Christmas Cookies!

I've been decorating Christmas cookies since I was a little girl. Every year I try different shapes and sizes, collecting unique cutters and decorations. This year I started with a tasty gingerbread recipe from Cook's Illustrated which resulted in delightful Rudolphs:
And some fun candy canes:

For months I've been baking butter cookies, perfecting the recipe until I've found the right balance of ingredients and cooking times. Here's an example of one of my newest cutters, a poinsettia!:

My favorite shape of the year is this elfish candy cane. It's a bit larger than what I usually do but it is such a fun shape and I found this interesting decorating pattern in the Williams Sonoma catalog.