Every year I send out boxes of Christmas cookies to my friends. Well, I did skip a year just recently, but I’m back in full swing. The last group I sent out was extremely disappointing; a group of fruity recipes I had never tried before became the theme of my Christmas delicacies. Most of them did not travel well or even come remotely near to what I had been expecting. They were fruity and flimsy and fun and, before they left my kitchen they were even kind of pretty, but they weren’t at all the sexy cookies I am used to.

This year, I went back to my roots and made a mess in my kitchen that would have had my mother praying to Jesus. I’m feeling a little more confident in what I’m sending out, although it’s hard to be completely assured that what you’re sending will make everyone happy. Also, I’m excited that I’ve been able to add good friends Jeff and Caroline to my list, even though I have no clue what kind of sweet treats they enjoy.

So I went with half cookies, half chocolate confections. Right now I have a batch of raspberry shortbread dough chilling in the freezer, but I don’t think I’m going to be able to fit them into the packages. It was my one and only fruity cookie, but I don’t think it will make it. Another time, perhaps. Here’s what we ended up with for this year:

Butterscotch Blondies
Peanut Butter cookies with Hershey’s Kisses
Orange Chocolate-Chip Biscotti
Chocolate Mint Candy (Fudge)
Chocolate-Cranberry Truffles
Fantasy Fudge
Chocolate Earl Grey Truffles

Have a very, merry Christmas, and enjoy!