My Holiday Cookie Challenge

I baked some cookies today - not something I do a lot. Cookies are a lot more work than a cake, crisp or muffins. There are several batches to go in the oven, the dough often needs to be chilled, rolled & cut. And then some cookies need to be decorated. But...... it's tons of fun too.

So (as if I wasn't busy enough already) I've decided to challenge myself. This is:

My Holiday Cookie Challenge: I challenge myself to whip up all 101 holiday cookie recipes in the Canadian Living Special Cookbook Issue (Fall 2010).

Starting November 1, 2010. End date to be determined.

The cover of the magazine does say there are more than 101 recipes, but that's because a few of the recipes have variations that I won't include as part of the challenge. I'm not setting a deadline since I'm not sure how feasible some of the recipes will be with my limited kitchen tools & appliances (I so need a mixer, food processor, piping bag & attachments, freezer space, etc... if only I had the room...).

I started out with something a bit different: Fig Thins.

The flavours include orange (zest & liqueur), cinnamon, cardamom & figs. I ground my own cardamom pods in my mortar & felt like the real deal. The fragrant spices & zesty orange gave the cookies an enticing aroma & an unusual taste - not something I'd want every day, but nice every once in a while.

As is usual when I make cookies, they didn't turn out the way they look in the book:

First, I halved the recipe. Don't "they" always say not to do that? I ended up with 23 cookies when the full recipe says 90... The edges are a lot darker than they should be, some a bit burnt. This always happens when I bake cookies. Is my oven too hot?

Secondly, I chopped the figs too coarsely. But... have you ever chopped dried figs? They're kind of gross, really sticky with all their little seeds bursting free. Next time I make these, I'll try to find some already chopped. It seemed like I ended up with a greater fig to batter ratio than the pictures indicate anyway.

But, the verdict is: these are very tasty & unusual cookies. Pleasantly fragrant & citrus-y. I would definitely try them again.

I'll keep you up to date with my challenge progress!