Christmas Attack Zone

T-minus two days til Christmas.

Presents: Bought and wrapped. 

Tree: Decorated.

Baking: Almost done. 

Since I'll be spending Christmas Eve and day helping out my aunt and uncle with their kiddies in NYC, James and I are celebrating the holiday on the 26th. We're having some friends over as well, so I've commenced holiday baking ahead of time.

I'd just like to take a moment to extol the virtues of Kerrygold butter. If you're a baker and have never used this stuff, remedy that immediately. The Irish are good at a number of things: whiskey, fiddling, being overly dramatic. I can now add butter to that list.

For my cookie-baking this year I tried out a couple of new recipes I found on Pinterest:

 Peppermint Pinwheels

A word to the wise: the recipe at the link failed to mention that one must chill the dough before rolling it out, hence my oval-shaped cookies (tsk tsk). They still taste good though!

White-Chocolate Cherry Shortbread

As is typical while baking/cooking in my kitchen, I failed to notice beforehand that I needed a pastry cutter so I had to Macguyver it. Not bad. I like that these can also double for Valentine's Day.

Now into the freezer they go until Monday's festivities!

Also on the menu: Red Velvet Cream Cheese cookies (It's a red and white theme this year apparently).

Merry Christmas!