Triple Almond Cookies - total time 1 hour

Happy Winter Solstice! It was actually sunny today, but it has already been dark for hours (it is making me so tired). The darkest day of the year means the more sunshine in every day after! :)

Hope you're wrapping up on your holiday related shopping, baking, and giving, we just celebrated Christmas with my husband's family over the weekend. I was planning on making my mom's famous "melting moments" cookies made with almond extract. It took so long for her to share her recipe with me since it is one of those family secrets you just can't share willy nilly. I looked through my old recipe box that holds tried and true recipes I wrote down before I started this blog and before I had my recipe binder... I could not find the recipe!

At that point I had it in my head that I needed to make these cookies, I could almost taste them. During our vacation in Europe, I realized I pretty much love any almond related pastry! So I had to make some kind of almond cookie... came up with this recipe... and it was a hit at our early Christmas... and since it isn't a family secret recipe, I can share it with you!

These cookies have three different almond layers to make sure to satisfy that almond craving! It starts with the crumbly, almondy, shortbread-like cookie. Inside is a pocket of almond paste (new discovery!) that gives the cookie that soft, almost gooey center I love in cookies. And to finish it off with an almond sugar glaze. If you like almond, you'll love these cookies! (Then try it with coffee!)

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Weekly Menu

I didn't post a menu last week because we were basically out for dinner all week!  In between all of the dinners out, we managed to decorate our house.  Fully loaded Christmas trees have been taking up most of my newsfeed since Thanksgiving.  We don't have a ton of decorations (but perhaps using my mom's house as a comparison is unfair since she goes a little overboard) so it didn't take too long, but it really feels like Christmas officially.  

And, good thing it feels like Christmas... because we already had one!  Over two weeks early, I know.  After opening gifts, we headed to Ohio Village for Dickens of a Christmas, a tradition we started back in the early '90s.  Everything in Ohio Village is like it was in Ohio back in 1860.  My favorite part is the carolers singing in town hall all dressed up in period clothing singing carols from back in the day (with no mention of Santa Claus).  Then for some hot cocoa and chestnuts roasted over an open fire, we walk around the village seeing how thing were back in the day.  Dickens of a Christmas is only open two weekends in December, so check it out this weekend!

This week is going to be just as busy starting with going to the Lindsey Stirling concert with my parents in a few hours.  

Love all of the time with friends and family lately, but need some home cooked meals in my life again.  So I was busy yesterday prepping some food for lunches this week and making some homemade granola for breakfast.  We'll be home for dinner three nights this week, so here is our mini menu of quick meals...

chicken fajitas
shrimp po' boys
stuffed shells

And then trying to get some Christmas baking in this week too!

She is making little berry hand pies and baking with lard!

Snoop is confused why there is a fake pine tree inside the house (and then warming his butt by the fire).

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Top 5 Cookies to Make for Christmas

I can't believe Christmas will be here next week!  The season has really flown by (as did much of the year) and now I'm rushing around to buy meaningful gifts for everyone on our list.  At least the tree is up and our house is modestly decorated (compared to my mom's house, where people take tours of the Christmas explosion).  And now it is time to bake...

Most people think of those hard press cookies or sugar cookies decorated like Christmas trees when they think of Christmas cookies.  I'm pretty selective about my desserts, might as well get the most enjoyment out of those sugary treats, and shortbread and sugar cookies don't make the cut for me.  Instead, I make the cookies I prefer, but a little holiday twist on them, and it turns out, other people like them too.  So here are five non-traditional Christmas cookies that you'll actually enjoy.

Red Velvet Chocolate Chip
There is no question these are holiday cookies when you add some green M&Ms to the dough.  Red and green... check... delicious and soft... check!

Thick Mint Cookies
Ditch the dull candy canes and opt for these chocolate mint cookies instead.  Kind of inspired by the Thin Mint Girl Scout cookie, these pack even more flavor.

Buckeye Bark
Maybe it is an Ohio thing, but buckeye candies are expected every Christmas.  They aren't hard to make, but they are pretty tedious.  Try Buckeye Bark instead and save yourself time in the kitchen.

Nutella Stuffed Chocolate Chip
Mmm... Nutella!  Just think of biting into the perfect chocolate chip cookies with an ooey gooey chocolate center.  These really don't have much to do with Christmas.  It is the fact that they are the best cookies ever that gets them on this list.

Cake Batter
Hold the fruit cake, we're talking buttery yellow cake.  These cookies stay so soft for days and days!  Which makes it the perfect cookie to pack in a tin and take it from this party to that gathering.  Add the red and green chips to make them festive.  :)

Have fun baking!

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