanukah. But she is away from home during this very special season.  Knowing how disappointed her friend is about being away from her family during Chanukah, Jessica decided to surprise her with some holiday cookies and decorations for her room. She asked us to bake some of her own favorite cookies, and then asked if we could decorate some cookies that would be appropriate for Chanukah.

Here are the cookies she gave to her roommate in appreciation for her friendship. (Oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips and walnuts, and decorated sugar cookies with a hint of almond)

Best wishes for successful final exams to you both, and for an especially meaningful Chanukah celebration to Stephanie and her family!

Wishing all of our friends happy holidays with their families!

XOXO Cookies

A Taste of the Bubbly

This weekend marks the 50th Wedding Anniversary for a local couple.   They celebrated in a big way, inviting family and friends to join them for food and fun. . .  I understand the Portuguese know how to party!

Their son and his wife wanted to honor them with a personalized cookie gift. Many creative ideas were tossed around, and in the end, we created the personalized champagne bottle, complete with champagne glasses filled with 'the bubbly.'

(I couldn't resist bringing some of my own heart rocks out 

for this photo shoot. )

We have learned that the party was grand, the attendees were well-fed, and the guests of honor were delighted with the afternoon affair.  And the cookies, arranged in their very own 'champagne bucket,' were a hit, too!  
Happy Anniversary to you, from XOXO Cookies.   May you enjoy many more years of wedded bliss together!  

Fresh Eggs Coming Soon!

How fresh can you get?  

My husband and I bought our first home this month and are very excited to start expanding.  Unfortunately for our parents, expanding meant chick-ens and not child-ens! 

We hatched these cute little guys/gals in an incubator about 3 weeks ago.  They are growing very, very fast and 5 months from now they will be laying their own eggs. 

Many of the homes in our new neighborhood have chickens and some have roosters too!  After hearing the roosters crow (and not just at dawn) it has become clear that we will keep only the hens.  The problem comes if Matt's favorite (the only little red) and my favorite (the all black with buff-colored chest) turn out to be roosters.  There may be no giving them up. 

We have held off on naming them until we know for sure who is staying in the family.  One thing we do know is that all of their names will be a variety of cheese.  Cheesey yes I know, but hey - we love our food! 

October Memories

Today was "High Five Friday," a term I learned from my son-in-law (Note:  I strongly dislike the reference "in law."  I would prefer to stop at "son," but then confusion results, explanation follows, and I usually forget what I was going to say.  I wish someone would come up with a better term for a person who joins a family via love rather than from the womb.  End of rant).  Now... where was I? 

I spent today trying desperately to unwind from my previous hectic month.  It's been a challenging summer and early Fall at my office, but we can see light at the end of the tunnel and I took my High Five Friday off!   I browsed the shelves at my favorite local gift shop and put myself in the holiday mood.  I thumbed through my magazines, searching for inspiring recipes and colorful displays.  I looked forward to Thanksgiving, and I looked back at photos of previous Autumn seasons.  We have no cookie orders this week, so I thought I would share some of my memories of past Octobers.  

Kimi and I spent an adventurous week exploring the east coast a few years ago and enjoying the beautiful fall colors.  We found these trees in Maine.  I find myself attracted to groups of three ~ coincidentally we were blessed with three daughters.    The green, gold and red leaves intrigued me.   Three sisters, three trees ~ all at different stages, each beautiful in their own right, and yet standing together.  Pretty cool.

We couldn't travel the east coast without paying tribute to one of the grand lighthouses.

So my son, referenced above, is a never-say-die Red Sox fan, and by association, we have joined the ranks.  We had to snap a picture of this box of "Green Monster Mint" ice cream especially for him. Check out the li'l chocolate mint socks!   When you travel through Mass, you can't help feel the pride the Sox fans feel for their team.  

On to Vermont, and this little lady caught my heart.  How can you resist that face?  I could have spent hours on this multi-generational, family run dairy farm.  "Grandpa" was so friendly and his welcoming style reminded me of my own dad.   Kimi had to pull me away from this farm and was only successful after suggesting we tour the Ben and Jerry's ice cream factory down the road!  

One of Vermont's many covered bridges.  Amazing to see the way they were built. 

Fast forward a year - Kimi's October wedding inspired this creation of Cinderella's coach.  This was the cutest thing!  Once again, the Hubster came through using his collections of miscellaneous junk from his workshop.  Check out the clever use of these hinges (windows and steps), the lamp finial top, and even a horseshoe door! 

What's a wedding without XOXO Cookies?  Surely you jest ~

A photo album of October wouldn't be complete without a costume or two.  Kiska the wonder dog loves to model.  Her master takes great creative liberty over what she wears, and Kiska doesn't always agree, but she always cooperates.  It was an especially blustery day as she sported this striped muffler.  Shades of Piglet, don't you think?

Hmmm... Care Bear?  Really?!

Happy October to all our friends, even the two-legged ones!