Real Cheap, Real Simple, Real Homemade- Holidays on a Budget!

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A bit of a confession here, but it's relevant to today's posting. Last Holiday Season for us, like many was pretty stressful. We have a ton of people in our lives that we love dearly, but the idea of having to buy presents for everyone was pretty scary. So I decided to take those words of "it's the thought that counts" a little more to heart. I thought real hard about what personal gifts Rick and I could create on a limited budget and limited free time.  Well, I do cooking and baking really well.. Then it hit me, Cookies! and lots of them. They are cheap, they are easy to make (ahead of time) and everybody likes sweets.  

So, that's just what I did. I baked my little heart out. And then I did the other thing I do well, package. I found inexpensive boxes, and really pretty ribbon and decorated those yummy morsels in a Holiday package to delight anyone.

So you better believe I am doing it again this year. But this time, I am going to share my ideas and recipes with all of you.

For the next six weeks I will share with you one cookie recipe per week. The idea here is that you premix your cookie dough and freeze it until you are ready to bake. You can safely store most cookie doughs in a freezer for well up to two months. Then, the week before you want to present the cookies, you can start baking the off and storing them in an air tight container. When you are ready give your gifts, package them up with a pretty bow and.. Ta Da....

For those who celebrate Hanukkah, it falls a bit earlier this year (first week of Dec.) you will only be able to get through 4 of the 6 weeks. Sorry, I started this later then I thought.

I will also help you prep for the packaging with ideas and places to buy.

So, for week 1  I present:

Cranberry Pistachio Icebox Cookies

adapted from Epicurious.com

(shortbread style cookie)

Makes 3 Dozen Cookies

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh orange zest
1/2 cup shelled pistachios (2 1/4 oz; not dyed red)
1/3 cup dried cranberries (1 1/4 oz)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup decorative sugar (preferably coarse)

• Special equipment: parchment paper

Directions

Make dough:
Stir together flour, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl.

Beat together butter, granulated sugar, and zest in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 batches, mixing until dough just comes together in clumps, then mix in pistachios and cranberries. Gather and press dough together, then divide into 2 equal pieces. Using a sheet of plastic wrap or wax paper as an aid, form each piece of dough into a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Square off long sides of each log to form a bar, then freeze.

Up to one week before presenting.

Slice and bake cookies:
Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Brush egg over all 4 long sides of bars (but not ends). Sprinkle decorative sugar on a separate sheet of parchment or wax paper and press bars into sugar, coating well.

Cut each bar crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices, rotating bar after cutting each slice to help keep square shape. (If dough gets too soft to slice, freeze bars briefly until firm.) Arrange cookies about 1/2 inch apart on lined baking sheets.

Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until edges are pale golden, 15 to 18 minutes total. Transfer cookies from parchment to racks using a slotted spatula and cool completely.

Enjoy!