Making snacks is inevitably a part of just about any holiday, and ideally, any holiday treat making can be done with friends or family. Having a cookie baking party a few weeks prior to the holidays is a good opportunity to get together with friends and receive some delicious baked holiday sweets. There are many different traditional holiday treats that you can help make, ranging from popular staples such as iced chocolate cookies to international varieties such as Italian pizzelle.
Making Italian Holiday Treats -- Baking Up some Italian Christmas treats is an excellent way to have several really wonderful looking treats. Pizzelle is a classic Italian cookie that looks like a small waffle. The batter looks much like waffle batter but will generally also include flavoring oils such as orange or lemon. The dough is spooned onto a pizzelle iron, which additionally impresses a motif such as a grid onto the cookie.
Finished pizzelle tend to be sprinkled with powdered sugar while still warm, or spread with a nut or chocolate spread and consumed like sandwich cookies. While there are not many decorating options for these basic treats, they still are sought after at cookie events because of their elegant appearance and the ease in making a batch of them.
Decorating and Wrapping Your Presents -- When your group has made all the treats they want, continue the event by exchanging little bags of cookies with one another so everyone can try out all of the varieties. You can embellish paper gift sacks yourself with scrapbook papers, bits of attractive ribbon, and markers, and can craft homemade gift tags to customize each bag.
Keep some red and green tinted cellophane available to wrap up the treats in small bundles, and tie each cellophane cookie with a silky ribbon before putting it in a personalized gift bag. Once the whole group has traded snacks, if you want you can keep making bags and use them as Christmas presents to bring home and give to anyone.
These are only a few ideas for putting together an entertaining baking party for the holidays. You could host a much bigger celebration by inviting more people and adding even more supplies and decorating choices at the gathering. In addition to just using pizzelle, you can add in two or three different international treats as well as safer basics such as snickerdoodles and oatmeal raisin cookies. You can also add in several different icing flavors and types, from bright glazes to rich cream cheese.
No matter which snacks you may represent at your baking party, you'll definitely have an enjoyable afternoon with family and friends and come away from the celebration with Christmas treats that are pretty and taste excellent.
Making Italian Holiday Treats -- Baking Up some Italian Christmas treats is an excellent way to have several really wonderful looking treats. Pizzelle is a classic Italian cookie that looks like a small waffle. The batter looks much like waffle batter but will generally also include flavoring oils such as orange or lemon. The dough is spooned onto a pizzelle iron, which additionally impresses a motif such as a grid onto the cookie.
Finished pizzelle tend to be sprinkled with powdered sugar while still warm, or spread with a nut or chocolate spread and consumed like sandwich cookies. While there are not many decorating options for these basic treats, they still are sought after at cookie events because of their elegant appearance and the ease in making a batch of them.
Decorating and Wrapping Your Presents -- When your group has made all the treats they want, continue the event by exchanging little bags of cookies with one another so everyone can try out all of the varieties. You can embellish paper gift sacks yourself with scrapbook papers, bits of attractive ribbon, and markers, and can craft homemade gift tags to customize each bag.
Keep some red and green tinted cellophane available to wrap up the treats in small bundles, and tie each cellophane cookie with a silky ribbon before putting it in a personalized gift bag. Once the whole group has traded snacks, if you want you can keep making bags and use them as Christmas presents to bring home and give to anyone.
These are only a few ideas for putting together an entertaining baking party for the holidays. You could host a much bigger celebration by inviting more people and adding even more supplies and decorating choices at the gathering. In addition to just using pizzelle, you can add in two or three different international treats as well as safer basics such as snickerdoodles and oatmeal raisin cookies. You can also add in several different icing flavors and types, from bright glazes to rich cream cheese.
No matter which snacks you may represent at your baking party, you'll definitely have an enjoyable afternoon with family and friends and come away from the celebration with Christmas treats that are pretty and taste excellent.
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And remember, more hints and tips for using your pizelle iron are available online. You can even find out how to make some neat homemade gift tags for giving away your Christmas cookies.