We had the Christmas holiday cookies bake-a-thon again! Come try one of our 223 cookies fresh out of the oven or take one of our 10 creamy fudge spread jars. Please, take some! Or settle for these 5 recipes to get you in the spirit of merry baking.
Have you ever spent an afternoon baking Christmas cookies for the holiday celebrations to come? Well I got together with my friend Catherine again this year and we spent a day baking our holiday butt’s off. Once again we had a mountain of holiday cookies, plus some jars of yummy spreadable creamy fudge. I hope these Greek Koulourakia and Italian Ricotta cookies are good enough to sooth the mean spirit of Krampus, this month’s Food ‘n Flix pick.
Can you spot the odd man out from the jars for Creamy Fudge Spread?
A Christmas nightmare?
Are you ready to see Krampus, a Christmas horror comedy film? Definitely my first horror holiday movie ever. Is it really scary? Well some moments get you by surprise and some scenes are scary but there is no blood and gore. Depends on your sensitivity. Do expect family favorites like a Jack-in-the-Box and the Gingerbread man cookie to turn evil and attack you! It was definitely a new way to get the holiday feel, kinda silly and fun.
It’s the story of a dysfunctional family clashing over the holidays. You even have the blue collar side of the family dropping in (National Lampoon anyone?). Max, the junior of the family, is disillusioned and decides Christmas is just too much trouble and looses his holiday spirit. Unfortunately in doing so, he unleashes the wrath of a demonic force intent on punishing non-believers. His name is Krampus. How will the family survive this evil ordeal? Watch the movie to find out!
The Real Krampus
Krampus is a half man half goat horned folklorik figure who punishes naughty children during the Christmas season. Basically he is the yang to Saint Nicholas’ yin. Krampus is a common figure in Austria, Bavaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia and Northern Italy. Men dress up as Krampus during annual events in many Alpine towns. You can even send Krampus holiday greeting cards.
In Styria (where some of my family moved too), ruten bundles (twigs painted gold) are presented by Krampus to families with children. Parents hang these around in the house all year to remind children that if they misbehave durig the year, they will get a visit from Krampus with a lump of coal rather than Saint-Nick laden with presents.
Lots of food at the beginning of the film. A whole kitchen full of recipes in the making and then a big holiday dinner. The food died of after that, well some food favorites start attacking people ha ha.
Food film spotting: candy canes, cheap holiday chocolates, nutcracker, holiday cookies galore, meringue, gingerbread man, vanillekipferl, fruitcake bread, butter, sugars, flour, icing, fruit cake, mac and cheese with hot dogs casserole, gravlax, crême brulée, reindeer, green beans, eggnog, gingerbread house, hot chocolate from the fireplace, peppermint schnapps, bread, and milk glasses.
Evelyne and Catherine with this year’s bounty (Palmiers still in the oven)
200+ Holiday Cookies
What are the odds the family should have Austrian roots, just like me. But I had just posted some Austrian husarenkrapferl cookies right before seeing the movie, which would have been really on topic. What to do? Oh well more holiday cookies it is then. And I have plenty to boot with my recent cookie bake-off. Today I want to share two of the recipes. My Greek cookies were lovely with a hint of orange and anise. The Italian cookies were about as moist and delicious as a cookie can get. We also made palmiers and you find the other recipes here…
- Creamy Fudge Spread
- Maple and Pecan Biscotti (in French)
- Freezer Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Hua Sheng Bing | Chinese Peanut Cookies
- Italian Ricotta Cookies … see below
- Koulourakia | Greek Sesame Twist Cookies … see below
Thank you to Food ‘n Flix and to Heather at All Roads Lead to the Kitchen for hosting this month! In this monthly group a host picks a movie of their choice that pertains to food. Everyone watches the movie and then makes a recipe which the film inspired. It can be any recipe you want. Join us!
Koulourakia | Greek Sesame Twist Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup + 6 tbsps unsalted butter softened
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 tbsps. or so fresh orange zest
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 tsps. vanilla
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 tbsps. Ouzo or Cognac
- 4 cups flour
- 2 tsps. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- Sesame seeds
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp. Ouzo or Cognac
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and grease 2 cookie sheets.
- In a large mixer bowl, combine the butter, oil and orange zest. Mix until creamy.
- Add in the sugar and mix well. Beat in the egg, vanilla, orange juice and Ouzo until mixed thoroughly.
- Combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda together.
- Mix in the flour, a cup at a time, until you get a smooth creamy dough. It should be soft, a little sticky and holds together.
- Divide dough into 24 to 28 pieces. Roll each piece into a log until it is about 1/2 inch thick. Bend gently in 2 to form a “U” shape and twist to the ends together. Lightly press ends to seal.
- Place on the greased cookie about an 1 inch apart.
- In a small cup, whisk the egg and Ouzo together. With a pastry brush, paint the egg wash over the top of the cookies and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.
- Bake for about 11 minutes or until barely light golden brown in appearance.
- Cool the cookies completely on the tray before moving or they will break and crack.
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My goodness I am impressed with your Bakeathon. I have never in my life baked anything of that quantity, even when I was catering at a veggie cafe. I agree with your observation re the movie, I like my horrors but this was comedic rather than horror, thought the effects were great! Happy New Year. Look forward to seeing what you come up with for the next movie. I am hoping to be more adventurous than just a cheeseboard!
I highly recommend you do one Bakeathon in your lofe lol. Exhausting but fun. Happy new year and I am sure you will come up with somthig really fun and diffrent for the next FNF!
You all did bake your butts off! Impressive!
Yep, baked our butts off and put the calories back on eating the cookies 😉
Look at that spread!! I love it!
Thanks Amy 🙂
Holiday baking days with friends is always so much fun. Glad you didn’t have any of the drama from the blue collar family of the movie this month.
Ha ha ha no we had no blue collar drama, such a stereotype anyways. We did have a blast baking.
Love that you had a big bake-a-thon. I really want to reach through the screen and sample them all!!!
Thanks Liz, I WISH I could send some your way, too many lol.
In response to your response to me above… I REFUSE to believe you are capable of burning ANYTHING! 😉
LOL all I am gonna say is that there were 2 bakers that day 😉
Eve, I hope you have a really wonderful Christmas!! Your cookie spread is spectacular! I always dream of doing a cookie spread like this but never do lol.
Thanks so much Lorraine and it is definitely a fun and exhausting day to bake like that lol. have a wonderful Christmas too xoxo
WHOA!!!! SO much variety!!!! And here I feel like a Christmas champ if I get one half burned batch out of the season, lol! 😉
Oh trust me Gingi some were a little burnt lol. Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Hey, it’s cookie season, so the more, the merrier! I love those Greek Ouzo cookies.
Indeed! I even put a bit of ouzo in a spray bottle and spritzed them a bit coming out of the oven 😀
Gorgeous cookies galore here! I wish I could try each one of them.
Thank you Sonali! Happy Holidays!
I’m so far behind in my baking but if I catch up, these cookies will be on my list!
The actual holiday baking will be the on the day of lol
*I meant to say a total NOD to National Lampoon’s. 😉
😉
Now that is a whole lot cookies – wish I could reach in and try one of each! I didn’t think the movie was at all scary, either (glad to know I’m not the only one). And yes – that was a total National Lampoon’s!
Oh I have a feeling others found it scary? Have not read anything yet lol. But I like some horror movies. PLEASE take some cookies!